Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Supports mentored research and career development for early-stage postdoctoral scholars pursuing NIH-relevant research, with no clinical trials allowed.
⚑ Clinical trials not allowed · Foreign organizations not eligible; foreign components allowed · Application must be within 1 year before postdoctoral position start or no more than 2 years after postdoctoral training begins · Mentored career development award for early-stage postdoctoral scholars
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 54 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; social/behavioral work is substantial; funds training education, not research (capped); biomedical core — IPPRA health lane is communication/crisis/policy (capped); clinical-trial/biomedical core — IPPRA angle is policy/community (capped); capped at 54 (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 Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32) is to support rigorous, mentored scientific research and career development for up to three years for early-stage postdoctoral scholars. Candidates must submit their application up to one year prior to beginning their postdoctoral position or no more than two years after their postdoctoral training begins (resubmissions included). The ACE K32 will foster early, goal-directed planning and encourage innovative applications with the potential for a significant impact on scientific research and career development. Inclusion of preliminary data are not required as the ACE K32 emphasizes innovative research ideas and thoughtful plans for training and mentorship that will facilitate the development of the postdoctoral scholars who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators in research fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.
Eligibility
Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility.Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations:Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: National Institutes of Health <ncik32@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.