K12 FAQS

No

The application closes at 11:59 p.m. on the application due date. 

You must be on faculty at Duke University or North Carolina Central University (NCCU) (as of the start of the funding period) to be eligible for the Duke CTSA K12. 

Yes. 

It is strongly preferred that your primary mentor be at Duke or NCCU. However, if a mentor outside of Duke or NCCU can best provide you the guidance and knowledge pertinent to your research project and interests, your primary mentor does not have to be located at Duke or NCCU. If your primary mentor is not located at Duke or NCCU, it is best if she/he is nearby; in any case, your mentor must be able to meet the expectations for primary mentorship requirements (usually weekly meetings). As with all applications, the mentoring plan, including meeting frequency, must be clearly outlined in the application. If your mentor is not at Duke or NCCU, your mentorship team must include at least one Duke or NCCU faculty member. 

Yes. 

Institutional K12 recipients may be eligible for the Duke CTSA K12. The cumulative length of time under NIH-sponsored K12 programs (and most K12 programs) should be no more than 5 years. The minimum amount of time a scholar may receive support through the K12 award is typically 2 years, leaving no more than 3 years of support under an additional K12 program award. Furthermore, the applicant would need to justify additional mentored research training or training in a team context. 

There is no specific restriction on the length of time an applicant may be on faculty.  As long as you meet the eligibility criteria, you are eligible to apply. 

You may not have both a K12 and an external K under review at the same time. Therefore, you are not allowed to have an external K application (original or revised) under review at the time that you submit a K12 application. Similarly, you are not allowed to submit an external K application while you have a K12 under review. 

There is no limit on the number of resubmissions. All resubmissions will be reviewed as new applications along with all other submissions for a given cycle. That is, although you may change parts of your applications based on comments you received from the initial review, you will not have the opportunity to include a statement detailing those changes. Also, the review committee may or may not include reviewers who reviewed your application during a previous submission.  In short, the submission and review process are the same for new applications and resubmissions. 

It’s better to have two separate letters.  Both your division chief and your department chair should indicate their commitment to a 75% total protected effort for the K12 work.  When appropriate (e.g., primary appointment in hospitalist medicine or more than one division), applicants must provide a letter from each academic division chief regarding approval of effort distribution. 

All K12 applicants should have a total of four letters of support: one letter from the primary mentor, one letter from the Department Chair, one letter from the Division Chief or Center Director, and one from an individual who is knowledgeable about the applicant's prior accomplishments. If you do not have a Division Chief or Center Director, then you should submit two letters from individuals who are knowledgeable about your prior accomplishments.  The additional letter(s) do not have to come from Duke or NCCU faculty; you may choose to get letter(s) from anyone knowledgeable about your prior accomplishments and suitability for the K12 program.  The additional letter(s) may come from secondary mentor(s) if he or she can also speak to your prior accomplishments. 

No, additional supplemental documents will not be accepted. 

Yes, you can save your application form and submit it later. 

No. NIH/NCATS will not support international work on the K12 grant, so all research projects must be based in the United States. 

Yes, you are eligible to apply to the K12 as long as the R21 with direct costs in excess of $100,000 ends before the start of the K12. 

If the aims of the R21 and K12 are the same, you are eligible to apply for the K12 but if you receive both the K12 and the R21, you will have to choose between the two awards.  However, if the aims of the 2 awards are different and you devote the minimum required effort to the K12 (typically 75%), then you may receive both the R21 and K12.  Per the new NIH guidelines below, for effort beyond the minimum required for the K award (typically 75%), K scholars may now devote up to 25% effort and receive salary support on a federal project as a Co-Investigator or other role, including PI, on the project as long as the specific aims of the other support grant(s) differ from their K award. 

Per the guidance, “the remaining effort (up to 25%) can be devoted to additional research, teaching, clinical work, or other efforts complementary to career development of the K awardee.” 

For applicants doing laboratory-based research, the clinical and/or translational relevance must be clearly stated. The K12 has several successful laboratory-based awardees, and you are encouraged to speak with them.