Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (Parent K23 Independent Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you're a clinician (MD, DO, DDS, DVM) ready to launch an independent patient-research career, the K23 funds your transition with 5 years of protected research time and mentored support.
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What this is
The K23 is designed for clinicians early in their careers who want to transition into research, particularly patient-oriented research that directly involves human subjects. Awardees receive 5 years of support including salary, research funds, and protected time away from clinical duties, plus mentorship from experienced researchers. This is not a startup technology grant—it's a career development award for individuals in healthcare, life sciences, or biomedical fields with clinical training who plan to lead human-subject research.
Who can apply
Applicants must hold a clinical doctoral degree (MD, DO, DDS, DVM, or equivalent) and demonstrate commitment to patient-oriented research. Eligible organizations include institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, and various government entities. Individuals must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents; non-citizens may be eligible under specific conditions.
Eligible applicant types
- State governments
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- County governments
- Private institutions of higher education
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- Independent school districts
- Small businesses
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- City or township governments
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Special district governments
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
Full description — from the agency
The purpose of the NIH Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is to support the career development of individuals with a clinical doctoral degree who have made a commitment to focus their research endeavors on patient-oriented research.
Topics: clinical research career development · patient-oriented research · mentored research award · NIH K23 · early career clinician researcher · human subjects research
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.