Career Development K Award

Eligibility

Career Development Award scholars will be expected to develop and implement a research experience supervised by a primary mentor and mentor team. The research project should be designed as a pilot project to set the stage for an individual K-award application, or in exceptional circumstances, establish a foundation for a subsequent individual R-award application. The program has three training pathways that capitalize on institutional strengths. Prospective scholars may choose, but are not required, to take advantage of one of the three, and are also free to propose their own training pathway.

Programmatic Elements

• Core curriculum
• Mentored research project
• Team science training
• Mentor/protégé support and training

Individualized Elements

• Training pathways
  • Experimental Therapeutics
  • Digital Health
  • Health Equity-Focused Dissemination and Implementation
• Degree and certificate programs
• Elective coursework
• Extra-curricular activities
• Hands-on team science experiences

Requirements

Career Development Award scholars must:

• Define and participate in a clinical or translational research project.
• Identify a multidisciplinary mentor team with extensive clinical or translational research experience where one of the members is willing to serve as the primary mentor.
• Commit to a two-year program.
• Devote at least 75 percent of their full-time professional effort to the program (note: scholars in certain clinical specialties may commit less than 75 percent effort—but no less than 50 percent effort—if sufficiently justified by the need to maintain critical clinical skills).

Applicants must satisfy the following criteria:

• A doctoral-level degree in a health discipline that can be applied to clinical or translational research. These degrees include, but are not limited to MD, DO, DMD, DDS, DPH, PharmD, PhDs, as well as EdDs in a clinically relevant field, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, behavioral science, and nursing.
• US citizen or permanent resident. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible.
• Must be an early-stage investigator committed to advanced training and a career in translational science research aligned with the CTSA Programs goals of advancing therapeutics (drugs, devices, and preventives), clinical interventions, and behavioral modifications to improve health
• Scholars may have had support on a NRSA grant (F or T) or NIH small grant (R03).
• Commitment to a two-year program within the stated award period. During this time, at least 75 percent of the KL2 Scholar’s full-time professional effort must be devoted to the program. The remainder of time may be devoted to developing other clinical or academic pursuits that are consistent with the objectives of developing a career as an independent clinical or translational researcher. Certain clinical specialties may have less than 75 percent effort -- but no less than 50 percent effort -- if sufficiently justified (e.g. surgical specialties requiring 50 percent direct patient care time to keep up surgical skills).
• The financial year for Year 1 of funding begins July 1, 2025 and ends June 30, 2026; funding for Year 2 begins on July 1, 2026 and ends on June 30, 2027.  KL2 program appointment start and end dates must coincide with these dates to receive NIH funding – and they cannot be extended.  Additionally, annual budgets do not have any ability to be carried forward and must be spent within that financial year.
• Must live in western or central NY state and be able to attend mandatory in-person meetings throughout the year.
• Please refer to the Important Announcement about the 2025 KL2 cycle at the top of this page.

Exclusions:

• At the time of application, scholars must NOT have pending an application for any other PHS mentored career development award (e.g. K07, K08, K22, K23) that duplicates any of the provisions of the KL2. A KL2 scholar candidate who is already in the process of applying for an independent mentored career development grant, a P01 grant, or R01 grant is likely too senior for the KL2 award. However, please note that final results of KL2 applications will be received by applicants at least two weeks prior to the regular NIH deadlines for February submissions of other K awards.
• Former or current PDs/PIs on any NIH research project grant [this does not include NIH small grants (R03), exploratory Developmental (R21) or SBIR, STTR (R43, R44 grants)] or equivalent non-PHS peer reviewed grants that are over $100,000 direct costs per year, or project leaders on sub-projects of Program project (P01) or center grants (P50) are NOT eligible to participate as Scholars.

• Postdoctoral fellows may apply for a KL2 but a faculty position should not be contingent on receiving the KL2. Letters of support from department chairs must indicate this explicitly.

Funding Amount

PLEASE NOTE: As indicated, the UR CTSI is awaiting the results of its resubmission in spring 2024 (expected outcome in spring 2025) and all funding is contingent on this outcome. If this submission is awarded, the UR CTSI KL2 will shift to a K12 mechanism, and scholars will be referred to as K12 scholars. 

The CTSA Program will pay 75% salary support up to a maximum of $70,000 per year contingent on available funds. Additionally, scholars will receive up to $17,000 of non-salary support per year to be used for research, tuition, travel expenses, educational materials or other costs related to the project. 

Important Dates

• Submit letter of intent & required materials - Monday, September 16, 2024
• Invitation to submit full application packet - Monday, September 23, 2024
• Submit invited application packet - Monday, October 28, 2024
• Notification of award - Friday, January 31, 2025
• Anticipated start date - Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Contact

If you have additional questions about the program, please contact Alfred Vitale, PhD, director of Research Education and Career Development.

Apply

The UR CTSI will release a request for applications once each program year. View the current Request for Applications.

Please note that the LOI process for this cycle has been expanded to request further documentation than in previous years. In addition to basic questions (name, email, department, title of project, mentor, etc.) the NEW submission form will also require a draft of your Specific Aims page (limit 1-page) as well as your NIH biosketch and that of your primary mentor.  All materials are required for submission of the LOI. LOIs and accompanying materials will be reviewed and scored by a team of senior faculty, and by September 23, 2024, meritorious submissions will receive invitations to submit the full KL2 application.

Invited applicants electronically submit a seven-page application and other supporting information. After initial, rigorous review by a selection committee, applicants may be asked to respond in writing to questions regarding their application. The selection committee will then recommend awardees to the KL2 Steering Committee. Applications will be ranked on the basis of the candidate’s training environment, career development plans and project proposal.

Scholars and Projects

Nathaniel Bayer, M.D.
Project: "Caregiver Support Intervention for Families of Children with Medical Complexity"
Funded in 2023

Annamarie Defayette, PhD
Project: “Social Networks and Inflammation as Potential Targets for Suicide Prevention in Young People at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis”
Funded in 2024

Ashley Jenkins, M.D.
Project: "Adapting Individualized Care Plans to Improve Inpatient Vaso-Occlusive Episode Care for Adults with Sickle Cell Disease"
Funded in 2023

Lee Kehoe, PhD
Project: “Pilot Randomized Control Trial of an Adapted Telehealth Dyadic Life Review Intervention for Older Patients with Advanced Cancer and their Caregivers”
Funded in 2024

Emily Knight, M.D., Ph.D.
Project: "Neural Mechanisms Underlying Speech-in-noise Processing Difficulty in Autism"
Funded in 2023

Doran Mix, M.D.
Project: "Natural History of Human Aortic Dissections Mechanics Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging"
Funded 2023

Sarah Mohajeri Moghaddam, MD, MPH
Project: “Imaging Hypoxic Brain Injury in Cerebral Malaria: Role in the Acute Phase of Disease, Death and Long-term Sequela in Survivors”
Funded in 2024

Past Scholars/Projects