The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 24 117

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 117

The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Optional), funding opportunity number PAR-24-117, is a National Cancer Institute program designed to help cancer researchers move from mentored, non-independent roles into their first fully independent faculty positions. The core purpose is to bridge that difficult transition period by giving promising investigators a structured runway into independence, with protected time and resources so they can establish their own research direction, generate independent preliminary data, publish as a senior author, and build a competitive track record for future major NIH funding. The award is specifically tied to the early years of independence: it supports the initial three years of the recipient's first independent tenure-track faculty position (or an equivalent appointment), and the support begins when the candidate starts that tenure-track role.

The main form of support described in the notice is salary and research support that effectively buys protected time for the awardee to focus on building an independent cancer research program. In practical terms, this kind of mechanism is meant to reduce the pressure to immediately fund the lab entirely through other sources or to take on an overwhelming teaching/clinical/service load right away. By covering part of the investigator's salary and providing research funds, NCI is trying to increase the odds that strong mentored investigators successfully launch as independent faculty and remain in the cancer research workforce.

A notable feature of this particular K22 is reflected in the title: "Independent Clinical Trial Optional." That signals that the mechanism is structured so applicants are not required to propose an independent clinical trial, but the program can accommodate candidates whose career development and research plans may involve clinical trial activity, depending on their role and the specifics of the project. In other words, it is intended to be flexible for investigators working across the spectrum of cancer research, including those who might engage in clinical research activities, without making a clinical trial the default requirement for every applicant.

Eligibility to apply is broad on the institutional side and includes many common U.S. organization types that can host NIH grants. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education where applicable); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other organizations. The notice also highlights categories of organizations that NIH and NCI specifically recognize as eligible in many programs, 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.

The announcement draws a clear boundary around foreign eligibility. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. At the same time, the notice states that foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. In NIH terms, that generally means a U.S.-based applicant organization can include certain discrete foreign elements of the project when they are well-justified and compliant with NIH policy, but the primary applicant institution itself must be domestic.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health under a discretionary grant mechanism, with an activity category that the source data labels under education and health. The CFDA (assistance listing) number provided is 93.398, which is associated with cancer-related NIH/NCI assistance programs. The opportunity was created on February 9, 2024, and the original closing date listed is November 12, 2025. The source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards in the fields provided, so applicants typically need to consult the full NOFO text on NIH/Grants.gov for the budget structure, any institute-specific limits, and anticipated award volume.

Overall, this K22 is best understood as a targeted transition award: it is not simply funding a project, but funding a career step. The program is set up to support researchers right as they secure their first independent faculty appointment, giving them three years of salary and research support to convert prior mentored training into a stable, independent cancer research program with momentum strong enough to compete for longer-term grants and to sustain a tenure-track trajectory.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22 Independent Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.398.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-11-12. (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 24 117

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