NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)

NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is sponsored by National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Supports dual degree dentist-scientists in transitioning to independent research careers.

PAR-25-333: NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research ( NIDCR ) Funding Opportunity Title NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) K99 / R00 Career Transition Award/Research Transition Award Notices of Special Interest associated with this funding opportunity January 28, 2026 - NIH Removing AIDS Application Due Dates from NOFOs.

See Notice NOT-OD-26-029 . January 30, 2026 - Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). See Notice NOT-OD-26-021 .

November 24, 2025 - Notice of Rescheduled NIDCR Pre-Application and Technical Assistance Webinars on Applying for Fellowship (F) Awards and Career Development (K) Awards. See Notice NOT-DE-26-013 . September 25, 2025 - Notice of NIDCR Pre-Application and Technical Assistance Webinars on Applying for Fellowship (F) Awards and Career Development (K) Awards.

See Notice NOT-DE-26-012 . April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 .

August 31, 2022 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023. See Notice NOT-OD-22-198 . August 5, 2022 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy.

See Notice NOT-OD-22-189 . Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Notice of Funding Opportunity See Section III. 3.

Additional Information on Eligibility . Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose The purpose of the NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program is to develop and maintain a strong cohort of independently funded dentist scientists dedicated to improving dental, oral and craniofacial health.

This program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of outstanding dual degree dentist scientists from mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions by providing support for two years of mentored training and three to five years of independent research.

An option for five years of independent (R00) support is available to accommodate clinical training in a dental specialty program at no more than 3 person-months (25% full-time professional effort) in any year of the R00 phase.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial . Under this NOFO, candidates are permitted to propose a research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor.

Funding Opportunity Announcement Goal(s) The mission of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is to advance fundamental knowledge about dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) health and disease and translate these findings into prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies that improve overall health for all individuals and communities across the lifespan.

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) The following table includes NIH standard due dates marked with an asterisk. Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applications are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Career Development (K) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide , except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced.

Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV . When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide , follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants. gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants. gov and eRA Commons to track your application.

Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application. Part 1.

Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II.

Award Information Other Award Budget Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V.

Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII.

Other Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description The overall purpose of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.

NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals.

More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Research Training and Career Development website. The goal of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is to help postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions.

The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of an independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and that will help advance the mission of the NIH. Candidates must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the initial or the subsequent resubmission or revision application.

The K99/R00 award is intended for individuals who require at least 12 months of mentored research and career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the R00 award phase of the program.

Consequently, the strongest candidates will require, and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 1–2 years of substantive mentored research and career development that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.

An individual who cannot provide a compelling rationale for at least one year of additional mentored research experience and career development at the time of award is not a strong candidate for this award. Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program.

If a candidate achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99, nor the R00 award, will be made. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will provide support for up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development.

The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time.

Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

The objective of the NIDCR Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is to help outstanding dual degree dentist scientists complete mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. A dual degree dentist scientist is defined as an individual with both a clinical DDS or DMD (or equivalent) degree and a PhD (or equivalent research doctoral) degree.

Dual degree dentist scientists possess unique knowledge of dental, oral, and craniofacial health that is critical for accomplishing the NIDCR scientific mission by leveraging their clinical knowledge to further advance translational research.

Transition to research independence is particularly difficult for dual degree dentist scientists, whose time for scientific research experiences may be limited by their clinical responsibilities and the need for further clinical specialty training. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of creative and independent research investigators who can make long term contributions to dental, oral, and craniofacial research.

This program is also designed to meet the specific needs of the dentist scientist career path, including provisions for two years of protected time for mentored postdoctoral training and the pursuit of dental specialty training at 25% effort during the independent phase.

Candidates must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience since their most recent doctoral degree at the time of the initial or the subsequent re-submission application.

The strongest candidates will require, and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 2 years of substantive mentored research training and career development that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.

An individual who cannot provide a compelling rationale for additional mentored research training at the time of award is not a strong candidate for this program. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 7 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will provide support for 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development.

Early R00 phase transitions require prior approval from NIDCR and are not encouraged for individuals with less than 2 years of postdoctoral research at the submission deadline. The second (R00) phase will provide either 3 or 5 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent, full-time tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position.

Five years of R00 support will be permitted for an awardee who is offered an independent faculty position in a U.S. dental school in conjunction with the opportunity to matriculate into a clinical dental specialty program.

In such cases, the specialty program must be structured so that no more than the equivalent of 3 person-months (i.e. 25% full-time professional effort) in any year is devoted to clinical activities; at least the equivalent of 9 person-months (i.e., 75% full-time professional effort) each year must comprise protected research time.

NIDCR will not provide tuition for the dental specialty program; the dental school hiring the R00 awardee will be expected to support such training. Only dental specialties recognized by the National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards of the American Dental Association may be pursued during the R00 phase.

These specialties currently include Dental Anesthesiology, Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Medicine, Orofacial Pain, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics.

In the initial K99/R00 application, candidates who propose clinical dental specialty training during the independent (R00) phase must identify which specialty he/she plans to pursue and how certification in that specialty relates to and will enhance the path towards an independent research career. Institutional commitment for dental clinical specialty training is not provided in the initial K99/R00 application.

Upon activation of the R00 phase, each awardee will be required to provide institutional assurance that the dental specialty program will be customized such that clinical activities will occupy no more than the equivalent of 3 person-months (i.e. 25% full-time professional effort) each year and will be supported in-kind by the sponsoring institution.

Dual degree dentist scientists who do not intend to pursue dental clinical specialty training during the independent R00 phase are also eligible and encouraged to apply for this award. In this case, a 3-year R00 project period should be requested.

Additionally, K99/R00 awardees who had proposed dental clinical specialty training in the peer reviewed application may elect not to engage in the proposed specialty training during the R00 phase. These individuals will receive a 3-year R00 award, if they meet all other requirements for R00 transition. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time.

Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those K99 Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs) who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

In addition to this initiative, NIDCR supports other mentored career development programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence, which may be more suitable for some candidates. For information on other NIDCR-sponsored career development programs please refer to http://www. nidcr.

nih. gov/CareersAndTraining . Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial.

Applicants to this NOFO are permitted to propose a research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Section II. Award Information Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity. Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the How to Apply - Application Guide provides details on these application types.

Not Allowed: Only accepting applications that do not propose clinical trials. Note: Applicants may propose to gain experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor/co-mentor as part of their research career development. Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described below. The total project period may not exceed 7 years.

Mentored Phase (K99): Support for 2 years mentored postdoctoral research training and career development. Independent Phase (R00): Independent research support for either 3 or 5 years, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position.

R00 support beyond three years will be permitted for an awardee who is offered an independent faculty position in a U.S. dental school in conjunction with the opportunity to matriculate into a clinical dental specialty program.

Other Award Budget Information Intramural: Mentored candidates in the NIH intramural program will be supported by intramural funds provided by the NIH Institute/Center intramural laboratory in which they are conducting their research. Budget details for the mentored phase will be negotiated with the sponsoring intramural laboratory. Salary will be consistent with that offered to scientists in similar, intramural NIH positions.

Extramural: NIDCR will contribute up to $100,000 a year for salary support for mentored candidates at an extramural sponsoring institution/organization. Further guidance on budgeting for career development salaries is provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. See also NOT-OD-17-094 .

The total NIH contribution to salary may not exceed the legislatively mandated salary cap. See: http://grants. nih.

gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary. htm . The total cost for the independent phase (R00) may not exceed $249,000 per year.

This amount includes salary, fringe benefits, research costs, and applicable indirect costs. Indirect costs will be reimbursed at the extramural sponsoring institution’s indirect cost rate. Indirect costs requested by consortium participants are included in the total cost limitation.

Other Program-Related Expenses Intramural: Research-related expenses for the intramural phase are provided by the candidate's NIH intramural laboratory or branch.

Extramural: NIDCR will contribute $25,000 per year toward the research development costs of the award recipient, which must be justified and consistent with the stage of development of the candidate and the proportion of time to be spent in research or career development activities.

Research expenses during the K99 phase may include (a) tuition and fees related to career development activities; (b) supplies, equipment and technical personnel; c) travel to research meetings or training; and (d) statistical services including personnel and computer time. Salary for mentors, secretarial and administrative assistants, etc. is not allowed.

For the extramural K99 phase, Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs. For the R00 phase, indirect costs will be reimbursed at the extramural sponsoring institution’s indirect cost rate. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO.

Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions - Includes all types Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Independent School Districts Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) Faith-based or Community-based Organizations The sponsoring institution may be private (profit or nonprofit) or public, including the NIH Intramural Programs and other Federal laboratories.

The applicant institution will be the mentored phase (K99) institution.

All institution/organization types listed above are eligible for both the mentored (K99) and independent (R00) phase, with the following exceptions: (1) Eligible agencies of the Federal government, such as the NIH intramural program, are eligible only for the mentored phase; and (2) Eligibility of organizations, other than institutions of higher education, for the R00 phase depends on the nature of the appointment, and the ability of the PD/PI to conduct independent research and apply for NIH research (R01 or R01-equivalent) grants.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement , are allowed.

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible.

Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement 2. 3. 9.

2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information. System for Award Management (SAM)– Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually . The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration.

SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code. NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)- A UEI is issued as part of the SAM.

gov registration process. The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application. eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants.

gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission. eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. Grants.

gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants. gov registration. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.

PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID . The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help .

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator) Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with their mentor and organization to develop an application for support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

Candidates must have both a clinical DDS or DMD (or equivalent) degree and a PhD (or equivalent research doctoral) degree, but it is not required that the degrees were earned together as part of a dual degree dentist scientist training program. K99/R00 candidates should have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the relevant application due date regardless of whether it is a new or resubmission application.

Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program. If a candidate achieves independence (i.e., any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be issued.

Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI) , NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 4 year K99 eligibility window.

Candidates who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child’s date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to the NIDCR program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the NOFO at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

In addition, parental, medical, military, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is typically not included in the 4-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 4-year limit.

Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly. Additional clarifications are provided under Frequently Asked Questions . Potential candidates are encouraged to discuss their individual situation with the NIDCR Scientific Program Contact before applying.

There is no citizenship requirement for K99 candidates. A candidate may be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States, have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status), or be a non-U.S. citizen.

For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with temporary U.S. visas, visa status during each phase of the K99/R00 award must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution.

For the K99 phase of the award, the applicant institution is responsible for determining and documenting, in the K99 application, that the candidate’s visa will allow him or her to remain in the U.S. long enough to complete the K99 phase of the award.

For the R00 phase of the award, the U.S. institution at which the R00 phase of the award will be conducted is responsible for determining and documenting, in the R00 application, that the PD/PI’s visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the R00 award.

Candidates for this K99/R00 award must have a clinical dental degree (DMD, DDS or equivalent) and a research doctorate degree (including PhD, ScD, or equivalent). Candidates in clinical faculty positions: Following clinical training or fellowship training periods, clinicians often obtain a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research.

A clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position may be eligible for the K99/R00 award and should contact an NIDCR Program Director for guidance. Clinicians in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Such individuals may also wish to consider other career awards (see K Kiosk ).

Candidates in positions other than postdoctoral fellow positions: It is recognized that some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in non-independent, mentored training positions. Candidates in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from NIDCR before they begin to prepare their applications.

It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that his or her position complies with the intent of this eligibility requirement.

If a potential candidate is in a position that is not clearly identifiable as a postdoctoral training position, the candidate should provide NIDCR with an official statement of the institution’s policy (e.g. published position description in an official institutional document) that documents the position as a mentored, postdoctoral training position.

Individuals are NOT eligible if they: Have currently or previously held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or Have more than 4 years of related postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission; or Have been an independent PD/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01, R03, R21), NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25), or other peer-reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or Project Leaders on sub-projects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or the equivalent.

The following is provided as an aid to distinguish independent from non-independent positions; however, it is not sufficient merely to cite one or more of the following items to document eligibility. Evidence for non-independence may include: The candidate’s research is entirely funded by another investigator’s grants. The candidate’s research is conducted entirely in another investigator’s assigned space.

According to institutional policy, the candidate cannot hire postdoctoral fellows or technical staff or be the responsible supervisor of graduate students. According to institutional policy, the candidate is not allowed to submit an application as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant application (e.g., R01). The candidate lacks other rights and privileges of faculty, such as attendance at faculty meetings.

Conversely, evidence for independence, and therefore lack of eligibility, includes: The candidate has a full-time faculty position. The candidate received a start-up package for support of their independent research. The candidate has research space dedicated to their own research.

The candidate may attend faculty meetings, be the responsible supervisor for graduate students, and/or hire technical support or postdoctoral fellows. The candidate is eligible to apply for independent research funding as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant. This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1.

2 Definition of Terms . 3. Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct, and each is from a different candidate.

NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2. 3. 7.

4 Submission of Resubmission Application . An individual may not have two or more competing NIH career development applications pending review concurrently. In addition, NIH will not accept: A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.

A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application. An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review. (See NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.

3. 9. 4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ).

At the time of award, the candidate must have a “full-time” appointment at the academic institution. Candidates are required to commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort (i.e., a minimum of 9 person-months) to their program of career development.

Candidates may engage in other duties as part of the remaining 25% of their full-time professional effort not covered by this award, as long as such duties do not interfere with or detract from the proposed career development program. Candidates who have VA appointments may not consider part of the VA effort toward satisfying the full time requirement at the applicant institution.

Candidates with VA appointments should contact the staff person in the relevant Institute or Center prior to preparing an application to discuss their eligibility. After the receipt of the award, adjustments to the required level of effort may be made in certain circumstances. See NOT-OD-18-156 and NIH Grants Policy Statement , Section 12.

3. 6. 4 Temporary Adjustments to the Percent Effort Requirement for more details R00 Phase.

Although candidates are required to devote no less than 75% of their full-time, 12-month professional effort to research (i.e., full-time for 9 person-months), the required 9 person-months of research effort need not be devoted exclusively to the R00-supported research. Before submitting the application, the candidate must identify a mentor who will supervise the proposed career development and research experience.

The mentor should be an active investigator in the area of the proposed research and be committed both to the career development of the candidate and to the direct supervision of the candidate’s research. The mentor must document the availability of sufficient research support and facilities.

Candidates are encouraged to identify more than one mentor, i.e., a mentoring team, if this is deemed advantageous for providing expert advice in all aspects of the research career development program. In such cases, one individual must be identified as the primary mentor who will coordinate the candidate’s research. The candidate must work with the mentor(s) in