By Karin Streifel, Secretary, Postdoctoral Assembly, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Davis
Since we were young students, our mentors have advised us about the right directions to advance our careers. In high school, parents and teachers instructed us to get good grades to get into a decent college. As undergraduates, we were advised to gain research experience for graduate school, and in graduate school our PIs hinted at the elusive possibility of the "K" awards as a postdoc for those aspiring to academic positions. Personally, as a graduate student I was too consumed by my course work and research to be that forward thinking; however, now that I am in my first postdoctoral position, this transition is on the horizon.
For those of you who have not been formally introduced to the K99/R00, Kangaroo grant, the intention of this award is to assist with the transition from a postdoctoral position to an independent scientist for highly promising and exceptionally talented candidates (non-US citizens included!). The award has two phases; the initial grant (K99) provides 1–2 years of support to see an early career scientist through completion of the mentored postdoctoral training. The second phase (R00) is granted upon entering the recipient's first independent research position, including up to three years of funding in an extramural research institution such as universities, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to issue 150–200 awards per year among the individual institutes and centers, but this number does fluctuate yearly according to the quality of applications received and, of course, the budget.
As a first year postdoc applying for this grant, it is still more of a leap then a step away, but preparing well in advance is recommended (even in the first year). For those postdocs in the process of applying for this pathway, compiled below are three key pieces of advice given by previous SOT postdocs who have received this highly esteemed award.
1. The Great Distinction:
It would not be worthwhile for scientists to take on graduate students and postdocs, teach them everything they know, only to have them be competitors for grants when they graduate. Therefore, it is essential to show a clear distinction from your mentors research. In your application, the FAQs webpage on the NIH website strongly recommends providing a description of your mentor's research, and how your proposed research relates, including any potential overlap. This information indicates to the review board that you have thoroughly thought through your own research and distinguishing yourself as a competent scientist. The time spent during your K99 phase should be a period for you to gain new skills and knowledge for your personal career development. It is a great time to incorporate didactic course work and techniques training to accomplish the aims proposed for your research in order to further gain independence from your mentor.
2. The Research Strategy:
The proposed research should be novel, shifting the current field of research, and yet modest, within the priorities of the NIH mission statement. Deciphering your independent research can be overwhelming, but generating creative hypothesis-driven research is essential for independence. In order to collect preliminary data for this grant application, a strategic direction must be determined. The 2011–2012 PDA President Michele La Merrill, now in the R00 phase as an assistant professor at UC-Davis, suggests “examining the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), among other institutes, Request for Applications webpage to see what topics the Institute is currently interested in, and if your research will be considered a high priority through this Institute.” Currently NIEHS is seeking grants researching the role of environmental exposures in the development of autoimmune disease and the link of exposure to neurodegenerative diseases. If your research aligns with the current goals of this agency, it would be a wise choice to send your application to NIEHS as it may be considered to be high priority research in the review process. If you have questions regarding your current research ideas and which particular institute or center would be best fitted to your application, contact the appropriate NIH program officer (ask your mentor who is their program officer to start).
3. The Team Approach:
Every application includes a mentoring team with the current postdoc mentor, collaborators and consultants for the research. Patrick Allard, assistant professor at UCLA in the R00 phase, suggests putting together a fantastic group of experts in your key persons section relevant to your specific research aims. It would be advantageous for these advisors to complement your potential experimental weaknesses with the experience that you are looking to gain and address during your proposal. Furthermore, keep in mind to move to independence during the R00 phase, think strategically about which collaborators can assist you in your endeavors while you set up your research facilities. These days collaboration in science is essential, and the cost of start up will likely be beyond the R00 budget; therefore, if you are proposing an expensive technique consider including a collaborator to assist you during your junior faculty phase. These seasoned members of your team should be well equipped to assist you in your grant writing as well to assure a competitive research proposal. For more information from Dr. Allard and other SOT members regarding the processes of this grant, including review, visit the previously published webinar on the PDA section of the SOT website.
The K99/R00 is a relatively new award that helps support the applicant to build a foundation to continue with independent NIH–sponsored research. In this time of budget restraints, the NIH has incorporated these transition grants because “new investigators bring fresh ideas and innovative perspectives to the research enterprise, which are critical to sustaining our ability to push the frontiers of science.” This award will prove a great advantage when applying for academic positions, because coming into academics with your own funding sets you apart from other faculty candidates.
The next step for those who have received the K99/R00 is preparing an application for R01 grant support, as well as looking into the Junior Faculty Bridge awards, three-year awards to advance career fields in NIEHS-related research. Hopefully, these words from the wise and the resources included can assist SOT postdocs in the right direction for these transition awards to potentially gain the essential funding to survive in academic science.
For additional information, refer to the PDA Seminar “K99-R00 GRANTS: Tips from the NIEHS Administrator, the Grantee and the Reviewer” from October 31, 2011.