Funded K22 Grants

Submitting an Application

Peer Review Process

Frequently Asked Questions

Policy-Related Application Process/Review Related Policy/Post Award

NCI Staff Contacts

Introduction

The Transition Career Development Award uses the K22 grant mechanism to support "protected time" for newly independent investigators to develop and receive support for their initial cancer-research programs. This award is intended to facilitate the transition of investigators from the mentored to the independent stage of their careers. It applies to clinicians (e.g., M.D.s and doctoral level oncology nurses) who are pursuing basic science careers; clinicians who are pursuing careers in patient-oriented research; and individuals (e.g., Ph.D.s, D.P.H.s, M.D.s) pursuing careers in the prevention, control and population sciences. To apply, a candidate must have completed two years or more of postdoctoral, mentored research or have been in an independent position for less than two years at the time of the application. The unique feature of this award is that individuals may apply without a sponsoring institution while they are still in a "mentored" position. Successful postdoctoral applicants will be given up to 12 months to identify an independent, preferably tenure-track, position at a sponsoring institution before an award can be activated. Awardees must apply for an R01 research grant or equivalent prior to the end of the second year of the award. The K22 is not renewable.

Candidate must be a citizen of the United States, or a non-citizen national, or must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence and possess an Alien Registration Receipt Card (1-151 or 1-551) or some other verification of legal admission as a permanent resident.

The candidate must commit 75 percent of full time professional effort to conducting research and research career development. Candidates on K22 grants can be supported for up to three years and provide salaries up to $75,000 plus fringe benefits and other costs up to $50,000 per year.

UPDATE: The K22 salary is now capped for competing awards issued after January 1, 2009 at $100,000 per year for a 75% effort (9 person-months) commitment. Please see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-CA-09-022.html for further salary details.

Program Announcement

New Electronic PA required for February 12, 2009 Grant Submission: PA-09-089 THE NCI TRANSITION CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K22)

Back to Top Funded K22 Grants

The K22-Transition Career Development Award is for doctorally , degreed clinicians or prevention, control, behavioral, or population scientists who are currently receiving support in a mentored postdoctoral appointment. Candidates must have completed two years or more of support in this capacity and be ready to transition into their first independent research / position, or they must have been in an independent position for less than two years with continuous previous postdoctoral cancer research training at the time of application. Although the award is not for extramural basic Ph.D. scientists, it does provide support for federally employed postdoctoral basic scientists with at least three years of mentored postdoctoral research experience at the time of award who propose to use the transitional award to conduct translational research directlyrelevant to human cancer. A unique feature of this award is that postdoctoral individuals do not need an institutional 1 sponsor at the time of application; if the application is assigned a fundable score, a postdoctoral applicant has 12 months in 1 which to identify an appropriate sponsoring institution. The award provides nonrenewable support for up to three years at $75,000 annual salary and $50,000 annual research support. The K22 requires a minimum of 75% effort commitment to the research and career development objectives of the award.

See the NCI Funded Research Portfolio for a current list of K22 awards.

Back to Top Submitting an Application

In submitting an application for the K22 Award, the applicant must use the PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007), and should download the instructions and the Research Career Development Award form files. Refer to Section III of the instructions, "Preparing an Individual CDA Application", and follow the modified instructions provided in the K22 Program Announcement. It is suggested that you print, if possible, the pages of PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) and carefully review all pages, especially the section titled "NOTABLE CHANGES MADE TO PHS 398. This section contains information to facilitate the completion of your application.

The PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) is also available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, Office of Extramural Research, NIH, Phone (301) 435-0714, Fax (301) 480-0525, E-mail: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

Because the instructions in the PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) do not fully apply to the special needs of the K22 Award, follow the modified instructions that are detailed in the K22 Program Announcement.

Application Receipt Dates and Review Schedule

If the application receipt date falls on a weekend, the application must be postmarked by the application receipt date and received at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) by the following Monday.

If the application receipt date falls on a holiday, (but not on a weekend), the application must be postmarked by the application receipt date and received at CSR by the following day.

* Start dates are determined by the availability of NCI funds and may not occur until well after the earliest possible start date.

Back to Top Peer Review Process

Upon receipt, competing applications will be reviewed both by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for completeness and for conformance to all eligibility requirements and special provisions and requirements. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration.

Those applications judged to be complete and eligible will be evaluated, according to the review criteria listed in the Program Announcement by Subcommittee G, Subcommittee I convened by the Division of Extramural Activities of the NCI. A second level of review will be conducted by the National Cancer Advisory Board that will ensure that the application meets the broad program needs and priorities of the NCI and the National Cancer Program before an award can be made.

For review criteria for the K22 grant mechanism, see the Review Criteria section of the Program Announcement.

Back to Top Frequently Asked Questions

Policy-Related

1. How is eligibility determined for the K22 Career Transition Award and who is responsible for making this determination?
   NCI Program Staff determines eligibility. The first determination is made at the time the application is submitted to assess whether you are 1) either in a "mentored" postdoctoral position at the time of the application, 2) or if you have been in an independent faculty position, or the equivalent, for less than two years at the time of the application submission deadline, and 3) have had continuous "mentored" postdoctoral experience prior to attaining the position. However, if you have been in an independent position for more than two years, regardless of the circumstances, you are ineligible. Some applicants have been in an independent position for several years but chose to continue under a mentor to further their training and wish to interpret their eligibility beginning at the time when they truly initiate their own independent research. The NCI interpretation is not based on when you began to do independent research, but is based on the date of appointment to a position from which you could have started your independent research.

   The second determination is made after the review of the application. If your application is competitive for funding, the NCI will seek to confirm the following in a written "Statement of Environment and Institutional Commitment" from the institution:

   • The existence of a strong research environment that will enhance and complement the candidate's research interests, and provide opportunities for scientific interactions and multi-disciplinary collaborations.
   • Adequacy of the institution's commitment to ensure that 75 per cent of the candidate's total effort will remain devoted to the development of a research project and a successful independent research career.
   • Adequacy of the institution's formal arrangements with the candidate to provide a permanent, preferably tenure-track, position, adequate facilities for conducting a research program and the other resources needed for the development of a research project and a successful independent research career.

   If the NCI judges the "Statement of Environment and Institution Commitment" to be a sound plan and commitment to the candidate, an award will be made. If the NCI judges this Statement to be deficient, it will give the institution a chance to improve the nature of the position for the candidate. The NCI will not make a K22 award until the Program Staff approves this Statement.

2. Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to receive a career award?
   At the time of award, you must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. noncitizen national, or have been lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a permanent resident. Please see the bottom of the Research Career Development Award Table of Contents Substitute Form Page 3, which can be downloaded in MS Word or PDF format. You are required to use this Substitute page to indicate your citizenship status. No award can be made until this is confirmed.

3. If I submit a research grant application (e.g., R01) after receiving a Career Development Award, how does the NCI reconcile the percent level of effort commitment and salary on the research grant application with the requirements of the Career Development Award?
   The NCI usually allows recipients of Career Awards to retain an awarded investigator-initiated research grant, with the following restrictions:

   The percent level of effort commitment of the Career Award cannot be reduced below 75 percent (the exception being the K05 and K24 awards).

   Salary support cannot be derived from the investigator-initiated research grant if the grant is a federal grant.

   The total percent level of effort commitment on the Career Award and the research grant cannot exceed 100 percent. The percent effort commitment permitted on the research grant will be negotiated at the time of award and will depend on the degree of overlap between the specific aims of the two funding sources. (Please contact the NCI Staff Contacts for the Career Award for additional detailed information on this issue.)

Application Process/Review Related

4. Why do I need to send extra copies of my career award application?
   These extra copies are vitally important to the timely processing and review of your application. The copies to the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), which is the central receipt point for all grant applications to the NIH, ensures that the application is given the appropriate grant number and assigned to the National Cancer Institute for peer review. CSR does the critical logging in and processing of the paperwork. Unlike the regular research grants (e.g., R01s), CSR neither organizes nor conducts the peer review system for career awards. Each institute and center at the NIH manages the their own peer review system for career awards. The extra copies that you send directly to the NCI ensure that the review process is initiated in a timely way and avoids the possibility that CSR can mishandle or lose your application.

5. How important is the font size in preparing the application?
   This is very important. Follow the directions for Format Specifications in the instructions for the PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007), or your application will be returned by CSR.

6. Who will review my career award application?
   A scientific review group organized by an NCI Scientific Review Administrator will review your application. It will have the necessary expertise to judge the merit of your application, the suitability of the sponsor, the institutional commitment, and your potential to develop into an independent investigator.

7. How will reviewers evaluate my application?
   The reviewers will evaluate your application using the review criteria provided in the NIH/NCI announcement that corresponds to the particular career development award that applies to you. It is very important that you prepare your application in response to these criteria because your ultimate success in receiving funding will depend upon how well your application addressed these criteria. For review criteria for the K22 grant mechanism, see the REVIEW CRITERIA section of the Program Announcement: PAR-06-455 THE NCI TRANSITION CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD (K22).

8. What should my application contain if it deals with human subjects, clinical trials or vertebrate animals?
   If the study deals with human subjects, you must answer all parts of item 4 on the face page of the PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) application. NIH requires documentation of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval at the time of award. The application should also address the points concerning Gender and Minority Inclusion and Inclusion of Children as Participants, OR provide sufficient information/justification for exemptions. This information can be found in the Human Subjects Research section of the instructions for preparing a PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) application.

   If the study involves a clinical trial, you will need to include an abbreviated data and safety-monitoring plan showing that the sponsoring institution does have an operational mechanism for data and safety monitoring of clinical trials.

   If you are using vertebrate animals, you must answer all parts of item 5 on the face page of the PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) application and follow the instructions in the Vertebrate Animals section of the instructions for preparing a PHS 398 Form (Revised 11/2007) application.

   Without the proper information on Gender and Minority Inclusion, Inclusion of Children and Vertebrate Animals, an award cannot be made. If an application is fundable, the NCI must be provided with the human subject IRB certification before an award can be made; and, where appropriate, a detailed data and safety monitoring plan.

9. Can I supply additional information after I have submitted my Career Award application to the NIH?
   Yes, but this must be submitted after receiving approval from the NCI Scientific Review Administrator (SRA) in charge of reviewing your grant. You must identify the SRA, explain your situation, receive approval and send the additional information in time to provide reasonable opportunity for the reviewers to include it in their evaluations. Examples of additional information that is important for reviewers to examine would be new experimental data that strengthens the rationale for pursuing the research project and manuscripts that have been accepted for publication, especially if they are to peer-reviewed journals.

Policy/Post Award

10. How does the "Letter of Intent to Commit Funds" work?
    If a candidate in a mentored postdoctoral position applies for a K22 without an institutional affiliation and the application receives a peer review competitive for funding, the NCI will provide the candidate with a "Letter of Intent to Commit Funds." The candidate has one year from the date on the letter to find and negotiate a position that will satisfy the requirements of this award. The NCI fully expects candidates to use the "Letter of Intent to Commit Funds" as a leveraging instrument to negotiate the best faculty position (or equivalent) possible.

11. If I have an award and would like to ask for post award changes, how do I go about this?
    You must contact the NCI Grants Administration official to determine the appropriate procedures to use in making a request for post award changes in your grant. This also applies to any of your needs that require a prior approval from the NCI. In general, you will have to make a request that is signed by you and a business official of your institution. After receiving the request, the Grants Administration official will consult with the NCI scientific program staff as necessary to determine whether the request can be approved.

12. Can I apply for a research grant from the PHS and still keep my career development award?
    Yes, but you cannot receive any additional salary from another Federal grant if it were to be funded even if the career award does not equal your actual salary. The institution can pay you additional salary from non-Federal sources or from grants from Private funding organizations, as long as it does not exceed the institutional salary scales. Remember, in the case of a K22 Career Transition Award, you must provide evidence before the end of the second year of support that you have submitted a research grant to the NIH or to an equivalent funding organization.

Back to Top NCI Staff Contacts

For additional information regarding policies and/or guidance in preparing an application for the K22 Award, contact:

Dr. Sonia B. Jakowlew
Program Director
Telephone: (301) 496-8580
Fax: (301) 480-1744
E-mail: jakowles@mail.nih.gov

For information regarding fiscal and/or budget issues, contact:

Grants Administration Branch
Phone: (301) 496-7208
Fax: (301) 496-8601

For information regarding review issues, contact:

Referral Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
Phone: (301) 594-1403
Fax: (301) 402-0275

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