Career Enhancement Award to Advance Research on Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention (K18 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed} | PAR 24 070

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 070

The NIH Career Enhancement Award to Advance Research on Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention (K18; PAR-24-070) is a career development opportunity for established, independent investigators who want to pivot into, or substantially expand within, the field of firearm injury and mortality prevention. The core idea is to help experienced researchers who already have a track record in another area gain the specialized knowledge, methodological skills, and field-specific context needed to contribute meaningfully to firearm-related public health research. Rather than funding a large standalone research program, this award is structured to support a targeted career enhancement plan paired with a small-scale research project that together build the applicant's long-term capacity to work in this area.

The award is specifically meant for investigators at any faculty rank or level who are already independent (for example, not trainees seeking their first mentored career award). Applicants are expected to propose a structured set of research training and career development experiences that fill clear gaps in their expertise. In practice, that could mean formal coursework, intensive workshops, mentored immersion in new analytic approaches, learning to work with new data sources, developing familiarity with relevant theories and frameworks, or building collaborations with experts in injury prevention, implementation science, health services research, behavioral science, epidemiology, or related disciplines that can strengthen firearm injury and mortality prevention research.

A key requirement is that the proposed work aligns with the mission and program interests of one or more participating NIH Institutes and Centers. That means the firearm injury and mortality prevention focus must connect logically to an NIH Institute or Center's scientific priorities, such as mental health, substance use, child health, aging, health disparities, health services, community interventions, or other mission-relevant domains. Applicants should be prepared to make that alignment explicit, both in the framing of the problem and in the proposed approach.

This particular NOFO is labeled "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which is an important boundary on what can be proposed. Applicants may not propose to lead an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial as the main project under this announcement. However, participation in a clinical trial experience is allowed if the trial is led by a mentor or co-mentor, meaning the applicant can gain exposure to clinical trial methods without being the responsible lead investigator. If an applicant intends to lead a clinical trial or ancillary clinical trial, NIH directs them to apply under the companion NOFO designed for that purpose.

Eligibility for applicant organizations is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized governments); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The announcement also highlights categories often emphasized by NIH for inclusion and capacity building, 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 (AANAPISIs), as well as eligible federal agencies and faith-based or community-based organizations.

At the same time, there are clear restrictions related to foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply. In addition, foreign components, as defined by the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed under this opportunity. In other words, applicants must be based in the U.S., and the funded activities must not include foreign components as part of the grant structure.

Administratively, the opportunity is offered by the National Institutes of Health as a discretionary grant program within the health and social services domain. It is associated with multiple CFDA listings (93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.865, 93.866), reflecting the participation of multiple NIH Institutes and Centers. The listed original closing date for the opportunity is March 15, 2024, and the source record shows the NOFO creation date as November 24, 2023. The excerpted listing does not provide a specific award ceiling or expected number of awards, so applicants would need to consult the full NOFO text for budget structure, allowable costs, project period, and other detailed submission requirements.

Overall, this K18 is best understood as a structured on-ramp for seasoned investigators to enter the firearm injury and mortality prevention research space with strong mentorship, intentional skills acquisition, and a feasible research project that demonstrates readiness for larger, future NIH-supported work in this area, while explicitly avoiding a design in which the applicant leads a clinical trial.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Career Enhancement Award to Advance Research on Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention (K18 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): 93.213, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.865, 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-15. (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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