NIH Pathway to Independence Award Eligibility Correction

NIH Guide Funding Opportunities

Published March 4th, 2026

Detected March 5th, 2026

Summary

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a correction to a previous notice regarding eligibility for the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). This correction clarifies which applicants are eligible for the temporary extension previously announced due to federal appropriations disruptions.

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What changed

This notice corrects a previous announcement (NOT-OD-26-021) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) concerning temporary eligibility extensions for the Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). The correction specifically modifies the 'Purpose' section to clarify which prospective applicants are eligible for the short-term extension, which was granted in response to disruptions from a lapse in federal appropriations. The affected applicants are those whose eligibility period would have ended between September 2025 and March 2026.

For compliance officers, this is a minor clarification of existing guidance. No new actions are required beyond ensuring awareness of the precise eligibility criteria for the K99/R00 extension. The changes are effective immediately, and all other aspects of the original notice remain unchanged. Inquiries can be directed to the Division of Biomedical Research Workforce.

Source document (simplified)

Notice of Correction to Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) (NOT-OD-26-021) Notice Number: NOT-OD-26-042

Key Dates

Release Date: March 04, 2026

Related Announcements

January 26, 2026. Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). See Notice NOT-OD-26-021

Issued by

Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)

Purpose

The purpose of this notice is to correct NOT-OD-26-021, Notice of Temporary Extension of Eligibility for the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00). The ‘Purpose section has been modified to clarify which applicants are eligible for the short-term K99 eligibility extension. These changes are effective immediately.

Currently reads:

Purpose

By way of this Notice, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces a short-term automatic eligibility extension for prospective applicants to the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) program. This extension is being granted in response to disruptions caused by the recent lapse in federal appropriations and is intended to lessen the impact of these disruptions on application submission, peer review, and award processing.

This extension is limited to individuals whose eligibility period under the Parent K99/R00 would have ended between September 2025 – November 2025.

Who Is Impacted

This Notice provides K99/R00 eligibility extensions for the following prospective applicants:

Individuals whose final due date for new/resubmission applications (based on a 48-month eligibility window) was September-November 2025. The last submission with K99/R00 eligibility will be February/March 2026.
Individuals whose final due date for new/resubmission applications (based on a 48-month eligibility window) was January-March 2026. The last submission with K99/R00 eligibility will be June/July 2026. Modified to read:

Purpose

Who Is Impacted

This Notice provides K99/R00 eligibility extensions for the following prospective applicants:

Individuals whose final due date for new/resubmission applications (based on a 48-month eligibility window) was September-November 2025. The last submission with K99/R00 eligibility will be February/March 2026.
Individuals whose final due date for new/resubmission applications (based on a 48-month eligibility window) was January-March 2026. The last submission with K99/R00 eligibility will be June/July 2026. All other aspects of the notice remain unchanged.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Prospective applicants should direct inquiries related to their specific circumstances to the NIH Institute or Center to which their application will be submitted.

General inquiries about this policy should be directed to:

Division of Biomedical Research Workforce
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
Email: [email protected]

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