Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program (NRCDP) (K12 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 21 019

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 21 019

The Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program (NRCDP) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) mentored career development grant opportunity designed to support a coordinated, national training program for junior neurosurgeon faculty. Its central purpose is to strengthen and expand the pipeline of neurosurgeons who can build independent research careers focused on neurological disorders, leveraging their clinical neurosurgical expertise to drive research questions that are closely tied to patient care and unmet needs in neurology and neurosurgery. The mechanism used is a K12 institutional career development award, meaning the application is submitted by an eligible organization to run a structured mentored program that will recruit, select, and support multiple early-career neurosurgeon scholars over time rather than funding a single individual applicant.

A key feature of this FOA is that it emphasizes mentored research career development for junior faculty neurosurgeons at institutions that support neurosurgical research. In practice, this implies a strong focus on creating protected time, high-quality mentorship, and a coherent training environment that helps participants transition from early faculty status into productive, competitive investigators. The overall goal is workforce development: increasing the number of neurosurgeon-investigators capable of conducting rigorous research on neurological disorders while integrating insights from surgical training and clinical experience. The title also specifies "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which signals that the supported scholars are not expected to lead an independent clinical trial as the primary driver of their award-supported activities; the program is oriented toward career development and research training that does not rely on the scholar being the independent trial lead.

The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant under the NIH health research mission area (CFDA 93.853). The funding opportunity number is RFA-NS-21-019, and it was created on October 4, 2021, with an original closing date of December 15, 2021. While the provided source fields list an "Award Ceiling" and "Expected Awards," those values are not specified in the excerpt, so an applicant would normally need to consult the full FOA text for budget limits, project period, and anticipated number of funded programs.

Eligibility is broad across U.S.-based organizations that can credibly administer a national mentored career development program. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) IRS status (as long as they are not themselves institutions of higher education in the nonprofit categories listed). The FOA also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types that NIH commonly identifies to encourage broad participation across diverse institutions, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, the FOA is clear that non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible, reinforcing that the program leadership and supported infrastructure must be domestically based.

In summary, this NRCDP K12 FOA is essentially an NIH-supported national career development platform aimed at producing more neurosurgeon-scientists. It funds an institution-led program that provides mentored research training and career development for junior neurosurgical faculty, with the long-range objective of expanding the field's capacity to investigate and ultimately improve outcomes for neurological disorders through research informed by neurosurgical practice.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Neurosurgeon Research Career Development Program (NRCDP) (K12 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): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-10-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-12-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for RFA NS 21 019

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