NJIT Implementation of Recent Executive Orders
Rehabilitation Research Career Development Programs (K12 Clinical Trial Optional)
Funding Agency:
- National Institutes of Health
The Institutional Career Development Programs shall be responsible for:
- Recruiting, selecting, and supporting qualified individuals with a clinical background who would most benefit from mentored support, develop independent careers in medical rehabilitation research, and become futureacademic leaders;
- Establishing an external Advisory Committee to oversee program evaluation, scholar selection, and provide a second level of mentoring to individual scholars through quarterly phone calls with each scholar;
- Promoting guidelines and expectations for mentoring, core competencies, research progress, career development, and the responsible conduct of research;
- Negotiating and coordinating with participating institutions and departments to ensure that K12 scholars obtain appropriate research support and opportunities for advancement;
- Periodically reviewing the research and career goals of each scholar in conjunction with his/her mentor(s) and also providing assistance in career counseling and job placement;
- Organizing annual K12 workshops that provide special opportunities for research presentations, discussions of professional activities, and enhance the emergence of a cadre of rehabilitation researchers;
- Supporting the transition of mentored individual scholars to independent faculty positions in appropriate departments and to independent research support;
- Outreach activities intended to encourage people from groups underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research, in particular persons with disabilities, to pursue potential opportunities for consideration as candidates, mentors, and/or other resource positions; and
- Providing periodic evaluation of the Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program as a whole and demonstrating the value-added of a national K12 network.
Scholars are strongly encouraged to make a 4-5 year commitment to the career development program, spanning both Phase I and Phase II. Upon entering the program, candidates should develop, in conjunction with their primary mentor, a long-range research and career development plan.
During Phase I scholars may receive salary support from the K12 program for up to three years, provided they are making appropriate progress as judged by the Advisory Committee in conjunction with the PD/PI. Toward the end of the second year, candidates are expected to apply for independent and stable research support outside the K12 grant as they transition to independent-researcher status. Support may include research grants from the NIH and other federal agencies, research foundations, or possibly advanced mentored development through individual K awards (e.g., K01, K08, K23, or K99/R00).
During Phase II (generally another 2-3 years), scholars should be supported by independent grants or departmental funds; they can no longer be supported directly from the K12 grant. Nonetheless, they will be encouraged to remain associated with the program for career-development opportunities and participation in the annual K12 workshops. During the Phase II period, the scholars' departments are strongly encouraged to provide at least 50% - and preferably 75% - protected time for research activities.
Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs.
An applicant may request up to $850,000 direct costs annually.
March 19, 2025
Ralph Nitkin, Ph.D.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Telephone: 301-402-4206
Email: RN21E@nih.gov