NINDS Faculty Development Award to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience Research (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 234

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 234

The NINDS Faculty Development Award to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience Research (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed), PAR-21-234, is an NIH grant opportunity aimed at helping diversify the community of independent investigators in neuroscience. It is a faculty development and mentored career award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) that supports junior faculty as they build the skills, preliminary data, and professional track record needed to become competitive, independent neuroscience researchers. The opportunity is a reissue of PAR-18-490 and focuses on providing a package of support that typically includes protected research time, research-related costs, and structured mentorship and career development activities that match the needs of early-stage faculty.

The target applicant is an individual from a background underrepresented in biomedical research who already holds a doctoral research degree (Ph.D. or an equivalent doctoral research degree) and is still early in their faculty trajectory. A key eligibility detail is timing: applicants must be within the first three years of a tenure-track faculty position or an equivalent appointment at the time they apply. The intent is to reach investigators early enough that the award can meaningfully shape their research direction, help them establish independence, and strengthen their pathway toward later-stage NIH funding.

This particular FOA is explicitly for projects that do not involve the applicant leading an independent clinical trial. That means the proposed research under this K01 cannot be structured around the applicant serving as the lead for an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study connected to a clinical trial. At the same time, the announcement allows a practical form of clinical research exposure: applicants may include a research experience component that involves participating in a clinical trial as long as that trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor. In other words, trainees can gain clinical trial experience and mentorship without taking on the formal leadership role that would classify their K01 project as an independent clinical trial.

On the institutional side, the eligible applicant organizations are broad and include many common NIH-eligible entity 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 various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The FOA also calls out additional eligible institution categories often associated with broadening participation, 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). Faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain tribal governments and tribal organizations are also listed as eligible applicants.

There are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. While the text lists non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities in the “other eligible applicants” section, it then states unambiguously that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply, that non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and that foreign components (as defined by NIH policy) are not allowed. Practically, applicants should plan for the work to be conducted within eligible U.S.-based organizational structures without foreign components.

From an administrative perspective, this is a discretionary grant in the health funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 93.853, and administered by the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity’s original closing date is listed as 2024-09-07. The summary provided does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full FOA for budget limits, project period details, effort requirements, and the specific review criteria used to evaluate the candidate, career development plan, research plan, mentors, and institutional commitment.

Overall, the K01 is designed to function as a structured launch pad for underrepresented junior faculty in neuroscience: it gives them time and support to develop a focused research niche, generate publishable results and preliminary data, receive hands-on guidance from experienced mentors, and build a credible path to independence, while keeping the proposed research outside the scope of applicant-led independent clinical trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Faculty Development Award to Promote Diversity in Neuroscience Research (K01 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.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-04-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-09-07. (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 21 234

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