NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required) | PAR 21 087

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 087

The NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01) is a National Institutes of Health career development grant designed to help early-career audiologist-scientists build the skills, research record, and mentoring support needed to transition into independent investigators. The central goal is to provide a structured, rigorous postdoctoral period that combines a supervised research project with a detailed career development plan. The research and training supported by this award must align with the mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), meaning the work should be relevant to hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, or language as they relate to human health and disease.

A defining feature of this specific Funding Opportunity Announcement (PAR-21-087) is that it is intended for basic science experimental studies that involve humans and meet the NIH definition of a clinical trial, while still being considered basic research. In practical terms, the announcement targets prospective studies where the investigator assigns human participants to different conditions (in other words, the study includes an experimental manipulation of an independent variable) and measures biomedical or behavioral outcomes in people. What makes the work "basic" in the NIH sense is the purpose: the study is meant to understand fundamental mechanisms or phenomena, without being designed around a specific product or process application. For example, experiments that test how auditory perception changes under controlled stimulus conditions to understand underlying neural or behavioral principles fit the general intent, as long as the purpose is foundational knowledge rather than product development or a targeted intervention pathway.

The FOA draws a clear line between basic mechanistic experiments in humans and studies that are more directly aimed at a practical application, such as evaluating a specific clinical procedure, device, service delivery method, or an intervention intended to change health outcomes in an applied way. If a proposed study is conducted with a specific application toward processes or products in mind, applicants are directed instead to the appropriate "Independent Clinical Trial Required" K01-type announcement (the notice references PAR-21-xxx as the relevant family of opportunities). On the other hand, if an applicant is not proposing an independent clinical trial at all, or if they plan to obtain experience by working within a clinical trial led by another investigator rather than leading the trial themselves, they are expected to apply under the companion "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed" FOA (referenced as PAR-21-yyy). This structure is meant to ensure that applicants apply under the NIH mechanism that matches the exact human-subjects design and the applicant's level of responsibility for the trial.

In terms of who can apply, the opportunity is broadly open across many types of U.S.-based organizations that can serve as the applicant institution, reflecting NIH's wide institutional eligibility rules. Eligible applicant organizations include public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), small businesses, and multiple levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), as well as independent school districts and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Tribal governments that are federally recognized, and tribal organizations that are not federally recognized, are also listed as eligible. The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA places firm restrictions on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible. In addition, foreign components, as NIH defines them in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this announcement. These constraints mean the work and the administrative home of the award must be based in the United States and cannot include formal foreign components under NIH policy.

Administratively, the award is a discretionary NIH grant in the health funding category and is associated with CFDA number 93.173. The opportunity was created on December 8, 2020, and the listed original closing date in the provided record is January 7, 2024. While the provided excerpt does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the focus of the program is clear: it is intended to invest in promising postdoctoral Au.D./Ph.D. audiologists by supporting mentored research experiences and career development activities that position them to compete successfully for independent research funding and to sustain productive research careers in areas that matter to NIDCD.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCD Mentored Career Development Award for Postdoctorate Au.D./Ph.D. Audiologists (K01 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-01-07. (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 21 087

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