Well Told Grants

Grants / Department of Health and Human Services / National Institutes of Health

PAR-23-286: NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Closed Closed October 14, 2026 Opportunity PAR-23-286

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institutes of Health notices from 2023.

National Institutes of Health offered grants to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. Applications closed on October 14, 2026.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed November 9, 2023. Checked November 7, 2026.

About this NIH notice

Projects funded under PAR-23-286 were run by National Cancer Institute (NCI, 38 projects). Contact the program officer at the institute that fits your project before you apply; the notice lists them.

Application due dates, page limits and budget limits are set in the notice. Read PAR-23-286 in the NIH Guide.

Key dates

PostedNovember 8, 2023
DeadlineOctober 14, 2026
Archived by Grants.govNovember 19, 2026

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses.

All 15 applicant types the notice lists

Other Eligible Applicants include the following: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs); Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government; Faith-based or Community-based Organizations; Hispanic-serving Institutions; Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized); Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations); Regional Organizations; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs) ; U.S. Territory or Possession; Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) 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.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The purpose of the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) program is to increase and maintain a strong cohort of new and talented, NCI-supported, independent investigators. This program is designed for postdoctoral fellows with research and/or clinical doctoral degrees who do not require an extended period of mentored research training beyond their doctoral degrees. The objective of this award is to facilitate a timely transition of these fellows from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty positions. The program will provide independent NCI research support during this transition to help awardees to launch competitive, independent research careers. Researchers in the scientific areas of cancer control, cancer prevention and cancer data sciences are especially encouraged to work with their institutions to apply. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial. Under this NOFO candidates are permitted to propose a research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. Those proposing a clinical trial or an ancillary clinical trial as lead investigator, should apply to the companion NOFOs (PAR-23-287 or PAR-23-288).

Category: Education, Health.

Funded under PAR-23-286 so far

NIH funded 38 projects under PAR-23-286 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 26 institutions. The median yearly award was $135,256.

Most projects: Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research (New York), 4, Stanford University (California), 4, Dana-Farber Cancer Inst (Massachusetts), 4, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Massachusetts), 2, Duke University (North Carolina), 2.

From NIH RePORTER, which lists each project once per fiscal year it was funded. Amounts are the yearly award.

Who has won Cancer Research Manpower grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Cancer Research Manpower (93.398) awarded $1.0 billion across 2,913 grant awards, an average of $359,612 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer ResearchNew York92$52.8 million
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc.Massachusetts100$38.4 million
The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer CenterTexas65$35.5 million
The General Hospital CorporationMassachusetts58$35.4 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland69$33.7 million

Top states: New York ($140 million), California ($138 million), Massachusetts ($127 million), Texas ($62.2 million), Pennsylvania ($52.9 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is PAR-23-286 still open?

No. It closed on October 14, 2026.

Who can apply for NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?

National Institutes of Health accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses and businesses. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00 - Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)?

Closed October 14, 2026. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

Who has been funded under PAR-23-286?

NIH RePORTER lists 38 projects funded under PAR-23-286 in fiscal 2025 to 2026, at 26 institutions. The most were at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research, Stanford University, Dana-Farber Cancer Inst.

Who has won Cancer Research Manpower grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc., The Univeristy of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The program made 2,913 awards worth $1.0 billion in that time.

Similar open grants