Early Career

To help overcome faculty attrition and minimize workforce loss, NHLBI offers supplemental funding opportunities to eligible early-stage investigators facing critical life events. These supplements provide up to $70,000 in direct costs for up to one year to support research projects during critical life events, such as childbirth, adoption, and primary caregiving responsibilities for an ailing spouse, child, partner, or a member of the immediate family during the project period. The funding can help sustain the investigator’s research by supporting additional personnel, computational services, and supplies and equipment.

Application Deadlines: June 1, October 1, and February 1. View the funding opportunities for details: NOT-OD-23-031 (K-awardees, including K99) and NOT-OD-23-032 (first-time recipients of RPG awards, including R00), and see the NHLBI IC-specific table for additional eligibility criteria.

Provides support to current or recently completed NHLBI K01, K08, and K23 awardees to expand their current research objectives or to branch out to a study that resulted from the research conducted under the K award.

• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (RFA-HL-20-006)

The purpose of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) K38 Career Development program is to retain and support clinician investigators who have successfully completed the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) R38 Program (RFA-HL-18-023) as resident-investigators. Individuals who are awarded K38 grants described in this FOA will be referred to as Transition Scholars. The intent of this FOA is to provide Transition Scholars with opportunities for additional research and career development during subsequent clinical fellowship or early career faculty appointments (as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility). It is anticipated that the StARRTS K38 program will provide a pathway to retain the newly-created pool of clinician-investigators generated through the StARR R38 program. Transition Scholar grantees will receive support for continued research and career development opportunities in basic, clinical and/or translational research thereby providing enhanced potential to accelerate the transition to independent research careers.

• Clinical Trial Required (PA-20-202)
• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (PA-20-203)

Prepares clinically trained individuals for careers that have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the Nation. This program provides support and protected time for an intensive, supervised research career development experience in the fields of biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research, including translational research.

• Clinical Trial Required (PA-20-206)
• Independent Clinical Trials Not Allowed (PA-20-205)

Supports the career development of individuals with a clinical doctoral degree, who have the potential to develop into productive, clinical investigators, and who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research.

• Clinical Trial Required (PA-20-197)
• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (PA-20-199)

The purpose of this award is to attract to NIH-relevant research those investigators whose quantitative science and engineering research has thus far not been focused primarily on questions of health and disease. The K25 supports productive professionals with quantitative (e.g., statistics, economics, computer science, physics, chemistry) and engineering backgrounds to integrate their expertise with NIH-relevant research.

• Clinical Trial Required (PA-20-176)
• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (PA-20-190)

The NHLBI only uses the K01 for highly innovative research in humans only in the following areas:

• Epidemiological research that elucidates the mechanisms, etiology, pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.
• Biostatistics research leading to the development of innovative methods for designing studies and analyzing data in clinical and population-based research. This may include clinical trials and epidemiologic, genomic, proteomic, or metabolomic studies in heart, lung, blood diseases and sleep disorders.
• Outcomes research involving the comparison of screening, diagnostic, preventive or treatment strategies for heart, lung, blood diseases and sleep disorders.
• Implementation (T4 translation) research that addresses strategies for sustained adoption of proven, effective interventions in communities, health systems, clinicians, patients and families for heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders.
• State of the art research studies reflected above that use large data sources and electronic health records are encouraged.
   

• Clinical Trial Required (RFA-HL-25-008)
• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (RFA-HL-25-009)

Enhances the pool of highly trained investigators from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in research areas of interest to the NHLBI. Targeted toward individuals whose basic, clinical, and translational research interests are grounded in the advanced methods and experimental approaches needed to solve problems related to cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic diseases and sleep disorders in the general and health disparities populations.

• Clinical Trial Required (PA-20-187)
• Clinical Trial Not Allowed (PA-20-188)

NHLBI temporary COVID-19 eligibility extension

Increases and maintains a strong cohort of new and talented, NIH-supported, independent investigators. This program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers or clinician-scientists from mentored research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty positions, and to provide independent NIH research support during the transition that will help these individuals launch competitive, independent research careers. View the fact sheet for more information.

PRIDE is an all-expense-paid summer institute, research education and mentoring initiative sponsored by the NHLBI. The aim is to address the difficulties experienced by junior investigators and transitioning postdoctoral scientists in establishing independent academic research careers and negotiating through the academic ranks.

• Admin Supp - Clinical Trial Not Allowed (PA-21-071)

Provides administrative supplements to currently active NIH research grants to enhance the diversity of the research workforce.

• Admin Supp – Clinical Trial Not Allowed (NOT-OD-21-134)

Provides administrative supplements to currently active NIH research grants to support individuals with high potential to re-enter an active research career after a qualifying interruption for family or other responsibilities.