Limited Competition: Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) (K38 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Limited NIH K38 career development support for clinician-investigators who completed an eligible StARR R38 program, funding continued research and career development during fellowship or early faculty training.
⚑ Limited competition: applicants must be eligible organizations tied to the StARRTS/K38 program structure; intended for prior StARR R38 resident-investigators. · Only ACGME-recognized fellowship programs may be included; dental and veterinary programs must meet the specified accreditation/board requirements. · Clinical trials not allowed. · Award supports research and career development, not service delivery or infrastructure.
This is a clinician-investigator career development award in basic/clinical/translational biomedical research, limited to prior StARR trainees. It is not in IPPRA’s social-behavioral, survey, policy, risk, or education-evaluation lines, so the team would not plausibly pursue it as a PI-led opportunity.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-10-10
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 40 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is minor; funds training education, not research (capped); biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); capped at 40 (non-research funding) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 25 weak | technical depth: minor; funds training education (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 15 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
The purpose of the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency Transition Scholar (StARRTS) K38 Career Development program is to retain and support clinician-investigators who have successfully completed the Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (StARR) R38 Program ( RFA-HL-26-012 and previous NOFOs) as resident-investigators. Individuals who receive K38 grants described in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will be referred to as Transition Scholars. The intent of this NOFO is to provide Transition Scholars with opportunities for additional research and career development during subsequent clinical fellowships or early career faculty appointments (as defined in Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility). It is anticipated that the StARRTS K38 program will provide a pathway to retain the newly-created pool of clinician-investigators generated through the StARR R38 program. Transition Scholars will receive support for continued research and career development opportunities in basic, clinical, and/or translational research, thereby providing enhanced potential to accelerate the transition to independent research careers.
This is a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a Limited Competition that will invite application(s) from eligible organization(s) to apply. Please see Section III. Eligibility for additional information. In accordance with NIH standard peer-review processes, the application(s) will be peer-reviewed, and only meritorious application(s) will be considered for funding.
Eligibility
Only fellowship programs recognized by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) may be included in the proposed program. For Dental Specialty postgraduate programs, only dental specialties approved by the Council on Dental Education and Licensure of the American Dental Association may be included in the proposed program. For veterinary specialties, only veterinary specialties approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association may be included in the proposed program.Evidence is required that the overall structure of research and clinical activities outlined in the application is consistent with participant eligibility for certification or endorsement and oversight by a Board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), or for dentists, meets the requirements for National Certifying Boards for Dental Specialists established by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) requirements, or for veterinarians, meets the requirements as recognized by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS).
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <NHLBI_K38@nhlbi.nih.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Institutes of Health conventions SEE AN NIH EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Institutes of Health's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.