Eligibility Extended for NIH K99/R00 Awards

By: Jacqueline Robinson-Hamm
Thursday, April 22, 2021

On April 15, National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a Notice (NOT-OD-21-106) extending eligibility for postdoctoral scientists applying to the K99/R00 award. Usually, individuals can have no more than four years of postdoctoral research experience when applying. However, recognizing the disruption of research due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NIH is automatically extending eligibility by two cycles.

Individuals whose final window of eligibility would have been during the June/July 2021 or October/November 2021 application cycles will now have until February/March 2022 or June/July 2022, respectively. New applicants and resubmissions do not need to submit additional documentation to receive the eligibility extension.

Only one extension is permitted. If the previously announced extension was utilized, this new extension does not apply. Similarly, multiple extensions for events occurring during the same time period, such as childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic, are not permitted.

For additional details, refer to the Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility or contact the NIH Institute or Center to which the application will be submitted.