Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) (K99/R00 and UE5)

Training, Workforce Development, and Diversity > Career Development Awards > Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) (K99/R00 and UE5)

Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) (K99/R00 and UE5)

The purpose of the Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program is to support a cohort of early career, independent investigators from diverse backgrounds, for example individuals from underrepresented groups conducting research in an NIH mission area. The program has two components:

An individual career transition award for postdoctoral scholars (K99/R00) and
A research education cooperative agreement (UE5) awarded to organizations. The UE5 component provides MOSAIC scholars with additional mentoring, networking, and professional development activities to support their transition to and success in independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty careers.

Postdoctoral scientists apply for the K99/R00 award and will be assigned to an appropriate MOSAIC UE5 awardee by NIH staff.

Photos of many different people interspersed with scientific images.

MOSAIC Postdoctoral Career Transition Award to Promote Diversity (K99/R00)

MOSAIC K99/R00 Notice of Funding Opportunities

The MOSAIC K99/R00 program is designed to facilitate a timely transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds (for example, individuals from underrepresented groups) from their mentored, postdoctoral research positions to independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. The program is designed to support postdoctoral researchers who have demonstrated meaningful contributions and proposed compelling future plans to promote broad participation in the biomedical research workforce, such as activities that promote inclusive, supportive, and accessible biomedical research environments that support the success of trainees and scientists from all backgrounds, including individuals from underrepresented groups.

MOSAIC K99/R00 Program Goals and Considerations

The MOSAIC K99/R00 program is intended to foster the development of creative, innovative, independent researchers who will be competitive for subsequent independent biomedical research funding. The K99/R00 award will provide up to 5 years of support in two phases:

The initial (K99) phase will provide support for up to 2 years of mentored postdoctoral career development.
The second (R00) phase will provide up to 3 years of independent research support, which is contingent on satisfactory progress during the K99 phase and an approved, independent, tenure-track (or equivalent) faculty position.

Candidates: For the purpose of this announcement, organizations are encouraged to recruit prospective candidates from groups underrepresented on the national basis. In addition, because underrepresentation can vary from setting to setting, organizations should design a recruitment strategy to foster a diverse candidate pool based on the organization’s local context as well as national needs.

Eligibility: See the Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Page for information on Candidate Eligibility
Appropriate to the career stage, candidates should have demonstrated meaningful contributions toward promoting broad participation in the biomedical research workforce (for example, furthering inclusive, supportive, and accessible biomedical research environments), and propose well-developed plans for how those activities will be continued as an independent investigator. Candidates whose statements are weak in this area are not the intended recipients of this award.
Candidates must be in mentored, postdoctoral training positions to be eligible to apply to the K99/R00 program. The K99 is not intended to extend time in the postdoctoral lab while an individual is on the job market. If the candidate achieves independence (any faculty or non-mentored research position) before a K99 award is made, neither the K99 nor the R00 award will be made.
The K99/R00 award is intended for individuals who require at least 12 months of mentored career development (K99 phase) before transitioning to the R00 award phase of the program. Consequently, the strongest candidates will require and propose a well-conceived plan for 1-2 years of substantive mentored career development that will help them become competitive candidates for tenure-track faculty positions and prepare them to launch robust, independent research programs. An individual who cannot provide a compelling rationale for at least one year of additional mentored career development at the time of award is not a strong candidate for this award.
Candidates must have no more than 4 years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of the initial or the subsequent Resubmission application (See Section III – Eligibility for more information, including when extensions can be granted). Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply no later than the third year of their postdoctoral training to receive maximum benefit from the K99 phase of the award, and to facilitate a timely transition to independence. Because the program aims to support the career development of scholars early in their postdoctoral training, candidates who have not yet published a first-author manuscript during their postdoctoral training, but whose previous and current studies and future plans are likely to support a successful independent research career are encouraged to apply.

Fostering independence. The K99/R00 award is intended to foster research independence of the candidate. Consequently, it is important the application clearly describe how the:

Research and career development activities in the K99 phase will help the candidate achieve research independence by the start of the R00 phase.
Candidate will separate scientifically from their mentor(s).
Mentor(s) will actively support the candidate’s transition to independence – for example, which aspects of the research, resources, and reagents developed in the K99 phase the candidate can take with them to the R00 phase, and how they will not compete with the candidate in the research area.

MOSAIC Cohort-based career development program: In addition to the K99/R00 award, postdoctoral scholars who receive funding through the MOSAIC program will be assigned to a MOSAIC UE5 organization that will provide additional mentoring, networking, and skills development opportunities ((see below). Candidates are encouraged to explore the various organizations’ websites, identify one of the organizations the candidate would like to be affiliated with, and incorporate the activities offered by that MOSAIC UE5 organization into their career development plans.

MOSAIC Organizational Research Education Award (UE5)

MOSAIC UE5 Notice of Funding Opportunity, PAR-24-224

The MOSAIC UE5 program supports awards to organizations (e.g., scientific societies, academic institutions). The goal of the MOSAIC Research Education Award (UE5) is to support educational activities for MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars that will equip them with the professional skills, and provide them with the appropriate mentoring opportunities and professional networks to allow them to transition into, advance, and succeed in independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty careers.

MOSAIC UE5 awardees will support educational activities that equip MOSAIC K99/R00 scholars with professional skills and provide them with the appropriate mentoring and professional networks to allow them to transition into, advance, and succeed in independent, tenure-track or equivalent research-intensive faculty positions. MOSAIC UE5 awardees will:

Develop cohesive and mutually supportive cohorts of MOSAIC scholars that span the K99 to R00 award phases.
Provide opportunities for MOSAIC scholars to engage in career development activities that will foster their progression to and success in independent academic research careers (for example, courses for skills development).
Enhance the scientific and professional networks of MOSAIC scholars beyond their local institutions.
Identify and connect scholars with additional mentors who can facilitate appropriate career advancement.
Engage MOSAIC scholars’ primary research mentors (K99 phase) and appropriate organizational leader (R00 phase, for example department chair) to enhance mentoring relationships and promote career development of the scholars.
Track and publicize outcomes (e.g., publicly available websites).

Current MOSAIC UE5 Awardees are the:

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)

Awardee organizations must provide career development and mentoring activities aligned with and appropriate for the disciplinary backgrounds of scholars supported through the MOSAIC K99/R00 program. Areas of programmatic need will be indicated through Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs) released annually by NIH. Applications that do not address the program areas of need specified in the NOSI will be considered non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

The NOSI for the November 2024 receipt date is NOT-GM-24-025.

For more information about the MOSAIC K99/R00 and UE5 Programs, please read the NOFOs, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and contact Dr. Kenneth Gibbs or Dr. Kalynda Gonzales Stokes.