The NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00)

Link to NIH Announcement:  RFA-CA-20-048 

Purpose: 

The goal of the NCI Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award (F99/K00) is to identify and support outstanding graduate students as they complete their dissertation research training (F99), and help facilitate their transition in a timely manner to mentored, cancer-focused postdoctoral career development positions (K00 phase).

The F99/K00 award is intended for individuals who require 1-2 years to complete their PhD dissertation research training (F99 phase) before transitioning to mentored postdoctoral research training (K00 phase). Consequently, applicants are expected to propose an individualized research training plan for the next 1-2 years of dissertation research training and a plan for 3-4 years of mentored postdoctoral research and career development activities that will prepare them for independent cancer-focused research careers.

Limited Submission Guidelines:

Only one application is allowed per institution.  The GSBS will hold an internal submission process to select two candidates (one UTHealth, one MD Anderson)

Eligibility: 

An applicant must be:

• Outstanding GSBS student at UTHealth or MD Anderson who shows evidence of high academic performance in the science and is committed to completing cancer-related postdoctoral research (PhD research does not need to be cancer related)
• 3rd or 4th year PhD student (as of Fall 2020)
• At the dissertation stage of training (post-candidacy)
• Have at least one first-authored publication from their PhD research
• US citizens, Permanent Residents, and Visa holders are eligible to apply

Timeline:

• GSBS Internal Selection Deadline: September 1, 2020
• Notification of Selected Candidate(s): September 15, 2020
• Draft Application Due to GSBS: November 1, 2020
• Final Application Due to NIH:  November 18, 2020

Internal Selection Guidelines:

Internal Selection Application Materials (all to be uploaded as .pdf)

• Trainee NIH Biosketch (5 pages)
• Sponsor NIH Biosketch (5 pages)
• Co-sponsor NIH Biosketch (if applicable) (5 pages)
• Specific Aims (1 page)
  • All applicants must use these two Specific Aims 
    • Specific Aim 1: The Dissertation Research Project.
      Provide a detailed description of the research to be completed in the F99 phase.
    • Specific Aim 2: The Postdoctoral Research Direction.
      Identify the research direction to be pursued for the K00 phase.
• Applicant's Career Goals and Training Plan (2 pages)
  • Describe your long-term career goals and how the combination of past research experiences and the F99/K00 plans contribute to achieving this goal
  • Summarize the scientific and professional development activities planned for each phase and explain how the activities will facilitate the transition to each subsequent career stage
• Sponsor Letter of Support (1 page)
  • Prepared by the Sponsor and Co-sponsor (if applicable), and addressed to the Internal Selection Committee.  This letter should provide evidence that the trainee has "high academic performance in the sciences and commitment to a career as an independent cancer research scientist". The primary mentor must confirm his/her "successful track record of mentoring predoctoral students".

Please upload all internal selection application materials here: NCI F99/K00-2020 Internal Selection Application

Contact:

For any questions regarding the submission process please contact Nicolle Patterson.