Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required) | PA 20 193

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 20 193

The NIH Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required), funding opportunity number PA-20-193, is a discretionary NIH grant mechanism designed to strengthen the clinical research workforce by supporting established, mid-career clinician-researchers. The core goal is to buy protected time for health-professional doctorates who are already active in patient-oriented research (POR) so they can both advance their own research programs and play a significant, structured mentoring role for the next generation of clinical investigators. In practice, the award is meant to help experienced investigators maintain and expand high-quality research that directly involves human subjects, while also ensuring they are actively training and guiding clinical residents, clinical fellows, and/or junior clinical faculty in patient-oriented research skills and career development.

A defining feature of this particular K24 parent announcement is the "Independent Clinical Trial Required" designation. That phrasing signals that the proposed work is expected to involve an independent clinical trial component under the applicant's leadership, consistent with NIH definitions and policies on clinical trials. Applicants considering this opportunity typically need to be prepared to describe a clear patient-oriented research agenda that includes clinical trial responsibilities where required, and to show they have the expertise, environment, and institutional backing to carry out that work while simultaneously providing meaningful mentorship. The K24 is not just about supporting an individual investigator's research time; it is also explicitly about building mentorship capacity within clinical departments and research programs by formalizing and resourcing a mid-career investigator's role as a mentor.

Eligibility is broad at the organizational level and includes many types of U.S.-based entities, such as state, county, and municipal governments; 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; tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and a range of nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education when specified in the category). For-profit organizations other than small businesses, small businesses, and other types of applicants may also be eligible, reflecting NIH's wide applicant base. The opportunity also highlights additional eligible applicant groupings that NIH often calls out to encourage broad participation, 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, there are important limitations related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) and non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant institution may include certain formally designated foreign elements of the project when scientifically justified and appropriately structured under NIH rules. This distinction matters for teams that collaborate internationally: the application must be anchored at an eligible U.S. applicant organization even if parts of the work involve foreign sites or collaborations that meet NIH criteria for foreign components.

Administratively, this is an NIH grant (funding instrument type: Grant) within the broader activity category listed as Education, Environment, Health, reflecting the career development and mentoring emphasis as well as the patient-oriented research focus. The opportunity is tied to multiple CFDA (Assistance Listing) numbers, indicating that multiple NIH Institutes and Centers may participate in or use this parent announcement depending on scientific area and mission fit. The original closing date shown in the provided source is 2024-05-07, and the posting indicates no stated award ceiling or expected number of awards in the excerpt, which is common for NIH opportunities where budgets and award counts can vary by institute, fiscal year, and program priorities.

Overall, this K24 announcement supports a dual mission: sustaining a mid-career clinician-investigator's patient-oriented research program through protected time, and strengthening the pipeline of clinical investigators by requiring a substantial mentoring commitment focused on trainees and junior faculty. Applicants generally need to be positioned as proven patient-oriented researchers with the capacity to lead clinically focused studies (including an independent clinical trial element under this specific parent K24) and to demonstrate a well-developed mentoring plan and institutional environment that will translate the award into measurable impact on both research productivity and mentored career development.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24 Independent Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.361, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.855, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-05-06.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-07. (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.

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