Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (KR1)

The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award, opportunity PA-28-020, is a forecasted federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health. The opportunity is categorized under Health and is associated with Assistance Listing 93.113, Environmental Health. Grants.gov lists the opportunity as discretionary. The forecast was published on August 13, 2026, and the opportunity is identified as Forecast 1. The official title contains the KR1 activity designation, which is retained because it is not a year token. The purpose of the Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award is to provide a sustained period of protected time for intensive research career development under the guidance of an experienced mentor. The award is intended to prepare candidates who hold research doctoral degrees for future research independence. The source states that the protected career development period may extend for up to five years. No additional allowable cost categories, spending restrictions, indirect cost limitations, subaward limitations, award floor, award ceiling, total program funding amount, or expected number of awards are provided in the forecast. The opportunity has no cost sharing or matching requirement. Eligibility is broad across U.S. governmental, nonprofit, educational, tribal, and for-profit organization types. Explicitly listed eligible applicants include county governments, special district governments, state governments, city or township governments, independent school districts, public housing authorities or Indian housing authorities, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments, private institutions of higher education, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, small businesses, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education. Additional eligible applicants include faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible agencies of the Federal Government, and U.S. territories or possessions. Non-domestic, non-U.S. entities or foreign organizations are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed. The forecast does not identify any individual state restriction or sub-state geographic limitation for otherwise eligible U.S. applicants. This opportunity is currently in the forecast stage rather than accepting applications. The forecast date is August 13, 2026. NIH estimates that the opportunity will be posted on July 13, 2027, with an estimated application due date of October 12, 2027. The source does not identify a letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement. It also does not provide application forms, required uploads, narrative questions, evaluation criteria, review priorities, or detailed submission mechanics beyond the future Grants.gov opportunity context. The estimated award date is July 1, 2028, and the estimated project start date is also July 1, 2028, for fiscal year 2028. The award may support up to five years of protected time, although the forecast does not provide additional performance-period details. No recurring or annually repeating deadline language is stated, so recurrence is not established from the supplied source. For questions, the listed contact is the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce, which directs applicants to contact NIH by email at NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov. No individual contact person or telephone number is supplied.