NEI Institutional Mentored Physician Scientist Award (K12 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 726

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 726

The NEI Institutional Mentored Physician Scientist Award (K12 Clinical Trial Optional), PAR-18-726, is a National Institutes of Health discretionary grant designed to help institutions build strong, structured career development programs for clinically trained vision scientists. The central goal is to create a pipeline of physician-scientists who are well prepared to become independent investigators, particularly in areas that directly strengthen clinical research in ophthalmology and vision science. By supporting mentored research and professional development in an organized, institutional setting, the program aims to expand the overall community of clinical researchers and increase the number of investigators who can translate emerging discoveries into better patient care.

At its core, this FOA asks applicant institutions to propose creative and innovative institutional training frameworks that combine protected time for research, high-quality mentorship, and a multidisciplinary environment. The intent is to produce researchers who can take advantage of rapid advances across several fields that are reshaping eye and vision research, including ocular genetics, new and emerging therapeutics, bioengineering approaches (such as devices, imaging, and tissue engineering), and bio-behavioral research that connects patient behavior, perception, and outcomes to clinical care. NEI is emphasizing contemporary, cross-cutting expertise, reflecting the reality that modern clinical research often requires teams and training that span multiple disciplines, methods, and technologies.

A notable feature of this K12 is its “Clinical Trial Optional” structure. Scholars appointed under the program are allowed to gain clinical trial experience in specific ways that fit a mentored career development plan. In particular, Scholars may propose a separate ancillary study linked to an existing clinical trial, or they may propose to gain experience by working within a clinical trial led by another investigator. This design encourages meaningful exposure to clinical trial operations and scientific questions without requiring a Scholar to independently run a full-scale, high-risk interventional trial early in their career.

However, there are clear boundaries around the types of clinical trials that can be supported. If an application includes research that meets the NIH definition of a clinical trial, it must also fit NIH requirements for either a mechanistic trial or a minimal risk trial. Mechanistic trials focus on understanding biological or behavioral processes, disease pathophysiology, or how an intervention works (for example, studying biomarkers or physiological responses that explain treatment effects). Minimal risk trials are limited to studies where the likelihood and magnitude of harm or discomfort are no greater than what people ordinarily encounter in daily life or during routine physical or psychological examinations or tests. Programs proposing clinical trials that are not mechanistic and/or that involve more than minimal risk are not supported under this FOA. Because the human subjects and clinical trial rules can be nuanced, NEI strongly encourages applicants to consult program staff before submitting an application that involves human subjects research, to confirm alignment with these requirements.

Eligibility is broad and includes many U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) other than institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The FOA also highlights additional eligible categories such as Hispanic-serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, non-U.S. entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible.

Administratively, the opportunity is offered by NIH under the health funding activity category, with CFDA number 93.867, and uses the grant funding instrument. The original closing date listed in the source information is June 11, 2020, and the FOA creation date is March 28, 2018. The summary information provided does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards, so those details would typically need to be confirmed in the full FOA or related NIH notices.

Overall, this K12 mechanism is aimed at strengthening the physician-scientist workforce in vision research by funding institutional programs that provide mentored, structured career development, encourage multidisciplinary training aligned with modern scientific advances, and allow appropriately scoped clinical trial experience limited to mechanistic or minimal-risk studies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NEI Institutional Mentored Physician Scientist Award (K12 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-03-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-06-11. (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 18 726

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