NCI Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award to Promote Diversity (K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

The NCI Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) is an award program focused on advancing careers in areas that greatly influence the nation's health-related research needs. It continues the long-standing NIH program, offering support and dedicated time for individuals with a clinical doctoral degree to have an intensive experience in career development research, supervised and falling within biomedical and behavioral research fields. This also includes transitional research.

The NCI-sponsored K08 award has a particular emphasis on promoting career growth for clinical scientists hailing from backgrounds that are underrepresented nationally in health-related science. It's also aimed at those dedicated to pursuing a career in basic biomedical, translational cancer research, behavioral research, or research on cancer health disparities.

The award's aim is to provide a period of sustained research career development and training, allowing awardees to enhance their research capabilities for their cancer research careers. Ultimately, the K08 award aims to better prepare these awardees and increase their ability to compete for funding via research project grants such as R03, R21, or R01.