NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 19 144

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 19 144

The NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is an NIH grant program meant to build and sustain a strong pipeline of independent dentist-scientists who hold dual degrees. Its central goal is to help talented early-career researchers move efficiently from a mentored postdoctoral environment into an independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty role. In practical terms, it is structured as a transition award: it starts with a mentored phase to sharpen research skills and establish a clear scientific direction, then shifts into an independent phase that supports the recipient as they launch their own research program and begin operating like a principal investigator.

The award is split into two stages. The first stage is the K99 mentored phase, which provides up to two years of support for advanced postdoctoral research training under one or more mentors. This period is intended for building the publication record, strengthening methodological expertise, expanding scientific independence, and producing the preliminary data and career development foundation needed to compete successfully as an independent investigator. The second stage is the R00 independent phase, which provides three to five years of support once the awardee secures an independent faculty position. This R00 period is designed to help the awardee establish a laboratory or research group, generate impactful outputs, and compete for longer-term research funding.

A key feature of this specific announcement is the flexibility to extend the independent (R00) phase to five years, which is primarily included to accommodate clinical specialty training. That option comes with an effort limit: clinical specialty training can be supported at no more than 3 person-months of effort per year, which is described as 25 percent effort, during any year of the R00 phase. In other words, the program recognizes that some dentist-scientists will be balancing clinical training demands while transitioning to independence, and it allows a longer runway as long as the clinical effort does not dominate the protected research time.

This particular FOA is explicitly labeled "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which is important for matching your project to the correct NIH funding mechanism. Under this announcement, applicants cannot propose to lead an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary study to a clinical trial as the main investigator. However, the FOA does allow applicants to gain clinical trial-related experience if the clinical trial or basic experimental study with humans is led by a mentor or co-mentor. In other words, you can be involved in human-participant research and even in a clinical trial setting, but you cannot be the person responsible for leading an independent clinical trial within the scope of this K99/R00 application. If an applicant intends to serve as the lead investigator on a clinical trial or an ancillary trial study, NIH directs them to apply under one of the companion FOAs designed for those circumstances.

The announcement also clarifies where certain types of research belong. If the proposed work is more oriented toward specific applications, processes, or product development, NIH points applicants toward a separate "Clinical Trial Required" companion FOA (PAR-18-432). Likewise, if the project is a prospective basic experimental study involving human participants as described in NIH guidance (NOT-OD-18-212), applicants are directed to a companion FOA focused on basic experimental studies with humans (listed in the text as PAR-19-NNN). This routing language matters because NIH has become very specific about how it categorizes human studies and clinical trials, and submitting under the wrong FOA can make an otherwise strong application noncompliant.

From an institutional eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is broad and covers many U.S.-based organizational types that commonly apply for NIH grants. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and certain tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) as well as small businesses. The FOA also highlights categories of institutions that are often emphasized in federal funding outreach, including 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), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations and eligible federal agencies.

There are clear restrictions related to non-U.S. applicants. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply directly, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. At the same time, the FOA permits foreign components as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, meaning a U.S. applicant organization may be able to include certain allowable foreign elements (for example, a specific collaboration or performance site abroad) if it meets NIH policy requirements and is well-justified scientifically.

Administrative details from the source information include the Funding Opportunity Number PAR-19-144, the sponsoring agency being the National Institutes of Health (with NIDCR as the relevant institute), the activity category being Health, and the CFDA number 93.121. The original closing date listed is 2022-01-07, which suggests the posted version of this opportunity may have had a defined receipt window that has since passed, so anyone interested should verify whether a reissued or currently active version exists and confirm the current due dates and requirements in NIH systems before planning an application.

Overall, the opportunity is best viewed as a career-launch mechanism tailored to dual degree dentist-scientists: it provides a mentored runway, then a multi-year bridge into independence, while drawing firm boundaries around what kinds of clinical trial leadership are permitted under this specific FOA.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCR Dual Degree Dentist Scientist Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-12-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-01-07. (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 19 144

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