Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23 Recipients (R03)

(Current NHLBI-supported K01, K08 or K23 Awardees or Recently Completed K01/K08, or K23 Awardees)

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) solicits applications from recipients of NHLBI-supported mentored career development awards (K01, K08, and K23) to apply for NHLBI Small Grant Program (R03) grant support. Active K awardees may apply for R03 support to run concurrently with the final two years of their K award.  In addition, this FOA solicits applications from mentored career development awardees that have recently completed their awards if the earliest possible R03 start date falls within 2 years of their prior NHLBI K award Project Period end date.  

This program is a pilot and its utility to increase the R01, or equivalent application and award, for single or dual degree holders in the biomedical workforce will be assessed. The additional support provided by this program will enable former and current K awardees to expand their current research objectives or to branch out to a study that resulted from the research conducted under the K award, thus demonstrating their growth as investigators and their independence. The intent of this FOA is to facilitate the transition to fully independent investigator status. By providing this funding, the NHLBI intends to augment previous investments and sustain meritorious programs seeking R01 grant support and to foster the successful development of the next generation of scientific leaders trying to launch their independent research careers.

Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23 Recipients (R03) – RFA-HL-18-025

Who is eligible? Only the following NHLBI K awardees are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity:

1) Current NHLBI-supported K01, K08, or K23 awardees - Applicants who are within the last 2 years of their K award are eligible to apply for this R03.  The award for the second year of the R03 does not require concurrent K-support.

2) Recently completed K01, K08, or K23 awardees - defined as such if their NHLBI K award project end date is prior to the intended start date of the R03. The earliest possible R03 start date must fall within 2 years of the applicant’s prior NHLBI K award project period end date.

K01, K08, or K awardees who have already successfully competed for an R01, or other substantial independent NIH research grant are ineligible. See Definition of New Investigator for the definition of “substantial NIH independent research award.”

What are the earliest possible R03 start dates? September 2017, April 2018, July 2018, September 2018, April 2019.

The opportunities? The added grant support in the latter years or in the years immediately following a K award is expected to have the following benefits:

• Increased fiscal independence for the award recipient as a precursor to attain independence.
• An opportunity for the recipient to generate additional publications and data to support.
• Lead to submission of a subsequent R01, or equivalent, application.
• An opportunity for the awardee to demonstrate additional success in the peer review process during the course of their career development award.
• An assessment of progress or outcome of their K award.

Duration of support? 2 years

Where? Domestic research institutions

Applications due? February 17, 2017; June 15, 2017; October 19, 2017; February 15, 2018; June 15, 2018, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

AIDS Application Due Dates: Standard AIDS dates apply by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.  All types of AIDS and AIDS-related applications allowed for this funding opportunity announcement are due on these dates. No late applications will be accepted for this Funding Opportunity Announcement.

Award Budget: Application budgets are limited to direct costs up to $50,000 per year, but need to reflect actual needs of the proposed project.

How to apply: Applications submitted in response to this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov following the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, including Supplemental Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in the RFA-HL-16-020.

Page Limitations: All page limitations described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Letter of Intent:
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows the NHLBI staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review. The Letter of Intent due date is 30 days prior to the application due date.

The Letter of Intent should be sent to:

Director, Office of Scientific Review
Division of Extramural Research Activities
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 7214, MSC 7924
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7924 or Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express mail)
Telephone: (301) 435-0270
E-mail: nhlbichiefreviewbranch@nhlbi.nih.gov (link sends e-mail)

Additional Resources for Applicants:

NHLBI's Division of Blood Diseases and Resources (DBDR) Program Description

NHLBI's Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS) Program Description

NHLBI's Division of Lung Diseases (DLD) Program Description

NHLBI’s Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS) Program Description

Please contact the following NHLBI if you have questions about this award:

Lisbeth Welniak, PhD
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-827-8297 
Email: welniakla@nhlbi.nih.gov