NIDCD Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18) | PAR 16 346

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 16 346

The NIDCD Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18) is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant opportunity designed for established, well-supported researchers who want to substantially strengthen, broaden, or redirect their research program by gaining new skills. Rather than functioning like a traditional research project grant that mainly funds a specific set of experiments, the K18 mechanism is aimed at career enhancement: it supports proven investigators as they pursue targeted training, mentoring, or immersion in a new area so they can bring fresh approaches, methods, or perspectives back to their work. The overall scientific focus is on questions relevant to the mission areas of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), specifically research related to hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language sciences.

The opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant within the NIH health funding category, under Funding Opportunity Number PAR-16-346 and CFDA number 93.173. It was originally posted with a creation date of June 28, 2016, and an original closing date of January 9, 2018, reflecting the specific application window associated with that announcement. While the provided source text does not include an award ceiling or an expected number of awards, the intent is clearly centered on enabling mid-career or senior investigators to make a meaningful pivot or expansion by acquiring capabilities they do not already have, which could include learning new techniques, entering a new interdisciplinary area, or forming new collaborations that require a period of structured skill development.

A wide range of applicant organizations are eligible. Eligible applicants include many standard U.S. entities such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The announcement also allows applications from federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments), along with public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. Both nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in each case, other than institutions of higher education) are included, and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses) and small businesses are also listed as eligible, alongside an “other” category that can capture additional qualifying entities.

The opportunity also explicitly highlights additional eligible applicant types that NIH wants to encourage, including 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), and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). It further notes eligibility for faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal government agencies, regional organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and certain tribal governments that are not federally recognized. This broad eligibility language signals that the program is open to a wide institutional landscape, including organizations that serve populations historically underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research.

At the same time, there are important limits regarding foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign institutions) are not eligible to apply as the applicant organization, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, foreign components, as defined under the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed, meaning a U.S.-based applicant can include certain foreign elements in the project when justified and consistent with NIH policy. In practical terms, this can allow an established investigator to pursue specialized training or collaboration that involves an international partner or setting, as long as the overall application is submitted by an eligible U.S. organization and the foreign component meets NIH requirements.

In plain terms, this K18 opportunity is best understood as a structured way for experienced investigators to invest in a significant skill upgrade or research redirection tied directly to NIDCD-relevant science. It supports the kind of professional and technical expansion that can open new research directions in communication disorders and sensory sciences, helping established researchers bring new methods into their labs or move into emerging areas that require deliberate, supported retraining.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIDCD Research Career Enhancement Award for Established Investigators (K18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.173.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2016-06-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-01-09. (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 16 346

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