NINDS Alzheimers Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 213

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 213

The NINDS Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity is an NIH K99/R00 program (Funding Opportunity Number PAR-24-213) that helps advanced postdoctoral researchers move from a mentored postdoc role into a fully independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position while building a long-term research program focused on Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD). The core idea is to create a pipeline of strong, independent investigators from diverse backgrounds, in line with NIH's stated interest in promoting diversity in the biomedical research workforce. This award is structured to reduce the common gap that occurs when a postdoc is ready to launch an independent lab but still needs time, funding stability, and a clear plan to transition into an independent appointment.

The mechanism has two linked phases. The K99 phase is the mentored career development period that supports the candidate while they finish advanced postdoctoral training and complete the final steps needed to become independent. The R00 phase is the independent research support period that begins after the awardee secures an independent faculty position, with the intent of enabling the recipient to establish their own research direction, publish as a senior author, and compete successfully for larger, long-term NIH funding. In other words, the program is explicitly designed around a "bridge" from postdoc to independence, with NIH support on both sides of that transition.

A key restriction in this specific announcement is the clinical trial limitation: it is for "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed." That means the proposed research plan cannot include the awardee leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to a clinical trial. However, the FOA does allow the applicant to gain experience working on a clinical trial as part of their training if the trial is led by the mentor or a co-mentor. This is an important nuance for applicants working in human-focused AD/ADRD research who may need exposure to clinical research methods without being positioned as the trial leader under this award.

The opportunity sits within NIH's health research portfolio and is administered by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The activity aligns with AD/ADRD research priorities and uses the grant funding instrument type, with activity categorized under Health. The listed CFDA numbers are 93.853 and 93.866, which correspond to NIH assistance listings tied to NINDS and related neurological research funding areas.

Eligibility is broad at the organizational level, reflecting the wide range of institutions that can host either the mentored postdoctoral phase or the independent phase. Eligible applicants include many types of U.S.-based entities 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, state and local governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments and certain tribal organizations. The FOA also highlights additional categories of eligible organizations often central to NIH diversity efforts, including 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies.

At the same time, there are clear boundaries around foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. That said, "foreign components" are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means discrete elements of a project that take place outside the U.S. can be included when they are well-justified and meet NIH policy requirements, even though the applicant institution itself must be U.S.-based.

The opportunity is currently open with an original closing date listed as July 12, 2027, and it was created on June 24, 2024. While an award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided listing, the overall purpose is clear: provide structured, phased NIH support to help diverse, promising AD/ADRD postdoctoral researchers make a timely jump into independent faculty roles and successfully launch independent research programs, with the additional constraint that the applicant cannot propose to lead an independent clinical trial under this particular K99/R00 announcement.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Alzheimers Disease-Related Dementias (ADRD) Advanced Postdoctoral Career Transition Award (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-07-12.
• 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 24 213

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: