Fund Details
NIH NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early Stage Postdoctoral Fellows (K99/R00) - University Area Competition
Nominations Available to Institution
3
Sponsor Deadline
2/26/2020

Brief Description:

The objective of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early Stage Postdoctoral Fellows (K99/R00) is to help outstanding postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. 

Description:

The purpose of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early Stage Postdoctoral Fellows (K99/R00) program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented, NCI-supported, independent investigators. This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require an extended period of mentored research training beyond their doctoral degrees. The objective of this award is to facilitate a timely transition of these fellows from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions. The program will provide independent NCI research support during this transition to help awardees to launch competitive, independent research careers. Researchers in the scientific areas of data science and cancer control science are especially encouraged to apply.

This is a limited submission opportunity and the University Area (FAS, SEAS, etc) may submit a combined total of three applications to RFA-CA-20-014 and/or RFA-CA-20-015. Additionally, each application must be in a different scientific area as defined below:

(A) Data Science: For the purposes of this K99/R00 award, data science is defined as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry in which quantitative and analytical approaches, processes, and systems are both developed and used to extract knowledge and insights from increasingly large and/or complex sets of data. This includes cancer-focused data integration and visualization, systems biology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, informatics, genomics, precision oncology, and developing analytics for epidemiological or biostatistical studies.

(B) Cancer Control Science: For the purposes of this K99/R00 award, cancer control science is defined as basic and applied research in the behavioral, social, and population sciences to create or enhance interventions that, independently or in combination with biomedical approaches, reduce cancer risk, incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and improve quality of life. This includes research in epidemiology, behavioral sciences, health services, surveillance, cancer survivorship, and healthcare policy.

(C) Other Sciences: For the purposes of this K99/R00 award, "Other Sciences" includes all scientific fields supported by the NCI that are not included in (A) or (B). Applicants proposing research in (C) "Other Sciences" may apply only if it is reasonable to expect them to transition to independence with an abbreviated period of mentored research training beyond their original doctoral degrees.



Application Information:

Candidates from the University Area (FAS, SEAS) who wish to apply for this opportunity must submit an internal pre-proposal online by clicking the apply button at the top right corner of this page. Pre-proposals must be submitted by January 13, 2020 by 5:00PM.

Pre-Proposals should include:
  1. Abbreviated research plan (PDF, limit 2 pages)
  2. Institutional nomination letter written and signed by the head of the candidate's postdoctoral department or program (PDF, limit 2 pages): The letter must identify one of the three eligible scientific areas listed above. The nomination letter should also describe the institutional commitment to supporting the candidate's search for a tenure-track or equivalent position. It should affirm the candidate's near-readiness to transition to independence and describe the main factors that identify the nominee as likely to obtain a tenure-track or equivalent research position at an early career stage; for example, distinctive attributes of the candidate’s career to date and/or the successful transition to independence of other early-stage postdocs from the candidate's scientific area, affiliated department or program, or the laboratory of the primary mentor.
  3. Abbreviated statement from the candidate’s primary mentor (PDF, limit 2 pages). More information on mentoring statements can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-20-015.html#_Section_IV._Application.
  4. NIH Biosketch (PDF)

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates for this RFA are strongly encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from NCI before seeking institutional nomination.

Applicants must have no more than 2 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the application due date and must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions. If an applicant 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. Parental, medical, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is not included in the 2-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly. In addition, time spent conducting postgraduate clinical training that does not involve research is not considered as part of the 2-year research training eligibility limit. Only time dedicated to research activities would count toward the 2-year limit.

Additional Information, Related Websites, and Proxy Instructions:

Questions may be directed to Erin Hale (erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-5252) or Susan Gomes (sgomes@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-9448).

Search Filters:
Institution
  • Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
    Position
    • Postdoc/Fellow
      Type of Competition
      • Limited Submission
        Discipline
        • Basic Science
        • Clinical Science
        • Engineering
        • Life Science
        • Population Science
        • Other
          Type of Award
          • Career Development
          • Early Career
          • Research