NINDS Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP) (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | RFA NS 19 040

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA NS 19 040

The NINDS Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) training and career development grant opportunity designed to strengthen the pipeline of independent child neurologist investigators. Its main goal is to help early-career child neurologists who have committed to research build the skills, mentorship, and track record needed to become independently funded clinician-scientists. In practical terms, the program is meant to provide structured research career development so participants are prepared to compete successfully for an individual NIH career development award (such as a K award) or a research project grant (such as an R-series award).

This opportunity is structured as a single national program under the K12 mechanism, meaning it is an institutional career development program rather than a grant that individual scholars apply for directly. One or more Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD/PIs) lead the program, and there may also be co-directors as long as at least one co-director is also a PD/PI. The leadership team is expected to work with an advisory committee made up of basic and clinical investigators who have strong histories of funded research and proven success training clinician-scientists. That design signals that NIH expects a well-organized, high-quality national training environment with experienced mentors, clear oversight, and a strong track record of developing researchers.

The CNCDP generally provides three consecutive years of support for each appointed scholar. The intent of that three-year window is to give participants enough protected time and resources to gain research experience, develop technical and conceptual expertise, publish and present results, and assemble a competitive application for the next stage of independent funding. The program emphasizes building the knowledge base, practical research tools, and hands-on experience needed to develop a significant, fundable research project rather than short-term or purely observational training.

A key restriction in this Funding Opportunity Announcement is its clinical trial policy. Appointed scholars are not permitted to lead an independent clinical trial under this program. However, they are allowed to gain clinical trial experience by participating in a clinical trial that is led by a mentor or co-mentor. This distinction matters because it shapes what kinds of projects scholars can propose and what training experiences the program can offer: scholars can learn trial design, operations, recruitment, regulatory compliance, data management, and analysis within an established trial team, but they cannot serve as the responsible, independent trial leader under the CNCDP appointment.

Eligibility to apply is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations and governmental entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits, as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the listed nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. It also includes Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), along with public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities. The announcement explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), as well as faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, the FOA places clear limits on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible. However, foreign components are allowed as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, which generally means certain discrete foreign collaborations or project elements may be permitted when justified and properly structured under NIH rules, even though the main applicant and core program must be U.S.-based.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health under the health funding category, with CFDA number 93.853. The funding opportunity title is "NINDS Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP) (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and the funding opportunity number is RFA-NS-19-040. The original closing date listed is September 10, 2019, and the creation date shown is June 27, 2019. The materials provided do not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so those details would normally need to be confirmed in the full FOA or related NIH documentation.

Overall, this program is aimed at building a national, structured, mentored environment that gives promising child neurologists a three-year runway to develop into independently funded researchers, with strong oversight and mentorship expectations and a clear boundary that scholars may not independently lead clinical trials under the award, even though they can train within mentor-led trials.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NINDS Child Neurologist Career Development Program (CNCDP) (K12 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): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-06-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-09-10. (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 RFA NS 19 040

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