NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01 Clinical Trial Required) | PAR 18 435

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 435

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01, Clinical Trial Required), Funding Opportunity Number PAR-18-435, is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development grant designed to help promising audiologists build the skills, experience, and research track record needed to become independent investigators. The program focuses on supporting a structured, mentored postdoctoral period that combines a detailed career development plan with a rigorous research project aligned with the mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). In practical terms, the award is meant for Au.D./Ph.D. audiologists who are positioned to grow into leaders in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research related to hearing and balance, auditory rehabilitation, and other NIDCD-relevant areas.

A defining feature of this particular K01 announcement is the clinical trial leadership requirement. This FOA is specifically intended for applicants who will serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, an independent clinical trial feasibility study, or a distinct ancillary study that is tied to an existing clinical trial. In other words, the applicant is expected to take primary responsibility for designing and leading the clinical trial component as part of their mentored research and training trajectory. If an applicant does not plan to lead their own clinical trial and instead wants clinical trial experience by participating in a trial led by someone else, or if they are not proposing an independent clinical trial at all, they are directed to apply under the companion FOA, PAR-18-436, rather than this one. This distinction matters because NIH separates “clinical trial required” and “clinical trial not required” pathways, and submitting to the wrong FOA can create eligibility or review problems.

The overall goal of the award is career development, not just funding a standalone study. Applicants are expected to propose a comprehensive plan that strengthens their research capabilities, expands methodological expertise, and builds the foundation for long-term independence. That typically includes close mentorship, targeted training activities (for example, advanced clinical trial design, biostatistics, responsible conduct of research, grantsmanship, and domain-specific scientific training), and a coherent research plan that produces publishable results and positions the candidate for future independent NIH funding. The K01 mechanism is commonly used to support the transition from mentored postdoctoral work to independent research roles, and this NIDCD version is tailored to audiologists with both clinical and research doctorates (Au.D./Ph.D.) who are developing as clinician-scientists.

In terms of who can apply as an organization, the eligible applicant types are broad and include many U.S.-based entities: public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and certain public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. The announcement also explicitly highlights several institution categories as “other eligible applicants,” including Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and tribal governments or tribal organizations (including some not federally recognized, depending on category). This emphasis signals that a wide range of institutional homes may host a K01 candidate, including organizations that serve groups historically underrepresented in biomedical research.

Foreign participation is tightly restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic (non-U.S.) institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible either. In addition, foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this FOA. The intent is that the award’s training, mentoring, and research activities remain fully within allowable U.S.-based institutional structures.

Administratively, this is a discretionary grant in the health funding category and is associated with CFDA number 93.173. The source information provided lists the original closing date as December 8, 2020, and notes that an award ceiling and expected number of awards were not specified in the extracted data. The FOA was created January 9, 2018. Overall, PAR-18-435 is best understood as a mentored NIH career development pathway specifically for postdoctoral Au.D./Ph.D. audiologists who are ready to take on a leadership role in a clinical trial as a central part of their transition toward independent, NIDCD-relevant research careers.

• 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 2018-01-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-12-08. (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 18 435

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