NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 21 106

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 21 106

The NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07, Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institutes of Health funding opportunity from the National Institute on Aging designed to strengthen aging and geriatrics research at academic institutions by supporting accomplished, senior-level investigators. The main goal is not simply to fund an individual research project, but to back experienced leaders who can expand an institution's capacity in aging and geriatric research through research leadership, mentorship, program development, and other activities that build a stronger research environment. In practical terms, this award is aimed at investigators who already have a substantial track record and are positioned to influence training, infrastructure, collaborations, and the overall direction of aging-related research within their organization.

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary grant under the NIH funding instrument, within the health research category (CFDA 93.866). The program announcement number is PAR-21-106, and the opportunity title explicitly notes that independent clinical trials are not allowed under this mechanism, meaning applicants cannot propose to lead an independent clinical trial as part of the K07 activities. Applicants may still be able to work on clinical research broadly defined, but they must stay within NIH's restriction that the K07 application cannot be built around leading an independent clinical trial.

A wide range of U.S.-based organizations are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include various levels of government (state, county, city or township, and special district governments), independent school districts, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Higher education institutions are clearly within scope, including public and state-controlled universities as well as private institutions of higher education. The announcement also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments). Both nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status) are eligible as long as they are not institutions of higher education under that nonprofit category listing. For-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed as eligible, along with an "Others" category that NIH sometimes uses to capture additional eligible organization types.

The opportunity specifically highlights additional eligible applicant types that align with NIH's broader interest in supporting capacity building across diverse institutions and communities. These include 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), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American tribal governments other than federally recognized ones, and U.S. territories or possessions. This emphasis signals that NIA is open to applications from a broad spectrum of institutions that may play key roles in developing and sustaining the aging and geriatrics research workforce.

Foreign involvement is tightly restricted. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities, meaning foreign institutions, are not eligible to apply. In addition, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are not allowed. In other words, the applicant organization and the proposed activities must be structured so that the work is not carried out through an allowable "foreign component" arrangement; this is intended to keep the award’s capacity-building impact centered within U.S.-based institutions.

Key administrative details included in the source information are that the opportunity was created on January 25, 2021, and the original closing date listed is May 7, 2024. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided data, which typically means applicants need to rely on the full program announcement and NIH policy guidance for budget structure, allowable costs, and anticipated funding levels. Overall, this K07 mechanism is best understood as a career and institutional leadership support award for senior investigators who can demonstrably enhance aging and geriatric research capacity, rather than a project-focused research grant, and it must be structured to comply with the "independent clinical trial not allowed" limitation and the prohibition on foreign components.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIA Academic Leadership Career Award (K07 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): 93.866.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-07. (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.

Apply for PAR 21 106

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