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Research-Grant

NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08)

Mentored NIH career development mechanism for clinically trained researchers transitioning toward independent investigation.

JJ Ben-Joseph
JJ Ben-Joseph
💰 Funding Institute-specific salary and research development support, typically for up to 5 years
📅 Deadline Jun 12, 2026
📍 Location United States
🏛️ Source National Institutes of Health
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Status Update (February 2026)

NIH standard due dates for new K-series applications are February 12, June 12, and October 12. The next upcoming standard K-series date after February 2026 is June 12, 2026.

NIH also announced that for applications due on or after May 25, 2026, dedicated AIDS due dates are being removed from NIH application policy.

Current parent K08 notices specify submissions are due by 5:00 PM local time of the applicant organization on the due date.

What K08 Is Designed For

K08 supports mentored development of clinically trained investigators who are building toward independent research careers. It is not a small project grant. Reviewers score candidate development, mentoring quality, environment, and research plan integration.

Current Parent K08 Tracks

NIH parent announcements currently include:

  • PA-24-182 (Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
  • PA-24-181 (Independent Clinical Trial Required)
  • PA-24-183 (Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

Picking the wrong trial-status track is a common avoidable problem.

Key Structural Requirements

From current NIH K08 guidance and parent announcements:

  • project period may not exceed 5 years
  • reference letters are required (typically 3 to 5)
  • salary and program-related support are institute-specific
  • indirect costs for career awards commonly follow NIH K-award policy terms

Always validate details on your exact NOFO and IC-specific table.

How to Apply

  1. Select the correct active K08 parent NOFO for your project type.
  2. Confirm institute participation and fit with NIH staff early.
  3. Build candidate, mentor, and research plans as one coherent package.
  4. Coordinate institutional commitment and protected-time language early.
  5. Submit through Grants.gov/eRA Commons by the active cycle deadline.

Frequent Weaknesses

  • Trial-status mismatch with selected NOFO.
  • Generic mentoring letters without operational detail.
  • Weak mapping between career-development objectives and project milestones.
  • Overly broad scope that resembles an independent R01 program.
  • Late reference letters or registration issues.

Quality-Control Tactic

Run an internal review where each NIH criterion is scored separately. Most K08 submissions improve when teams explicitly repair one weak section instead of revising everything at once.

Resubmission Discipline

If not funded on first submission, map summary-statement critiques directly to revised sections and document exactly what changed. K awards improve when applicants address reviewer concerns with concrete edits, clearer mentorship operations, and tighter milestone language rather than broad narrative rewriting.

Submission Timing and NOFO Window Control

Current parent K08 announcements (PA-24-181, PA-24-182, and PA-24-183) list expiration in May 2027, with due dates following NIH standard cycles and local-time submission cutoffs. Treat this as an active planning window, not a reason to wait.

Strong teams build backward from deadline: reference letters first, then institutional commitment language, then final research-plan polishing. Late reference letters and registration issues are still among the most preventable causes of submission failure.

Official Sources