Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PAR 24 225

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAR 24 225

The Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity is an NIH K99/R00 career development program (PAR-24-225) intended to help outstanding postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds move from mentored postdoctoral training into independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty roles at research-intensive institutions. The program sits squarely in NIH mission areas and is framed around a workforce goal: strengthening diversity in the basic biomedical sciences research community by helping early career scientists successfully cross the difficult transition point between postdoc and independent investigator. This particular funding opportunity is labeled "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed," meaning the supported research under this mechanism cannot include an independent clinical trial led by the awardee as part of the proposed work.

Structurally, MOSAIC uses the classic two-phase K99/R00 model. The K99 phase supports the applicant while they are still in a mentored postdoctoral position, giving them time, resources, and structured career development to produce strong research outputs and to become competitive for faculty recruitment. The R00 phase then provides a defined period of independent NIH support after the awardee secures an eligible independent faculty appointment, helping them launch and stabilize an independent research program. The overall intent is speed and momentum: reduce the time it takes for talented postdocs to secure independent positions and provide a more reliable runway once they arrive, so they can publish, establish a lab, compete for additional grants, and build a long-term career trajectory.

A defining feature of MOSAIC, beyond the K99/R00 funding itself, is the cohort-based model. Awardees are not treated as isolated trainees; instead, they become MOSAIC scholars who are expected to participate in organized mentoring, networking, and professional development activities. These activities are coordinated through separate NIH-funded MOSAIC Institutionally-Focused Research Education Award to Promote Diversity (UE5) grantees. In practice, this means the program is designed to build community and provide structured guidance, peer connections, and career-skills programming that complements the research plan, with the broader goal of improving retention and success for investigators from groups underrepresented in biomedical research.

Eligibility for applicant organizations is broad and reflects NIH's typical inclusion of many U.S.-based institutional types that can host and administer grants. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, a range of government entities (state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts), Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, as well as other categories NIH may allow under its general policies. The announcement also explicitly calls out additional eligible applicant types that align with the program's diversity and capacity-building goals, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), along with faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, regional organizations, Indian/Native American tribal governments that are not federally recognized, and U.S. territories or possessions.

At the same time, there are clear limits regarding foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations) are not eligible to apply as applicant organizations, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are also not eligible to apply. However, "foreign components" as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement are allowed, which generally means a U.S. applicant institution may include certain scientifically justified elements of the work being conducted abroad (subject to NIH rules, approvals, and proper justification), even though the primary applicant organization must be domestic.

Administrative details provided in the source data include that the agency is the National Institutes of Health and the opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant. The funding opportunity lists multiple CFDA numbers (now commonly referred to under Assistance Listing numbers) spanning many NIH institutes and program areas, which signals that MOSAIC K99/R00 awards can align with a wide range of NIH biomedical and behavioral research missions. The opportunity record shows an original closing date of 2027-09-07, indicating a multi-year window during which applications may be accepted according to NIH receipt cycles or the schedule specified in the full announcement. The record does not specify an award ceiling or expected number of awards in the provided fields, so applicants typically need to consult the full FOA text and NIH institute participation details to understand budgets, duration limits, and anticipated funding levels.

Taken together, MOSAIC K99/R00 is best understood as a targeted career transition mechanism: it combines mentored postdoctoral support, a guaranteed pathway to independent funding contingent on landing an eligible faculty position, and a built-in national cohort experience with structured mentoring and professional development. The program is designed to address both the scientific and the career-navigation barriers that can limit the advancement of talented researchers from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, with the long-range objective of making the biomedical research workforce more representative, inclusive, and strong.

• 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 "Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" 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, 93.172, 93.173, 93.213, 93.233, 93.242, 93.273, 93.279, 93.286, 93.307, 93.313, 93.361, 93.837, 93.838, 93.839, 93.840, 93.846, 93.847, 93.853, 93.855, 93.859, 93.865, 93.866, 93.867, 93.879.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-07-23.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2027-09-07.
• 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.

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