Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program (Si2/R00 Clinical Trial Optional) | PAR 18 740

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 18 740

The Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program (Si2/R00 Clinical Trial Optional), issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under funding opportunity number PAR-18-740, is designed to help launch and stabilize the early independent careers of clinical researchers. The central idea is to give promising clinician-scientists a structured pathway into independence while also connecting two major NIH ecosystems that do not always overlap: the NIH Intramural Research Program (research conducted inside NIH) and the broader extramural community (research funded by NIH but carried out at universities, hospitals, and other outside institutions). The program is essentially a career and research support mechanism aimed at people who are ready to run an independent clinical research program but who would benefit from a protected, well-resourced ramp into long-term independence.

The award is built as a two-phase model that functions like a bridge. In Phase 1, selected Lasker Scholars are appointed as tenure-track investigators within the NIH Intramural Research Program for up to 5 to 7 years. During this intramural period, scholars run independent research programs with their own research budgets and are embedded in the NIH clinical research environment, which can include access to specialized core facilities, clinical infrastructure, and collaborative networks that are often difficult to assemble early in a career. This phase is meant to provide sustained time, resources, and scientific independence so scholars can establish a track record of high-impact clinical or clinically informed research.

Phase 2 is intended for scholars who successfully complete the intramural phase and are ready to transition to the extramural world, although remaining within NIH can also be considered. In this second phase, the program provides up to 3 additional years of NIH support for the scholar to continue their research program at an extramural research facility (for example, an academic medical center or research institute). This transition support is meant to reduce the typical funding and startup gap that can occur when moving institutions or moving from intramural to extramural settings, helping scholars carry momentum, personnel, and research directions forward while they compete for longer-term independent funding.

The “Clinical Trial Optional” designation signals that proposed research may include a clinical trial, but it is not required. Applicants can propose clinical research that ranges from mechanistic studies in humans and translational work to interventional trials, depending on their scientific aims and career direction, as long as the work fits within NIH’s mission areas represented by the relevant CFDA numbers listed in the opportunity (spanning multiple NIH institutes and programs).

Eligibility is broad in terms of applicant organization types, covering many domestic U.S. entities that commonly apply for NIH funding. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible 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, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible agencies of the federal government, regional organizations, tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions. At the same time, foreign participation is restricted: non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities and foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible, and foreign components (as NIH defines them in its Grants Policy Statement) are not allowed.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant opportunity under the NIH, with the original closing date listed as August 31, 2018 and the creation date as April 3, 2018. While the source data does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, the overall structure makes clear that the program is meant to be highly selective and resource-intensive per scholar, given the multi-year intramural appointment with an independent budget followed by additional transition support for up to three years in the extramural phase.

• The National Institutes of Health in the education, environment, food and nutrition, health, income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program (Si2/R00 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.113, 93.121, 93.233, 93.242, 93.279, 93.307, 93.361, 93.398, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-04-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2018-08-31. (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 18 740

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: