About the K Mechanism
Eligibility Information
Always check the eligibility criteria in the funding opportunity announcement for specific requirements. General requirements are:
- The application must be submitted on behalf of the candidate by a domestic for-profit or non-profit public or private institution/organization (e.g., FSU); foreign institutions are not eligible to apply.
- Candidates (called the PD/PI for purposes of eRA Commons account type) are generally required to hold a research or health-professional doctoral degree, or its equivalent; eligibility for some awards is limited to applicants with health professional doctoral degrees.
- For programs other than the K99/R00 program, only U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time an award is made are eligible. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to apply for a career development award unless they have begun the process of becoming a permanent resident and expect to be admitted as a permanent resident by the earliest possible award date.
- Current and former PDs/PIs on NIH research project (R01), program project (P01), center grants (P50), sub-projects of program project (P01), sub-projects of center grants (P50), other major individual career development awards (e.g., K01, K07, K08, K22, K23, K25, K76, K99/R00), or the equivalent are not eligible.
Note: If the eligibility criteria in the funding opportunity announcement is unclear, verify your eligibility with the Scientific Program Contact associated with the Institute to which you’ll submit your application. See, for example, the Table of IC-Specific Information, Requirements and Staff Contacts for the Parent K01.
Why Apply for a K?
Most recently, Open Mike has noted that K awards afford recipients protected time for research, publishing, and developing new ideas -- thereby helping to launch independent research careers.
The applicant pool is small relative to that of the R01. K applicants compete against their peers (as opposed to competing against established and senior investigators in R01 competitions).
The K mechanism success rate is higher than the R01 mechanism success rate. The higher success rates for securing a K award versus a R01 are discussed specifically in NIH Career Development Awards: conversion to research grants and regional distribution (2018). A 2011 analysis indicated that K01, K08, and K23 awardees had higher R01 award success and R01 renewal rates than individuals with no prior career development support.
A 2018 analysis shows that between 1990 and 2016, K funded researchers were approximately 1.5 times more likely to receive a first R01 or equivalent (37.3% vs. 22.9%) or research project grant (e.g., NSF standard grant; 47.0% vs. 31.5%) than those unfunded. K awardees also had a higher number of R01 or equivalent (0.69 vs. 0.33) and research project grant awards (1.1 vs. 0.42) and a higher likelihood of second R01s or equivalents (17.0% vs. 9.8%) or research project grants (26.7% vs. 16.4%).
In addition to similar findings as above, NCI’s 2013 outcome evaluation of its career development awards program, across all mechanisms combined, a significantly larger proportion of awardees had subsequent research publications than non-awardees (89% versus 59 %, respectively). In addition to awardees being more likely to publish, among those who published, the average and median number of publications per awardee were significantly higher than non-awardees in the K01, K07, and K23 mechanisms. The other K mechanisms showed similar trends, but the data did not reach statistical significance.
K12 Program Leadership
FSU's K2R Emerging Scholars Listserv
FSU has a K2R Emerging Scholars Listserv for early career investigators to learn more about new opportunities. To subscribe, please visit the K2R Emerging Scholars Listserv webpage.
If you would like to be removed from the list or post something, please contact Andrea Johnson, MPH.
Extramural K Awardees at FSU
Elizabeth Brown
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences
K99/R00 from NIA
The neural basis for aging-dependent decline in taste function, 2023
Tyra Dark
Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K01 from NIMHD
Utilizing mixed methods to understand social determinants of successful disease management among populations with comorbid cardiometabolic syndrome and anxiety disorder, 2023
Laura Reid Marks
Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K23 from NIAAA
Translating Behavioral Economics Strategies to Culturally Tailor a Mobile Health Mindfulness Intervention to Reduce Risky Drinking Behaviors in Black College Student Men, 2022
Joseph Watso
Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Science, Anne Spencer Dave's College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
K01 from NHLBI
Time-Efficient Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training as a New Approach to Lower Blood Pressure, Improve Respiratory Function, and Reduce Exertional Dyspnea in Adults with Obesity, 2021
Christopher Solís
Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Science, Anne Spencer Dave's College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
K99/R00 from NHLBI
Post-translational mechanisms of cardiac adaptation during unloading, 2020
Henna Budhwani (K2R Program Director)
Endowed Professor, Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI), College of Nursing
K01 from NIMH
Pilot Testing a Behavioral Intervention to Incorporate Advances in HIV Prevention for Black Young MSM in Alabama, 2019
Alexandria Meyer
Associate Professor, School of Education & Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University (formerly an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology at FSU)
K01 from NIMH
An intervention of a parent/child psycho-social computerized intervention targeting error-related negativity in young children, 2019
Daniel Machin
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico (formerly Assistant Professor at FSU)
K99/R00 from NCCIH
The role of hyaluronan in age-related vascular and skeletal muscle dysfunction, 2018
Justin La Favor
Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Nutrition, and Food Science, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
K01 from NIDDK
Role of hydrogen sulfide depletion in Western diet-induced erectile dysfunction, 2017
Nicole Ennis
Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K23 from NIDA
Feasibility of SBIRT for Underserved HIV+ Adults 50+ in Primary Care Settings, 2016
Aaron Wilber
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
K99/R00 from NIA
Parietal-hippocampal network in the triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's, 2015
George Rust
Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K18 from AHRQ
Mid-Career Transition -- Mapping Paths to Success in Achieving Community-Level He, 2014
Qian Yin
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
K99/R00 from NIAID
An intervention of a parent/child psycho-social computerized intervention targeting error-related negativity in young children, 2014
Kevin A. Johnson
Research Faculty II, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K23 from NIDA
Research Training Using TMS to Study Pain Processing in Long-Term Opioid Use, 2011
Jose R. Pinto
Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine
K99/R00 from NHLBI
The Role of Cardiomyopathic Troponin C Mutations in Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle C, 2010
Zuoxin Wang
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
K02 from NIDA
Dopamine regulates drug and social reward interactions, 2007
Diana Williams
Kravis Professor, Department of Integrated Sciences, Claremont McKenna College (formerly Professor at FSU)
K99/R00 from NIDDK
Brain integration of adiposity and satiety signals in the control of food intake, 2007
Lisa Hightow-Weidman
Distinguished and Endowed Professor, Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI), College of Nursing
K23 from NIMH
Internet Based HIV Prevention for Young Black MSM, 2006
Heidi Gazelle
Associate Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Science, Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
K01 from NIMH
Multiple Trajectories in Anxious Solitary Youth, 2006
Anke Meyer-Baese
Professor, Department of Scientific Computing, College of Arts and Sciences
K25 from NCI
CAD in breast MRI based on biological neural network, 2005
F. Andrew Kozel
Professor & Mina Jo Powell Endowed Chair - Neurological Sciences, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K23 from NIMH
Investigating Neurocircuitry of Geriatric Depression, 2005
George Rust
Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K07 from NHLBI
A Longitudinal CRASH-Course in Cultural Competence, 2004
Heather Flynn
Professor & Chair, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K23 from NIMH
Improving Depression Treatment Adherence & Outcomes, 2001
Jeffrey Harman
Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K01 from NIMH
Social and Economic Factors in Late-Life Depression, 2001
Elaine Hull
Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
K02 from NIMH
Hormone-neurotransmitter interactions in the brain, 2000
Alan Spector
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
K04 from NIDCD
Assessment of Peripheral Gustatory Function, 1995
Linda Rinaman
Professor, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
K21 from NIMH
Postnatal Development of Homeostatic Neural Controls, 1995
Norman B. Anderson
Former Professor and Assistant Vice President for Research and Academic Affairs, College of Social Work
K02 from NIMH
Contextual Aspects of Stress Reactivity in Blacks, 1992
Suzanne B. Johnson
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine, College of Medicine
K04 from NICHD
Psychological correlates of health in diabetes, 1985
K Award Presentations and Articles
How to Write a Successful NIH Career Development Award (K Award) (slides from 2017 OPD-sponsored workshop)
2018 NIH Regional Seminar Presentation Materials (see specifically Writing an Effective “K” Application presentation)
NIAID Advice for Applicants NIAID Quick Facts on Career Development Awards