Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Required)
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-04-29. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you're a clinician with a doctoral degree ready to pivot to independent research with institutional backing, this is the NIH's flagship program to fund your transition.
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What this is
This is a career development award specifically designed for clinicians—physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and other clinical doctorate holders—who want to establish independent research careers. The program provides 3-5 years of funding with protected time from clinical duties, mandatory mentorship, and institutional support to help early-career clinician-scientists conduct biomedical, behavioral, or translational research. An independent clinical trial is required as part of the award.
Who can apply
Applicants must hold a clinical doctoral degree (MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DVM, or equivalent) and be affiliated with an eligible institution (universities, nonprofits, for-profit organizations, state/local governments, and tribal entities all qualify). The applicant's primary appointment must be in a clinical position, and the institution must provide mentorship and protected research time.
Eligible applicant types
- County governments
- Small businesses
- City or township governments
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Special district governments
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Private institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Independent school districts
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- State governments
Full description — from the agency
The primary purpose of the NIH Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Awards (K08) program is to prepare qualified individuals for careers that have a significant impact on the health-related research needs of the Nation. This program represents the continuation of a long-standing NIH program that provides support and "protected time" to individuals with a clinical doctoral degree for an intensive, supervised research career development experience in the fields of biomedical and behavioral research, including translational research.
Topics: clinical research career development · biomedical research funding · clinician-scientist · mentored research award · NIH K08 · translational research · protected research time
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.