Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22 Clinical Trials Required) | PAR 23 150

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 23 150

The Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22 Clinical Trials Required) is an NIH grant opportunity from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) designed to help advanced postdoctoral fellows in NIMH's Division of Intramural Research Programs (DIRP) move into independent academic research careers. Its core purpose is to speed and strengthen the transition from an intramural postdoctoral appointment at NIMH to an extramural, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position at an eligible U.S. institution. The award is structured as a two-phase career development pathway: an initial intramural mentored phase while the fellow is still in the NIMH intramural environment, followed by a second extramural mentored phase after the fellow secures a qualifying faculty role. The second phase includes research support intended to help the awardee establish an independent research program that can compete successfully for future funding.

A key feature of this specific announcement is that it is for applicants who will be the lead investigator of a clinical trial as part of their research and career development plan. In other words, this version of the K22 is explicitly aligned with projects where the candidate is taking primary responsibility for an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study connected to an existing trial. If an applicant is not planning to lead an independent clinical trial, or if their clinical trial experience would come primarily from participating in a trial run by another investigator, they are directed to apply under the companion funding opportunity instead (identified in the text as PA-18-NNN). This distinction matters because NIH uses separate FOAs to match the review and oversight expectations associated with leading a clinical trial versus gaining experience within someone else's trial.

The opportunity is issued as a discretionary grant under a health-related funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.242. The funding opportunity number is PAR-23-150, and the listing shows an original closing date of 2026-03-12. While the public summary provided does not list an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the intent is clearly career-launch focused: to provide mentored development plus extramural research resources during the transition into a first independent position.

Eligibility in the source data is broad at the organizational level and includes many common applicant types such as public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing/Indian housing authorities. It also highlights participation from a wide range of mission- and community-focused entities, including faith-based and community-based organizations and institutions serving specific populations, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible, and the narrative also notes Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized.

Geography and foreign involvement are handled with specific constraints that are common in NIH programs. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the primary applicant organization. At the same time, the FOA allows foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning certain parts of the research may be carried out abroad if they meet NIH's definition and justification requirements, even though the award and primary applicant organization must remain U.S.-based and eligible.

In practical terms, this K22 mechanism is aimed at a very specific candidate pool: NIMH intramural postdoctoral fellows who are ready to step into independence and who can credibly propose and lead clinical trial work as part of their early faculty trajectory. The program emphasizes mentorship in both phases, but it is ultimately about positioning the awardee to become a competitive, independent investigator by providing structured development and early extramural research support right when the new faculty member is building their lab or program and establishing a track record of leadership and productivity.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mentored Career Transition Award for Intramural Fellows (K22 Clinical Trials Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PAR 23 150

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