Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01).

The Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) provides support for a sustained period of protected time for intensive research career development under the guidance of an experienced mentor, or sponsor, in the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence. The expectation is that through this sustained period of research career development and training, awardees will launch independent research careers and become competitive for new research project grant (R01) funding.

Although all of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers use this support mechanism to support career development experiences that lead to research independence, some Institutes and Centers use this award for individuals who propose to train in a new field or for individuals who have had a hiatus in their research career because of illness or pressing family circumstances. Other Institutes and Centers utilize the K01 to increase research workforce diversity by providing enhanced research career development opportunities. Therefore, potential applicants are strongly advised to contact the appropriate NIH staff member identified in Section VII to discuss their particular circumstances before developing an application.

The candidate must devote a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort to the goals of this award. The remainder may be devoted to clinical, teaching, or other research pursuits consistent with the objectives of the award. Both the didactic and research phases of an award period must be designed to develop the necessary knowledge and research skills in scientific areas relevant to the career goals of the candidate.

All career development programs must be tailored to meet the individual needs of the candidate. The candidate and mentor are jointly responsible for the preparation of the plan for the career development program. Applicants must justify the need for this award and provide a convincing case that the proposed period of support will substantially enhance their careers as independent investigators in their chosen area of research. The sponsoring institution must he able to demonstrate a commitment to the development of the candidate as a productive, independent investigator.

This funding opportunity will use the NIH K01 award mechanism. As an applicant, the candidate and his/her mentor will be jointly responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project and career development activities.

This funding opportunity uses the just-in-time budget concepts. It also uses the nonmodular budget format described in the PHS 398 application instructions (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/ phs398/phs398.html). The applicant should follow the PHS 398 instructions for budget information, providing only the total direct costs for each year and the entire proposed period of support and budget justification information.

The PHS 398 application instructions are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/ phs398.html in an interactive format. Applicants must use the currently approved version of the PHS 398. For further assistance contact Grants Info 301-435-0714 (telecommunications for the hearing impaired: TTY 301-451-0088) or by e-mail: [e-mail].

Applications must be prepared using the most current PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms. Applications must have a Dun and Bradstreer (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the universal identifier when applying for federal grants or cooperative agreements. The D&B number can be obtained by calling 866705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dnb. com/us/. The D&B number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form.

The application receipt dates for this PA are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/ submissionschedule.htm. The complete version of this PA is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ guide/pa-files/PA-06-001.

Contact: Applicants should refer to the NIH web site (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/contacts/pa06-001_contacts.htm) for information regarding each IC's scientific/research contacts for this K01 program. Reference PA-06-001