NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 21 085

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 085

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01, Clinical Trial Required) is a National Institutes of Health career development grant meant to help early-career audiologists with Au.D./Ph.D. training build the skills, publications, and research leadership experience needed to become independent investigators. The program is geared toward audiologists pursuing rigorous postdoctoral development in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research areas that align with the mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). In practice, the award is designed to provide a structured, mentored pathway that combines a detailed career development plan (training, mentorship, and milestones) with a substantive research project so the applicant can transition into an independent research career in hearing and balance or related communication sciences.

A defining feature of this specific FOA is that it is for applicants who will be leading a clinical trial effort as part of their mentored research. The applicant is expected to serve as the lead investigator of either (1) an independent clinical trial, (2) a clinical trial feasibility study, or (3) a distinct ancillary study tied to an existing clinical trial. This requirement is central: the announcement is explicitly tailored for candidates whose research aims include clinical trial leadership responsibilities and the accompanying design, regulatory, operational, and analytic work. Applicants who are not proposing an independent clinical trial component, or who only plan to gain experience by participating in a trial led by someone else, are directed to apply under a companion FOA (referenced as PAR-21-XXX) that fits non-independent-trial plans.

The opportunity is issued as a discretionary grant under NIH and falls within the health funding activity category. The catalog listing associated with the program is CFDA 93.173, and the funding opportunity number is PAR-21-085. The original posting date provided is December 8, 2020, and the original closing date listed is January 7, 2024. While an award ceiling and the expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source text, the emphasis of the program is clear: mentored career development paired with a clinically focused research project substantial enough to demonstrate the candidate can plan and execute a trial or trial-related study under mentorship and with appropriate institutional support.

Eligibility is broad on the organizational side, reflecting NIH norms and a desire to support research careers across many institutional settings. Eligible applicants include state, county, city, township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other eligible entities. The FOA also explicitly highlights a range of mission-driven and capacity-building institution types as eligible, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the announcement places clear restrictions on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations and foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply, and foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed. These constraints mean the applicant organization and the supported activities must be structured entirely within allowable U.S.-based organizational components, without foreign components as part of the grant-supported project.

Overall, this K01 is best understood as a mentored, postdoctoral-level launchpad for Au.D./Ph.D. audiologists who are ready to move beyond training-only roles and into real research leadership, specifically through designing and leading a clinical trial, a feasibility study, or an ancillary study. The FOA is intended for candidates with strong promise who can leverage mentorship and a well-developed career development plan to build independence in NIDCD-relevant research fields, with clinical trial leadership experience serving as a core credential developed during the award period.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01 Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-01-07. (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 21 085

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