"Ask Me Anything" Q&A

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General Questions

How does the "parent" F31 grant differ from the NIBIB F31? Should applications to the parent grant be tailored to a particular IC?

There is the Parent F31 (PA-19-195) which NIBIB does not participate in at this time. And, there is the Parent F31 Diversity (PA-19-196) which NIBIB does participate in at this time. They are very similar except the additional focus on increasing diversity in the workforce.

With any grant mechanism, your work will need to fit the mission of the IC.

Are all K grants evaluated together using a single evaluation system, or each specific K grant has its own evaluation system and is evaluated independently?

All K grants have common elements (e.g. Applicant, Mentors, Research Plan, Career Development), but each has specific goals which translate into review criteria. Each notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) includes an Application Review Information section (generally Section V) which lists the specific review criteria that will be used to evaluate the applications.

How important is it to become an instructor (sort of an elevated postdoc at my institution) to apply for a K series or other independent career award?

It depends on the type of K award you are considering. It could potentially be perceived as a detriment for K99 applicants as it suggests you are past the dependent, postdoc stage, but a benefit for applicants to other K mechanisms because it represents institutional commitment to the applicant.

Can a postdoctoral mentor be one of the co-mentors for a K01 award?

It is generally not advised to stay with the same mentor as a previous stage of one’s studies since the candidate is expected to have received full mentorship in the area of expertise of the mentor and it is recommended to work with another mentor to receive exposure to another lab and receive mentorship in a new area. In rare cases the mentor may have several distinct areas of expertise, and the candidate may not have been exposed to one of these areas in their prior work. If the K01 is focused on this new area, it may be fine to work with the same mentor. However the new skills/knowledge to be acquired by the K01 applicant, and the mentor’s expertise in these areas should be clearly discussed.

Can I carry K99 money from the first year to the second year? Due to COVID19 some travel plans are delayed.

K99 awards have carry-over authority, so this should be no problem. Please note, however, you must follow reporting requirements for unobligated balances on the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) by disclosing if you have carryover and explaining why you do.

Can a K - awardee apply for R21 or R01 at the second year of his K- grant?

It depends on the K award in question. For K99 awardees, the R00 phase may not be at same institution, i.e. the K99 awardee may be at a different institution when the R21 or R01 would be awarded. Therefore, your K99 institution may not submit on your behalf; you will need to check with your institution. For other K awardees, you can submit if your institution allows. You will also need to maintain the %effort required by the K mechanism (minimum 75% or 50% in the final two years of K award, assuming you are the PI on the R01 or R21) and get prior approval before reducing effort on the K award NOT-OD-18-157NOT-OD-065

How could I direct my application to the NIBIB instead of the NCI?

With any grant mechanism, your work will need to fit the mission of the IC. For NIBIB, the mission centers around technology development and generalizability to multiple disease conditions. We recommend speaking to the Program Officer (PO) prior to submission. If the PO agrees that your work is a fit to their IC, you can mention that in the cover letter of your application so that the receipt and referral officer can direct it to the IC.

For K99/R00 application, how would time period spent in industrial environment count? For example, if one has stayed in industry since graduation (for >4 years) and just started postdoc position this/last year, will he/she be eligible for K99?

Each IC has different requirements. Please contact the program director of the relevant IC.

What is the goal of K01 awards? Is it to help research scientists/staff transition to faculty?

For NIBIB, the K01 award is about career redirection, i.e. the proposed work goes beyond a logical/incremental extension of the applicant’s doctoral and postdoctoral work, and offers the applicant new skills and experiences in a significantly different area of research where the applicant truly needs a mentored training period.

Some applicants could already be Assistant Professors. The goal is to help the awardee acquire new skills and move into research independence.

What to do if we haven't received a response from RADx for more than a month?

There have been a vast number of proposals submitted to RADx Tech. Program and review staff are processing the applications as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, due to volume of requests the program/review staff is unable to provide updates to proposal status.

What are the eligibility criteria for applicants? And is there a format for the application? Is it similar to R21 or R01?

There is no specific criteria for applicants. Please visit the solicitation and FAQs for more details. The format is not similar to a R21 or R01 or other typical NIH grants.

Is diagnostic tech aiming for guiding clinical treatment e.g. patient stratification that is fundable by RADx?

There are relevant clinical considerations that review staff evaluate in applicant proposals. RADx Tech provides funding for diagnostic technologies for SARS-CoV-2, not therapeutics. Please find potential COVID-19 therapeutic funding programs here.