K99/R00 - The Pathway to Independence Award

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions about your NCI application or award for training in cancer research or education? Make the NCI Frequently Asked Questions your first stop to getting answers!

To stay up to date on Funding for Cancer Training news, subscribe to the Cancer Training Branch Newsletter!

The NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) helps outstanding postdoctoral researchers complete needed mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions.

NCI accepts K99/R00 applications in all areas of cancer research.

Note: The details on this page are for informational purposes only. Please read and follow all requirements and instructions in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and the Table of IC-Specific Information linked therein before applying for an award. Application review information is described in the funding opportunity. If you have any questions before submitting your application, please contact the relevant NCI program staff listed at the end of this page.

General Award Information

Reference the Program Announcements PA-24-193 (Parent K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Required), PA-24-194 (Parent K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed), and PA-24-195 (Parent K99/R00 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) or contact the program staff.

NCI-specific guidance on overlap between K99/R00 applications and the mentor’s pending/active grants: The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of a creative, independent research scientist who can establish and sustain a strong, independent research program. It is expected that the Research Plan be based on the candidate’s original ideas and/or hypotheses. The K99 project can be within the overall scope of the mentor’s research awards. However, there should be no text duplication or duplication of the scientific aims, and the candidate’s application should propose a scientific research question that is distinct from the mentor’s pending or active research grants.

NCI will not support both a K99/R00 award and an active or pending research grant that propose substantially the same research.

Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award due to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Under normal circumstances, individuals must have no more than four years (i.e., 48 months) of postdoctoral research experience to be eligible to apply for a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence award. However, due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, NCI will be providing a two-receipt cycle extension (roughly eight additional months) for prospective candidates who graduated in 2019 or 2020 and started their postdoctoral training by the end of 2020.

For eligible applicants submitting new or resubmission applications, the two-receipt cycle extension will be automatically accepted by NCI; no additional documentation is required prior to application submission. Individuals who have previously received the 2-cycle automatic COVID-based eligibility extension for K99 submission are not eligible for an additional extension. Furthermore, multiple extensions for events occurring during the same time period (e.g., childbirth during the COVID pandemic) will not be permitted, but rather prospective K99 candidates may only receive an extension for one category for events that occurred within overlapping time periods.

In addition, prospective K99 applicants whose research training has been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are advised to submit a request to extend their ESI status.

Extension of Eligibility for the NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award due to Childbirth: NOT-OD-20-011

Eligible K99/R00 applicants should submit a request for a 1-year extension of the K99/R00 eligibility window for childbirth to the relevant NCI program official. The request must include the child’s date of birth.

FAQs:

Are men, those who have adopted children, and same-sex partners of individuals giving birth eligible for the automatic one-year extension for childbirth? The one-year extension will automatically apply to women giving birth. Men, those adopting children, as well as same-sex partners of individuals giving birth can apply for an extension to the relevant NCI program official.

Does the automatic extension of 12 months for childbirth apply for each childbirth or in total? For the K99 extension process, the automatic 12-month extension for childbirth is in total. However, if there are other extenuating circumstances (i.e., illness, military service, natural disaster) that necessitate a longer extension, those should be submitted to the relevant NCI program official. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Additional Information: OER K99/R00 extension guidance

Applicant Eligibility

Citizens, Foreign Nationals, and U.S. Visa Holders	There is no citizenship requirement for K99 applicants. An applicant 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.
Geographic Location	K99/R00 recipients must reside in and work at U.S.-based institutions for the duration of the award.
Career Stage	Postdoctoral and Clinical Fellows Applicants must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience (i.e., employment in a research position since completing the requirements for the doctorate) at the time of the initial or the subsequent resubmission or revision application. 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.
Commitment	Candidate must commit a minimum of 9 calendar months (75%) full-time professional effort to the K99/R00 Career Development Award
Duration of Award	K99 phase: 1-2 years R00 phase: 1-3 years Up to 5 years of total support

R00 Criteria

Citizens, Foreign Nationals, and U.S. Visa Holders	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.
Geographic Location	R00 recipients must reside in and work at U.S. based institutions for the duration of the award.
Career Stage	Tenure-track full-time assistant professor position (or equivalent) offered and accepted
Institutional Commitment	The R00 Institution must provide protected time (9 calendar months or 75% effort) for the duration of the R00 Award. The R00 Institution may not require the use of R00 funds to offset a typical start-up package (salary and other). The R00 Institution must provide assurance that the PI's appointment is not contingent on the transfer of the R00 Award to the institution.
Duration of Award	R00 phase: Up to 3 years
Transition Application	The independent phase institution should submit an application on behalf of the candidate for the R00 Award using the PHS 398 Application no later than 2 months prior to the proposed activation date of the R00 Award. The R00 application must include: A new face page signed by the R00 phase institutional representative A new project description page (the project summary or abstract should be updated to reflect current plans for the R00 phase) Detailed budget pages for a non-modular budget Biographical sketches (PI, collaborators, and consultants) A new Resources page Final Progress Report for the K99 phase An updated research plan (the specific aims should be updated to reflect current plans for the R00 phase and the updated research plan should be briefly described in less than 5 pages) An updated Bibliography & References Cited section A new checklist A letter from the R00 Department or Division Chairman describing the R00 institution's commitment to the candidate and plans for his/her career development A final evaluation statement by the K99 phase mentor Human Subjects If the proposed research involves human subjects, provide: An updated Human Subjects section, including an "Inclusion Enrollment Report" Current IRB approval or expected approval date (award is not made until final IRB approval is granted) Vertebrate Animals If the proposed research involves vertebrate animals, provide: An updated Vertebrate Animals section (IACUC approval is JIT information) Award is not made until final IACUC approval is granted
Application Due Date	At least 2 months prior to the proposed activation date of the R00 Award

Budget

Financial Support

K99 Phase
Salary Support**	Up to $100K/year + fringe benefits
Research Development Support: Research and Career Development Activities	Up to $30K/year
F&A Costs/Indirect Costs	8%
Ancillary Personnel Support: Salary for Mentors, Secretarial and Administrative Assistance, etc.	Not allowed
R00 Phase
Salary Research Development Support: Research and Career Development Activities F&A/ Indirect Costs	Up to $249K/year
Ancillary Personnel Support: Salary for Mentors, Secretarial and Administrative Assistance, etc.	Not allowed
Salary for Postdoctoral, Technician, Lab Manager Support	Allowed

** The requested salary must be consistent with a) the established salary structure at the institution and b) with salaries actually provided by the institution from its own funds to other staff members with equivalent qualifications, rank, and responsibilities in the department concerned.

How to Apply

Applications must submitted electronically.
Applicants must follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, as well as any program-specific instructions in section IV of the Program Announcement.
When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions.
Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

For assistance with application submission, please see the Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact eRA Commons Help Desk/Grant.gov contact Center.

Application Receipt Dates and Review Schedule

Receipt Cycle	Receipt Date: New Application	Receipt Date: Resubmission	Initial Review	Council Review	Earliest Possible Start Date*
1	February 12	March 12	June / July	September / October	December
2	June 12	July 12	October / November	January / February	April
3	October 12	November 12	February / March	May / June	July

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

Applications are due by 5 pm local time.

When a standard submission date falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next business day.

Review and Selection Process

Subcommittee I, convened by the Division of Extramural Activities of the NCI, will determine if it meets the broad needs of the program and priorities of NCI and the National Cancer Program.

For review criteria for the K99 grant mechanism, see Section V. Application Review Information of the Program Announcement.

R00 Activation

Transition from the mentored phase (K99) to the independent phase (R00) is not automatic. In order to activate the R00 phase, K99 PD(s)/PI(s) must have been offered and accepted a tenure-track, full-time assistant professor position (or equivalent) at an eligible domestic institution with the appropriate infrastructure to support the proposed research program and a history of external research funding. Further details on R00 activation for those who have active NCI K99 awards can be found in the instructions for the R00 application.

NCI Special Notes

Data Sharing

Under the NIH Data Sharing Policy, grantees are expected to engage in a timely release of final data sets that have been generated with NIH support for use by other researchers, provide a Data Sharing Plan that will achieve this objective, OR state why data sharing is not possible or appropriate.

Resources

NCI Staff Contacts

For additional information regarding policies and/or guidance in preparing an application for the K99/R00 Award, contact:

Dr. Michael Schmidt
Program Director (PI last name beginning with A-M)
Email: mschmidt@mail.nih.gov
Dr. Sonia B. Jakowlew
Program Director (PI last name beginning with N-S)
Email: jakowles@mail.nih.gov
Dr. Corinne Boulanger-Espeut
Program Director (PI last name beginning with T-Z)
Email: boulangc@mail.nih.gov

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

Amy Bartosch
Grant Management contact
Email: Amy.Bartosch@nih.gov

For information regarding referral and review issues, contact:

Referral Officer
Division of Extramural Activities
Phone: 240-276-6390
Fax: 240-276-7682