Mentored Career Transition Award (KT1/R00)

The Mentored Career Transition Award (KT1/R00), opportunity number PA-28-048, is a forecasted federal discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. The opportunity is associated with Assistance Listing 93.113, Environmental Health, and is categorized by Grants.gov under Health. The forecast was issued on August 13, 2026, for fiscal year 2028. The program is designed as a biphasic career transition award supporting promising postdoctoral researchers as they move from mentored postdoctoral research positions into independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. The award is expected to provide up to five years of support through two phases. The initial mentored career development phase provides one to two years of support for career development needed to facilitate a timely transition to an independent research career. The second phase provides up to three years of independent research support. Advancement to the second phase is contingent upon satisfactory progress during the first phase and obtaining an approved independent, tenure-track or equivalent faculty position. The source does not provide an award ceiling, award floor, estimated total program funding, expected number of awards, or other specific budget limits. Cost sharing or matching is explicitly not required. Eligible applicant organizations include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public and state controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education; nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status other than institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The additional eligibility information also identifies faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible agencies of the Federal Government, and U.S. territories or possessions as eligible. Non-domestic or non-U.S. entities 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. No individual state restriction or sub-state geographic limitation is identified in the provided forecast. The source therefore supports nationwide U.S. availability, including the identified U.S. territories or possessions, subject to the organizational eligibility requirements stated in the opportunity. This opportunity is currently forecasted rather than open for applications. The forecasted date is August 13, 2026, and the estimated post date is July 13, 2027. The estimated application due date is October 12, 2027. No letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified in the provided source. The source also does not provide application questions, required application documents, submission instructions beyond the Grants.gov opportunity context, evaluation criteria, or a stated recurring application schedule. The estimated award date is July 1, 2028, and the estimated project start date is July 1, 2028. The anticipated program structure allows up to five years of support, consisting of one to two years in the mentored phase followed by up to three years of independent research support when transition requirements are satisfied. Questions may be directed to the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce through the program email NIHTrain@mail.nih.gov. No individual grantor contact name or telephone number is provided in the source.

The first mentored phase should support career development needed for a timely transition from a postdoctoral research position to an independent tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty position. Progress in the first phase must be satisfactory, and the second phase requires an approved independent tenure-track or equivalent faculty position.