Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 20 420
The NIMH Career Enhancement Award to Advance Autism Services Research for Adults and Transition-Age Youth (K18, Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) is a National Institute of Mental Health funding opportunity designed for established, independent investigators who want to pivot, broaden, or refresh their research direction by building new expertise in autism services research focused specifically on adults and transition-age youth. Rather than targeting early-career scholars, this program is meant for investigators who already run independent research programs and now want to add competencies that are outside, but complementary to, their existing skill set. The central idea is to help experienced researchers gain the training, mentorship, and practical experience needed to contribute meaningfully to the evidence base on services that improve real-world outcomes for autistic people as they move into adulthood and navigate adult systems of care and support.
The award supports a structured career enhancement plan that combines research training and professional development activities with a small-scale research project. The training component is intended to be substantive, allowing the investigator to acquire new scientific knowledge, methods, or conceptual frameworks relevant to autism services research for adults and transition-age youth. The small research project functions as a hands-on way to apply those new skills in a focused, feasible study, building the investigator's ability to conduct future, larger-scale work in this area. In other words, the K18 is not simply a research grant and not purely a training award; it is a hybrid mechanism that uses a contained research effort to accelerate the investigator's transition into a new or expanded research niche.
A key restriction is captured in the parenthetical label: "Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed." That means applicants should not propose an independent clinical trial as part of the award-supported work. The emphasis is instead on career enhancement and preparatory research experiences that do not meet NIH's definition of an independent clinical trial. Applicants typically need to design activities and a project that fit within this limitation while still advancing service-relevant knowledge for autistic adults and transition-age youth.
Eligibility for candidates is broad in terms of academic standing: independent investigators at any faculty rank or level may apply, as long as they meet the expectations of being established researchers seeking to redirect or expand their expertise. On the institutional side, the eligible applicant organizations span a wide range, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (including small businesses), and multiple levels of government entities (state, county, city/township, special district), as well as tribal governments and tribal organizations, and public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities. This breadth reflects NIH's general openness to varied organizational structures, provided the applicant environment can support high-quality research training and mentorship.
Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary grant under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, with the activity category listed as Health and the CFDA number 93.242. The funding opportunity number is RFA-MH-20-420. The posting indicates an expected number of about seven awards. The listed award ceiling is shown as 0, which typically signals that applicants should rely on the full announcement for budget guidance rather than interpreting the ceiling field as a literal cap. The opportunity was created on November 27, 2019, and the original closing date was October 15, 2020.
Overall, this K18 is best understood as a targeted mechanism to help experienced investigators rapidly gain the expertise needed to address a recognized gap in autism research: service delivery and supports for autistic individuals during the transition to adulthood and throughout adult life. The program aims to increase the pool of researchers who can rigorously study how services are organized, accessed, implemented, and improved, ultimately strengthening the science base that informs systems of care, community supports, and policy-relevant practices for adults and transition-age youth on the autism spectrum.Apply for RFA MH 20 420
- The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIMH Career Enhancement Award to Advance Autism Services Research for Adults and Transition-Age Youth (K18 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): 93.242.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 27, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 15, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
- 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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