Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) | PA 19 125

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 19 125

The Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25 - Independent Clinical Trial Required), opportunity number PA 19 125, is an NIH career development grant meant to pull experienced quantitative and engineering professionals into research areas that directly matter to human health and disease. The central idea is to support investigators who have strong training and productivity in fields like mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, imaging science, informatics, physics, chemistry, or engineering, but whose prior work has not been mainly centered on biomedical or clinical questions. Through mentored training and research, the K25 is intended to help these investigators translate their quantitative expertise into NIH-relevant health research and build a long-term trajectory in that space.

A defining feature of this specific K25 announcement is that it is for applicants who will lead an independent clinical trial. That requirement is not optional here: the application is expected to include a plan where the candidate serves as the lead investigator on an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial that is separate and stands on its own. In other words, this FOA is designed for a candidate who is not merely joining someone else s trial to learn, but who is taking responsibility for designing and running their own clinical study as a key part of both the research plan and the career development plan. If an applicant does not intend to lead an independent clinical trial, or if they instead want experience working within a clinical trial that is led by another investigator, they are directed to apply to a companion FOA (listed as XXXXX in the provided text) rather than this one.

The award mechanism is structured around providing protected time for supervised study and research. That protected time is meant to give the candidate room to gain domain knowledge in biomedical or clinical areas, develop the necessary research and regulatory skills to conduct human subjects research, and integrate quantitative methods with real health and disease questions. Practically, this often means building competency in clinical research design, data collection in clinical settings, trial methodology, analysis strategies appropriate for clinical endpoints, and the broader scientific context needed to make quantitative innovations meaningful for patient care and public health. The mentored aspect is central: the program expects candidates to work under guidance while they transition into NIH-relevant research and establish independence.

Eligibility spans a wide range of organization types, reflecting NIH s broad funding ecosystem. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), independent school districts, and public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are eligible across categories, including public and state controlled institutions, private institutions, and minority-serving or mission-focused institutions 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 (AANAPISISs). Nonprofit organizations can apply whether or not they hold 501(c)(3) status, and both for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are listed as eligible as well. The FOA also notes faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, and U.S. territories or possessions as eligible applicant types.

At the same time, the geographic eligibility rules are specific. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and non-domestic foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. In practice, that means the applicant organization must be U.S.-based and eligible, but parts of the project may involve approved foreign components when justified and consistent with NIH policy.

This opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant and falls under broad funding activity areas that include education and health, among others, consistent with career development and research training goals. The sponsoring agency is the National Institutes of Health, and the opportunity references multiple CFDA numbers (including 93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.847, 93.865, and 93.866), reflecting the many NIH institutes and centers that may participate or support awards under this parent mechanism. The record provided lists an original closing date of 2020-05-07 and a creation date of 2018-12-20; no award ceiling or expected number of awards is specified in the supplied source data.

Overall, PA 19 125 is best understood as a bridge for quantitatively trained professionals to become independent, NIH-relevant clinical researchers, with the added bar that the candidate must be prepared to take on leadership of an independent clinical trial (or a feasibility/ancillary trial) as an integral part of their mentored development plan.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award (Parent K25 - Independent Clinical Trial Required)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.173, 93.233, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.847, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-12-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-05-07. (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.

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