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Recurring Limited Submissions

2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program

Slots: University presidents may nominate one junior and one senior scholar. A senior scholar is defined as any holder of a tenured post. (You may not nominate two junior or two senior scholars.)

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, September 5, 2025, 5pm PT

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: November 7, 2025, 5pm E.T.

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: around 30

Anticipated Award Amount: $200,000

Who May Serve as PI: The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program is open only to citizens or permanent residents of the United States who have been nominated by the head of an institution designated by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Candidates must have a Ph.D., hold a terminal degree, or be a high-level professional working outside of academia. Nominators include heads of independent research institutes and learned societies, university presidents, leaders of some of the nation’s preeminent think tanks, and directors of major publishers, as well as editors of leading newspapers and magazines. Individuals may not apply for the Fellows Program via self-nomination.

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program prohibits a fellowship winner from accepting a fellowship of equal caliber or at a comparable level of funding that overlaps the same timeline as the Carnegie fellowship, especially awards that have specific time requirements. However, smaller grants and project support are acceptable on a case-by-case basis. 

Please note that candidates who have been nominated in the past two years are not eligible for candidacy, regardless of who nominated them. 

Link to Award: https://www.carnegie.org/awards/award/andrew-carnegie-fellows/

Process:

Please use the Andrew Carnegie Fellows workspace titled “Limited Submission – Andrew Carnegie Fellows” on our RII Portal here: https://provost.sma.usc.edu/prog/foundations/. You can find the red button also at this link: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/.

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) One-Page Project Description (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the limit will be excluded from review. Please see the nomination criteria and topic criteria below for more information on what to include in your project description.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program was established in 2015 to provide philanthropic support for high-caliber research in the humanities and social sciences. During its first eight years, nearly 250 scholars received fellowships of $200,000 to explore a range of important and enduring issues confronting our society.

In June 2023, the Corporation announced a second phase of the program and a new focus on political polarization in the United States. The program asks scholars to help Americans understand how and why our society has become so polarized and what we can do to strengthen the forces of cohesion in our society. Political polarization is characterized by threats to free speech, the decline of civil discourse, disagreement over basic facts, and a lack of mutual understanding and collaboration. The next class of fellows will be announced in spring 2025.

Fellowships of $200,000 are awarded annually to about 30 exceptional scholars, authors, journalists, and public intellectuals. The funding is for a period of one or two years with the anticipated result of a book or major study. The criteria prioritize the originality and promise of the research, its potential impact on the field, and the scholar’s plans for communicating the findings to a broad audience. 

The Corporation anticipates that the work of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program will explore the many ways political polarization in the United States manifests itself in society and suggest ways that it may be mitigated. Studies of polarization in other countries will be welcomed providing they offer lessons that can be applied to the United States. Projects based in disciplines across the humanities and social sciences are welcomed.

Nominations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Originality and promise of the idea
  • Quality of the proposal
  • Record of the nominee
  • Plans to communicate findings to a broad audience
  • Promise to offer solutions to harmful polarization or to enhance social cohesion

TOPIC

Carnegie anticipates that the work of the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program will explore the many ways political polarization in the United States manifests itself in society and suggest ways that it may be mitigated. Studies of polarization in other countries are welcome, provided they offer lessons that can be applied to the United States. Projects based in disciplines across the humanities and social sciences are welcome.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

PAR-25-124: NCMRR Early Career Research Award (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)

Slots: Only one NCMRR ECR Award (R03) application may be submitted as a single PD/PI or one of Multiple PDs/PIs per due date. 

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, August 15th, 2025, 5pm PT Contact RII.

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: October 16, 2025

Recurring Deadlines: February 16, 2026; June 16, 2026; October 16, 2026; February 16, 2027; June 16, 2027; October 16, 2027

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards and Award Amount: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications

Who May Serve as PI: This NOFO targets Early Career Investigators interested in rehabilitation research. The PD/PI must be an independent investigator, not a postdoctoral fellow, at the time of submission. The PD/PI must be no more than 8 years beyond the date that the first professional, advanced professional, or terminal academic degree was awarded, whichever is most recent. The 8-year eligibility period will be calculated based on the MM/DD/YYYY the degree was awarded and the published application receipt date, regardless of whether it is a new or resubmission application. Attainment of an additional Master’s degree after receipt of a doctoral level degree does not extend the timeline. Formal years of clinical training (Internship, Residency, and Fellowship) are not counted as part of the 8-year limit. The exemption of years for clinical training is not limited to physicians.

Recipients of the Federally-funded National Research Service Award fellowships and traineeships (i.e. F- and T- series awards) or mentored career development awards (i.e. K awards) are eligible for the NCMRR ECR Award grant program, provided there is no overlap in professional commitment or budget.

The following are NOT Eligible: 

  • Individuals who, at the time of submission, have served as PD/PI on a peer-reviewed NIH research award (R series) over $100,000 direct costs per year or non-NIH research grants over $150,000 total costs per year,
  • Project Leaders on sub-projects of NIH program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or the equivalent
  • Recipients of the NIH K99/R00 award

 For Multi-PI applications, all of the PDs/PIs must meet the above eligibility criteria.

Questions regarding eligibility should be addressed prior to beginning to prepare the application by contacting the Scientific/Research contact listed in Section VII. Agency Contacts.

Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-25-124.html

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The NCMRR Early Career Research (ECR) Award is different from other NIH R03 programs, including the Parent R03 Announcement (PA-20-200) . It is restricted to clinical and basic scientists who are in the early stages of their independent career in rehabilitation research. For projects supported by an  ECR R03 Award, successful results should provide a solid foundation for further research under the R01 funding mechanism.

Given that the goal is to collect preliminary data, R03 projects may be less immediately impactful or significant compared to the typical R01 or other NIH-funded projects. It is not an expectation that this R03 project will likely “move the field forward” at this stage.

The research must be focused on one or more of the areas within the biomedical and behavioral mission of NCMRR: pathophysiology and management of chronically injured nervous and musculoskeletal systems (including stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and orthopedic conditions); repair and recovery of motor function; functional plasticity, adaptation, and windows of opportunity for rehabilitative interventions; rehabilitative strategies involving pharmaceutical, stimulation, and neuroengineering approaches, exercise, motor training, and behavioral modifications; pediatric rehabilitation; secondary conditions associated with chronic disabilities; improved diagnosis, assessment, and outcome measures; and development of orthotics, prosthetics, and other assistive technologies and devices.

The proposed project may be technology design-directed, discovery-driven, or hypothesis-driven with the goal of collecting the necessary preliminary data sufficient to apply for an R01 grant. The project may aid in the formulation of hypotheses and may be milestone-driven or descriptive in scope. 

Preliminary data are not required or expected. However, if available, preliminary data are allowed.

A 1-page attachment titled “Plan for Inclusion of People with Lived Experience” must be included with the application or the application will be withdrawn prior to review.  (see Section IV; further below). The Plan will be assessed as part of the scientific and technical peer review evaluation, as well as at the programmatic level with respect to funding decisions. 

Investigators proposing clinical research are encouraged to use the common data elements (CDEs) (https://cde.nlm.nih.gov/home) or justify not using CDEs for rehabilitation if they are not included.

For those applications that generate clinical data, investigators are encouraged to share data via the NICHD DASH (data and specimen hub) Center (https://dash.nichd.nih.gov/).

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Scientific/Research contact for this  NOFO for guidance in advance of submitting an application to ensure their proposed project is in compliance with new NIH human subjects research and clinical trials policies (https://grants.nih.gov/policy/clinical-trials.htm) and consistent with the types of clinical trial projects that NCMRR supports.

Non-Responsive Applications:

The following topics are non-responsive and will be withdrawn prior to review:

  • Projects focusing on cognitive rehabilitation without a physical rehabilitation component
  • Sports medicine rehabilitation for people without physical disabilities (i.e. Projects targeting indications for sports or athletic performance by able-bodied athletes; treatment, recovery and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise by people without physical disabilities.)
  • Development of animal models for specific diseases or injury conditions 

For applications submitted to this  NOFO that propose clinical trials, NCMRR will only support applications proposing early stage clinical trials through Phase I, first-in-human, safety, feasibility, or other small clinical trials that inform the early stage technology development in the submitted application. NCMRR will not support applications proposing Phase II, III, IV or pivotal clinical trials, or trials in which the primary outcome is efficacy, effectiveness, or a post-market concern.

Applicants to this NOFO are encouraged to reach to program staff when planning a submission.

See Section VIII. Other Information for award authorities and regulations.

Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

PAR-23-288: NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 – Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)

Slots: Each eligible institution (defined as having a unique UEI number or NIH IPF number) may submit up to a combined total of four applications (one in Cancer Data Science, one in Cancer Control Science, one in Molecular/Precision Cancer Prevention, and one in Other Cancer Research) to any companion NOFO or any combination of companion NOFOs (PAR-23-286, PAR-23-287, and/or PAR-23-288).

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, August 15th, 2025, 5pm PT Contact RII.

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: October 14, 2025

Recurring Deadlines: February 17, 2026; June 15, 2026; October 14, 2026

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Anticipated Award Amount: Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described in “Other Award Budget Information” of the RFA.

Who May Serve as PI: 

NOTE: Candidates for this NOFO are strongly encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from NCI before seeking institutional nomination. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that all eligibility criteria have been met.

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to seek institutional nomination and work with his/her mentor and organization to develop an application for support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

K99/R00 candidates must have no more than 2 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the relevant application due date. Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible for support under to the K99/R00 program. If a candidate achieves independence (i.e., any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be issued.

Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI), NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 2 year K99 eligibility window. Applicants with candidates who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child’s date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to IC program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the NOFO at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

In addition, parental, medical, military, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is typically not included in the 2-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 2-year limit. Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly.

Additional clarifications are provided under Frequently Asked Questions. Potential candidates are encouraged to discuss their individual situation with an NCI Scientific Program Contact before applying.

There is no citizenship requirement for K99 applicants. An applicant may be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States, have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status), or be a non-U.S. citizen.

For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with temporary U.S. visas, visa status during each phase of the K99/R00 award must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution. For the K99 phase of the award, the applicant institution is responsible for determining and documenting, in the K99 application, that the candidate’s visa will allow him or her to remain in the U.S. long enough to complete the K99 phase of the award. For the R00 phase of the award, the U.S. institution at which the R00 phase of the award will be conducted is responsible for determining and documenting, in the R00 application, that the PD/PI’s visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the R00 award.

Candidates for the K99/R00 award must have a clinical or research doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD or equivalent doctoral degrees). Clinicians (including those with MD, DDS, DVM and other licensed health professionals) in a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research may also be eligible for the K99/R00 award.

Individuals are NOT eligible if they:

  • Have currently or previously held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or
  • Have more than 2 years of related postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission; or
  • Have been an independent PD/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01, R03, R21), NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25), or other peer-reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or Project Leaders on sub-projects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or the equivalent.


Ph.D. (or equivalent research doctorate degree) candidates in positions other than postdoctoral fellow positions: It is recognized that some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in non-independent, mentored training positions. Candidates in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from the relevant IC before they begin to prepare their applications. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that their position complies with the intent of this eligibility requirement. If a potential applicant is in a position that is not clearly identifiable as a postdoctoral training position, candidate should provide the relevant NIH Institute or Center an official statement of the institution’s policy (e.g. published position description in an official institutional document) which documents the position as a mentored, postdoctoral training position.

Clinicians (including those with M.D., D.D.S, D.V.M. and other licensed professionals) in positions not designated as postdoctoral positions: Following clinical training or fellowship training periods, clinicians often obtain a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research. A clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position may be eligible for the K99/R00 award, and should contact a Program Director at the relevant NIH Institute for guidance. Clinicians in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Such individuals may also wish to consider other career awards (see K Kiosk) available for junior faculty development.

The following is provided as an aid to distinguish independent from non-independent positions: However, it is not sufficient merely to cite one or more of the following items to document eligibility.

Evidence for non-independence may include:

  • The candidate’s research is entirely funded by another investigator’s grants.
  • The candidate’s research is conducted entirely in another investigator’s assigned space.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate cannot hire postdoctoral fellows or technical staff or be the responsible supervisor of graduate students.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate is not allowed to submit an application as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant application (e.g., R01).
  • The candidate lacks other rights and privileges of faculty, such as attendance at faculty meetings.


Conversely, evidence for independence, and therefore lack of eligibility, includes:

  • The candidate has a full-time faculty position.
  • The candidate received a start-up package for support of their independent research.
  • The candidate has research space dedicated to their own research.
  • The candidate may attend faculty meetings, be the responsible supervisor for graduate students, and/or hire technical support or postdoctoral fellows.
  • The candidate is eligible to apply for independent research funding as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant.

Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-288.html

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals. More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Extramural Training Mechanisms website.

The objective of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) is to help postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of a creative, independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and that will help advance the mission of the NCI.

This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require extended periods of mentored research training beyond their original doctoral degrees before transitioning to research independence, which is common for those working in cancer control, cancer prevention and cancer data sciences, as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility. Therefore, researchers from these disciplines are particularly encouraged to work with their institutions to apply.

This K99/R00 award is intended to support individuals who require no more than 2 additional years of mentored research training and career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the independent stage (R00 phase) of the program. Consequently, the strongest applicants will require and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 1 2 years of substantive mentored research training and career development that will help their investigators become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.

Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible for support under the K99/R00 program. If an applicant’s candidate achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be made. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will support up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development. The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time. Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those applicants’ K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

Pre-Application Webinar: The NCI anticipates holding a pre-application webinar to which all interested prospective candidates, mentors, administrators, and grant managers are invited. An NCI program director will explain the goals and objectives of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers, discuss the eligibility and nomination requirements, explain the peer review process, and answer questions. For details on the nomination letter see Sections III and IV. Information about the pre-application webinar will be available after the publication of the NOFO under the “NCI Early K99 Award” tab of the NCI Cancer Training Branch website.

Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary clinical trial, as part of their research and career development. Those not planning an independent clinical trial, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, must apply to companion NOFO (PAR-23-286).

All applications submitted to this Notice of Funding Opportunity must propose basic science experimental studies involving humans, otherwise referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants, that fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research.

NIH defines basic research consistent with the definition of basic research in federal code, the systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind. (32 CFR 272.3).

NIH defines a clinical trial as “A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes.” (NOT-OD-15-015).

Types of studies that should submit under this NOFO include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind.

For the purposes of this NOFO, specific application towards processes or products refers to the application of biomedical or behavioral products, procedures, or services intended to affect a health-related outcome of the individual or a group of individuals either by better understanding the mechanism of action of an intervention or a measurable improvement in health.

Basic experimental studies in which participants are prospectively assigned to experimental conditions and receive an intervention or experimental manipulation where the effect will be assessed for the purpose of understanding fundamental aspects of phenomena may submit under this NOFO.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

PAR-23-287: NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Required)

Slots: Each eligible institution (defined as having a unique UEI number or NIH IPF number) may submit up to a combined total of four applications (one in Cancer Data Science, one in Cancer Control Science, one in Molecular/Precision Cancer Prevention, and one in Other Cancer Research) to any companion NOFO or any combination of companion NOFOs (PAR-23-286, PAR-23-287, and/or PAR-23-288).

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, August 15th, 2025, 5pm PT Contact RII.

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: October 14, 2025

Recurring Deadlines: February 17, 2026; June 15, 2026; October 14, 2026

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Anticipated Award Amount: Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described in “Other Award Budget Information” of the RFA.

Who May Serve as PI: 

NOTE: Candidates for this NOFO are strongly encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from NCI before seeking institutional nomination. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that all eligibility criteria have been met.

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to seek institutional nomination and work with his/her mentor and organization to develop an application for support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

K99/R00 candidates must have no more than 2 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the relevant application due date. Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible for support under the K99/R00 program. If a candidate achieves independence (i.e., any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be issued.

Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI), NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 2 year K99 eligibility window. Applicants with candidates who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child’s date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to IC program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the NOFO at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

In addition, parental, medical, military, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is typically not included in the 2-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 2-year limit. Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly.

Additional clarifications are provided under Frequently Asked Questions. Potential candidates are encouraged to discuss their individual situation with an NCI Scientific Program Contact listed below in Section VII. Agency Contacts before applying.

There is no citizenship requirement for K99 applicants. An applicant may be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States, have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status), or be a non-U.S. citizen.

For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with temporary U.S. visas, visa status during each phase of the K99/R00 award must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution. For the K99 phase of the award, the applicant institution is responsible for determining and documenting, in the K99 application, that the candidate’s visa will allow him or her to remain in the U.S. long enough to complete the K99 phase of the award. For the R00 phase of the award, the U.S. institution at which the R00 phase of the award will be conducted is responsible for determining and documenting, in the R00 application, that the PD/PI’s visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the R00 award.

Candidates for the K99/R00 award must have a clinical or research doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD or equivalent doctoral degrees). Clinicians (including those with MD, DDS, DVM and other licensed health professionals) in a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research may also be eligible for the K99/R00 award.

Individuals are NOT eligible if they:

  • Have currently or previously held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or
  • Have more than 2 years of related postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission; or
  • Have been an independent PD/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01, R03, R21), NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25), or other peer-reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or Project Leaders on sub-projects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or the equivalent.


Ph.D. (or equivalent research doctorate degree) candidates in positions other than postdoctoral fellow positions: It is recognized that some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in non-independent, mentored training positions. Candidates in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from the relevant IC before they begin to prepare their applications. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that their position complies with the intent of this eligibility requirement. If a potential applicant is in a position that is not clearly identifiable as a postdoctoral training position, candidate should provide the relevant NIH Institute or Center an official statement of the institution’s policy (e.g. published position description in an official institutional document) which documents the position as a mentored, postdoctoral training position.

Clinicians (including those with M.D., D.D.S, D.V.M. and other licensed professionals) in positions not designated as postdoctoral positions: Following clinical training or fellowship training periods, clinicians often obtain a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research. A clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position may be eligible for the K99/R00 award, and should contact a Program Director at the relevant NIH Institute for guidance. Clinicians in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Such individuals may also wish to consider other career awards (see K Kiosk) available for junior faculty development.

The following is provided as an aid to distinguish independent from non-independent positions: However, it is not sufficient merely to cite one or more of the following items to document eligibility.

Evidence for non-independence may include:

  • The candidate’s research is entirely funded by another investigator’s grants.
  • The candidate’s research is conducted entirely in another investigator’s assigned space.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate cannot hire postdoctoral fellows or technical staff or be the responsible supervisor of graduate students.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate is not allowed to submit an application as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant application (e.g., R01).
  • The candidate lacks other rights and privileges of faculty, such as attendance at faculty meetings.


Conversely, evidence for independence, and therefore lack of eligibility, includes:

  • The candidate has a full-time faculty position.
  • The candidate received a start-up package for support of their independent research.
  • The candidate has research space dedicated to their own research.
  • The candidate may attend faculty meetings, be the responsible supervisor for graduate students, and/or hire technical support or postdoctoral fellows.
  • The candidate is eligible to apply for independent research funding as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant.

Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-287.html

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals. More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Extramural Training Mechanisms website.

The objective of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) is to help postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of a creative, independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and that will help advance the mission of the NCI.

This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require extended periods of mentored research training beyond their original doctoral degrees before transitioning to research independence, which is common for those working in cancer control, cancer prevention and cancer data sciences, as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility. Therefore, researchers from these disciplines are particularly encouraged to work with their institutions to apply.

This K99/R00 award is intended to support individuals who require no more than 2 additional years of mentored research training and career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the independent stage (R00 phase) of the program. Consequently, the strongest applicants will require and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 1 2 years of substantive mentored research training and career development that will help their investigators become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.

Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply for support under the K99/R00 program. If an applicant’s candidate achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be made. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will support up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development. The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time. Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those applicants’ K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

Pre-Application Webinar: The NCI anticipates holding a pre-application webinar to which all interested prospective candidates, mentors, administrators, and grant managers are invited. An NCI program director will explain the goals and objectives of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers, discuss the eligibility and nomination requirements, explain the peer-review process, and answer questions. For details on the nomination letter see Sections III and IV. Information about the pre-application webinar will be available after the publication of the NOFO under the “NCI Early K99 Award” tab of the NCI Cancer Training Branch website.

Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary clinical trial, as part of their research and career development. Those not planning an independent clinical trial, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, must apply to the companion NOFO (PAR-23-286).

NIH defines a clinical trial as “A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes” (NOT-OD-15-015).

NIH not only supports trials of safety and efficacy, it also supports mechanistic exploratory studies that meet the definition of a clinical trial and are designed to explore or understand a biological or behavioral process, the pathophysiology of a disease, or the mechanism of action of an intervention. These studies may focus on basic and/or translational discovery research in healthy human subjects and in human subjects who are affected by the pathophysiology of diseases and disorders. By addressing basic questions and concepts in biology, behavior, and pathophysiology, these studies may provide insight into understanding human diseases and disorders along with potential treatments or preventive strategies. NIH also supports biomarker studies that meet the definition of a clinical trial and that may provide information about physiological function, target engagement of novel therapeutics, and/or the impact of therapeutics on treatment response. NIH thus supports studies that meet the definition of clinical trials (as noted above) but do not seek to establish safety, clinical efficacy, effectiveness, clinical management, and/or implementation of preventive, therapeutic, and services interventions. All applications proposing basic science experimental studies involving humans, otherwise referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants, that fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research should apply to the companion NOFO (PAR-23-288).

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

PAR-23-286: NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 – Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Slots: Each eligible institution (defined as having a unique UEI number or NIH IPF number) may submit up to a combined total of four applications (one in Cancer Data Science, one in Cancer Control Science, one in Molecular/Precision Cancer Prevention, and one in Other Cancer Research) to any companion NOFO or any combination of companion NOFOs (PAR-23-286, PAR-23-287, and/or PAR-23-288). One slot out of four has been taken.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, August 15th, 2025, 5pm PT Contact RII.

LOI: N/A

External Deadline: October 14, 2025

Recurring Deadlines: ; February 17, 2026; June 15, 2026; October 14, 2026

Award Information

Award Type: Grant

Estimated Number of Awards: The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Anticipated Award Amount: Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described in “Other Award Budget Information” of the RFA.

Who May Serve as PI: 

NOTE: Candidates for this NOFO are strongly encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from NCI before seeking institutional nomination. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that all eligibility criteria have been met.

Any candidate with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to seek institutional nomination and work with his/her mentor and organization to develop an application for support. Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

K99/R00 candidates must have no more than 2 years of postdoctoral research experience as of the relevant application due date. Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible for support under to the K99/R00 program. If a candidate achieves independence (i.e., any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be issued.

Consistent with the NIH Extension Policy for Early Stage Investigator Status (ESI), NIH will approve an extension of one year for childbirth within the 2 year K99 eligibility window. Applicants with candidates who will be PD/PIs on a K99 application must provide the child’s date of birth in the extension request justification submitted to IC program officials and/or scientific/research contacts listed in the NOFO at least 12 weeks before submitting an application.

In addition, parental, medical, military, or other well-justified leave for personal or family situations of generally less than 12 months duration is typically not included in the 2-year eligibility limit, nor is clinical training with no research involvement (e.g., full-time residency training). Only time dedicated to research activities counts toward the 2-year limit. Part-time postdoctoral research training, related to personal or family situations or occurring during a research residency or fellowship, will be pro-rated accordingly.

Additional clarifications are provided under Frequently Asked Questions. Potential candidates are encouraged to discuss their individual situation with an NCI Scientific Program Contact before applying.

There is no citizenship requirement for K99 applicants. An applicant may be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States, have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status), or be a non-U.S. citizen.

For applications submitted on behalf of non-U.S. citizens with temporary U.S. visas, visa status during each phase of the K99/R00 award must allow the PD/PI to conduct the proposed research at the applicant institution. For the K99 phase of the award, the applicant institution is responsible for determining and documenting, in the K99 application, that the candidate’s visa will allow him or her to remain in the U.S. long enough to complete the K99 phase of the award. For the R00 phase of the award, the U.S. institution at which the R00 phase of the award will be conducted is responsible for determining and documenting, in the R00 application, that the PD/PI’s visa will allow the PD/PI to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the R00 award.

Candidates for the K99/R00 award must have a clinical or research doctorate (including PhD, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DVM, ScD, DNS, PharmD or equivalent doctoral degrees). Clinicians (including those with MD, DDS, DVM and other licensed health professionals) in a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research may also be eligible for the K99/R00 award.

Individuals are NOT eligible if they:

  • Have currently or previously held an independent research faculty or tenure-track faculty position, or its equivalent, in academia, industry or elsewhere; or
  • Have more than 2 years of related postdoctoral research training at the time of initial application or resubmission; or
  • Have been an independent PD/PI on NIH research grants (e.g. R01, R03, R21), NIH career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K23, K25), or other peer-reviewed NIH or non-NIH research grants over $100,000 direct costs per year, or Project Leaders on sub-projects of program project (P01) or center (P50) grants or the equivalent.


Ph.D. (or equivalent research doctorate degree) candidates in positions other than postdoctoral fellow positions: It is recognized that some institutions appoint postdoctoral fellows in positions with other titles although they are still in non-independent, mentored training positions. Candidates in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility from the relevant IC before they begin to prepare their applications. It is incumbent upon the candidate to provide evidence that their position complies with the intent of this eligibility requirement. If a potential applicant is in a position that is not clearly identifiable as a postdoctoral training position, candidate should provide the relevant NIH Institute or Center an official statement of the institution’s policy (e.g. published position description in an official institutional document) which documents the position as a mentored, postdoctoral training position.

Clinicians (including those with M.D., D.D.S, D.V.M. and other licensed professionals) in positions not designated as postdoctoral positions: Following clinical training or fellowship training periods, clinicians often obtain a clinical faculty position that denotes independence in clinical responsibilities but not in research. A clinical faculty member who does not hold an independent research faculty position may be eligible for the K99/R00 award, and should contact a Program Director at the relevant NIH Institute for guidance. Clinicians in such positions are encouraged to obtain confirmation of their eligibility before they begin to prepare their applications. Such individuals may also wish to consider other career awards (see K Kiosk) available for junior faculty development.

The following is provided as an aid to distinguish independent from non-independent positions: However, it is not sufficient merely to cite one or more of the following items to document eligibility.

Evidence for non-independence may include:

  • The candidate’s research is entirely funded by another investigator’s grants.
  • The candidate’s research is conducted entirely in another investigator’s assigned space.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate cannot hire postdoctoral fellows or technical staff or be the responsible supervisor of graduate students.
  • According to institutional policy, the candidate is not allowed to submit an application as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant application (e.g., R01).
  • The candidate lacks other rights and privileges of faculty, such as attendance at faculty meetings.


Conversely, evidence for independence, and therefore lack of eligibility, includes:

  • The candidate has a full-time faculty position.
  • The candidate received a start-up package for support of their independent research.
  • The candidate has research space dedicated to their own research.
  • The candidate may attend faculty meetings, be the responsible supervisor for graduate students, and/or hire technical support or postdoctoral fellows.
  • The candidate is eligible to apply for independent research funding as the PD/PI of an NIH research grant.

Link to Award: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-286.html

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The overall goal of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation’s biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals. More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Extramural Training Mechanisms website.

The objective of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) is to help postdoctoral researchers complete needed, mentored training and transition in a timely manner to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster the development of a creative, independent research program that will be competitive for subsequent independent funding and help advance the NCI mission.

This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require extended periods of mentored research training beyond their original doctoral degrees before transitioning to research independence, which is common for those working in cancer control, cancer prevention and cancer data sciences, as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility. Therefore, researchers from these disciplines are particularly encouraged to work with their institutions to apply.

This K99/R00 award is intended to support individuals who require no more than 2 additional years of mentored research training and career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the independent stage (R00 phase) of the program. Consequently, the strongest applicants will require and will propose, a well-conceived plan for 1 2 years of substantive mentored research training and career development that will help their investigators become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs.

Individuals must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible for support under the K99/R00 program. If an applicant’s candidate achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 award, nor the R00 award, will be made. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases. The initial (K99) phase will support up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral research training and career development. The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position. The two award phases are intended to be continuous in time. Therefore, although exceptions may be possible in limited circumstances, R00 awards will generally only be made to those applicants’ K99 PDs/PIs who accept independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions by the end of the K99 award period.

Pre-Application Webinar: The NCI anticipates holding a pre-application webinar to which all interested prospective candidates, mentors, administrators, and grant managers are invited. An NCI program director will explain the goals and objectives of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers, discuss the eligibility and nomination requirements, explain the peer-review process, and answer questions. For details on the nomination letter see Sections III and IV. Information about the pre-application webinar will be available after the publication of the NOFO under the “NCI Early K99 Award” tab of the NCI Cancer Training Branch website.

Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial. Under this NOFO candidates are permitted to propose a research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. Those proposing a clinical trial or an ancillary clinical trial as lead investigator, should apply to the companion NOFOs (PAR-23-287 or PAR-23-288).

NIH defines a clinical trial as “A research study in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more interventions (which may include placebo or other control) to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes” (NOT-OD-15-015).

NIH not only supports trials of safety and efficacy, it also supports mechanistic exploratory studies that meet the definition of a clinical trial and are designed to explore or understand a biological or behavioral process, the pathophysiology of a disease, or the mechanism of action of an intervention. These studies may focus on basic and/or translational discovery research in healthy human subjects and in human subjects who are affected by the pathophysiology of diseases and disorders. By addressing basic questions and concepts in biology, behavior, and pathophysiology, these studies may provide insight into understanding human diseases and disorders along with potential treatments or preventive strategies. NIH also supports biomarker studies that meet the definition of a clinical trial and that may provide information about physiological function, target engagement of novel therapeutics, and/or the impact of therapeutics on treatment response. NIH thus supports studies that meet the definition of clinical trials (as noted above) but do not seek to establish safety, clinical efficacy, effectiveness, clinical management, and/or implementation of preventive, therapeutic, and services interventions. All applications proposing basic science experimental studies involving humans, otherwise referred to in NOT-OD-18-212 as prospective basic science studies involving human participants, that fall within the NIH definition of a clinical trial and also meet the definition of basic research should apply to the companion NOFO (PAR-23-288).

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.

2025-2026 Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics

Slots: Only one applicant from a university or non-profit research institute will be considered in each application cycle. Institutions should have an internal screening and selection process, as the Foundation will not consider multiple letters of intent received from a single institution. For purposes of this limitation, the Foundation considers the overseeing university to be the institution. Thus, a university with a law school, medical school, several teaching hospitals, and a faculty of arts and sciences may only submit one application in total. If a university system, such as a state-wide university system, comprises several universities, each university within the system may nominate one applicant.

Deadlines

Internal Deadline: Friday, August 1st, 2025, 5pm PT Contact RII.

LOI: September 15, 2025, 11:59pm ET

External Deadline: January 5, 2026, 11:59pm ET

Recurring Deadlines: TBA; likely January every year.

Award Information

Funding Info: The award supports 50 percent of a Scholar’s salary plus benefits for three years, up to the NIH salary cap, with 10 percent institutional costs for the salary and benefits. This funding is intended to ensure that at least 50 percent of the Scholar’s time is devoted to bioethics research. In addition, the Foundation provides $5,000 each year for limited project support and travel (no indirect costs are provided for these items). 

Who May Serve as PI:

Applicants must be early-career faculty members at a university or non-profit research institute that has tax-exempt status in the United States. Applicants must hold a faculty appointment (or other long-term research position outside a university) that allows at least 50 percent of their effort to perform research (often this is a faculty position with at least a 60 percent appointment in a tenure-track position or its equivalent). Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet been considered for tenure or an equivalent promotion; whose research will have an impact on clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice; and who will make important contributions to the field of bioethics over their careers.

Faculty Scholars will be selected on the basis of the strength of their research project, their commitment to the field of bioethics, their achievements, their potential for growth as a bioethics scholar, and support from their home institution, including after the end of this award. While the amount and quality of an applicant’s research in bioethics will count favorably towards their application, outstanding candidates with less direct experience in bioethics will also be considered when their proposed work aims to advance the bioethics field.

Within this group, priority will be given to applicants whose research addresses innovative ideas and/or emerging topics. Lower priority will be given to applicants who are primarily carrying out educational reform or theoretical work with limited applicability to practice, research, or policy. The Greenwall Foundation values and supports diverse voices in bioethics and particularly welcomes applicants from backgrounds that are underrepresented in bioethics and academia. We are committed to building a broad and inclusive bioethics that welcomes everyone, elevates many perspectives, asks a wide range of questions, and learns from diverse voices. For more information on how the Foundation incorporates these values into our grantmaking, read more here.

Link to Award: https://greenwall.org/faculty-scholars-program/scholars-rfp-2025-2026

Process for Limited Submissions

PIs must submit their application as a Limited Submission through the Research Initiatives and Infrastructure (RII) Application Portal: https://rii.usc.edu/oor-portal/. Use the template provided here: RII Limited Submission Applicant Template

Materials to submit include:

  • (1) Two-Page Proposal Summary (1” margins; single-spaced; standard font type, e.g. Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, or Georgia typeface; font size: 11 pt). Page limit includes references and illustrations. Pages that exceed the 2-page limit will be excluded from review. You must use the template linked above.
  • (2) CV – (5 pages maximum)

Note: The portal requires information about the PIs in addition to department and contact information, including the 10-digit USC ID#, Gender, and Ethnicity. Please have this material prepared before beginning this application.

Purpose

The Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics is a career development award to enable early-career faculty members to carry out innovative bioethics research. It supports research that goes beyond current work in bioethics to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice, and creates a community that enhances future bioethics research by Scholars and Alums.

Each year, the Foundation selects approximately three Greenwall Faculty Scholars to receive 50 percent salary support for three years to enable them to carry out a specific research proposal and develop their research program.

Scholars and Alums attend twice-yearly meetings, where they present their works in progress, receive feedback and mentoring from the Faculty Scholars Program Committee and other Scholars and Alums, and have the opportunity to develop collaborations with other researchers. Third-year Scholars are expected to help plan these meetings. Ongoing involvement of Alums with the Program provides continued opportunities for professional development and feedback, and engages them in mentoring of early-career Scholars. In addition, all first-year Scholars participate in a philosophical bioethics seminar series; additional professional development opportunities may also be offered.

The Program Committee provides oversight and direction for the Program and is involved not only with selection of the Scholars but also with mentoring and professional development activities.  

Review Criteria:

1. Quality of the proposed project. Does it address an important bioethics issue in an innovative way? Does the application show how the project will make a significant advance beyond what has already been published on the topic? Is the applicant thinking about the conceptual and normative ethical issues regarding the topic in a rigorous and creative way?

In the case of proposals to carry out an empirical study of a topic that has a bioethics component, the most successful applicants have conducted enough empirical research to be able to discuss what conceptual or normative bioethics issues they will focus on. Because the Greenwall Faculty Scholar award is intended to ensure that at least 50 percent of the Scholar’s effort and time are devoted to bioethics research, the applicant will need to show that additional funding also will be available for any data collection and analysis. Applicants will need to summarize the methods for the empirical part of the project as well. Applicants who propose to carry out empirical work on a bioethics issue, without a strong conceptual framework, normative analysis, and methods are unlikely to be successful. Applicants who are extending previous empirical research to a new population or clinical condition are unlikely to be successful unless they demonstrate persuasively how their proposed extension is innovative. 

Historical, theological, psychological, sociological, normative, legal, comparative, and policy research projects, among others, are welcomed, provided they are tightly tied to bioethics. Pure advocacy is not supported. 

2. Importance of the topic. The Faculty Scholars Program supports research to help resolve pressing ethical issues in clinical, biomedical, and public health decision-making, policy, and practice. The topic of the proposed research should be timely and relevant, and the proposed project should seek to meaningfully contribute to its understanding. Successful applicants often demonstrate their commitment to the topic through prior related work or a clear professional trajectory.

3. Potential of the applicant to further the field of bioethics and contribute to and benefit from the Program. The Program Committee carefully considers a candidate’s personal statement and goals at the letter of intent stage; if a full application is invited, the Program Committee considers, among other things, an institution’s commitment to the candidate and the candidate’s plan for professional development and mentorship.

The Program Committee also considers whether an applicant has demonstrated an ability to carry out innovative bioethics research. At the full application stage of the selection process, the Program Committee carefully reads a first- or sole-authored book chapter or peer-reviewed bioethics article written by the applicant that has been published or is in press. Because this demonstrated publication of bioethics research is given great weight, applicants who have not yet published an innovative bioethics article will not be successful. The Program Committee assesses candidates on their potential; prior work is used to assess future creativity, productivity, and prospect of becoming a leader in the field.

Visit our Institutionally Limited Submission webpage for more updates and other announcements.