K12 Mentored Career Development Award
The Clinical and Translational Science Institute K12 (formerly KL2) offered through Wake Forest University School of Medicine provides two years of support for early-career faculty involved in translational research to expand their skills and competencies under the guidance of skilled multi-disciplinary mentoring teams, within the context of a learning healthcare system and rapidly evolving academic research environment.
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is the funding agency within the NIH behind the KL2 award, which is awarded as part of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The KL2 has been replaced by a K12 funding mechanism. While the name of the funding mechanism has changed, the overarching purpose and structure of the program remains the same.
K12 Support Details
CTSI K12 Research Scholars will receive 75% salary support for at least 2 years, up to $25,000/year to support educational and research needs, an Individual Development Plan, and a multi-disciplinary mentoring team. K12 Scholars must commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort to their research and educational program for at least two years. K12 Scholars in surgical specialties may have less than 75% of full-time professional effort, but not less than 50%, protected time for this program, if sufficiently justified and programmatically approved.
Scholars will become members of the CTSI Translational Research Academy and actively and regularly participate in its ongoing and various educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. Scholars will receive priority access to other CTSI resources including biostatistical and research design support, a study coordinator pool, and Research Navigators.
The CTSI has funded 29 KL2/K12 Research Scholars. See the list of awardees.
K12 Information Sessions
Learn more about the K12 program, the application process, and ask questions at one of the K12 Information Sessions hosted virtually by K12 Program Director, Dr. Nichole Allred, and K12 Program Co-Director, Dr. Deepak Palakshappa. The virtual meetings will be on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from 4-5pm and Tuesday, September 22, 2026, from 12-1pm. If you are interested in attending one of these meetings, please register here to receive a calendar invite.
K12 Frequently Asked Questions
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is the funding agency within the NIH behind the KL2 award, which is awarded as part of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The KL2 has been replaced by a K12 funding mechanism. While the name of the funding mechanism has changed, the overarching purpose and structure of the program remain the same.
We expect to fund up to three K12 Research Scholars with a July 1, 2027 start date from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, Charlotte or Midwest markets, contingent upon continued funding of the K12 award from NIH/NCATS.
No. You must have a faculty appointment at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and be located in the Winston-Salem, Charlotte, or Midwest markets to be eligible for the CTSI K12 Mentored Career Development Award.
If you are currently in a postdoctoral position, you are not eligible. Applicants must have a research or health professional doctoral degree (e.g. MD, PhD, DO, DVM) or its equivalent, be early career faculty (Instructor/Assistant Professor level), and be able to commit to two years of research training.
Yes, but the required letter of support from your department chair must include a statement that you will be moved to the tenure-track upon receiving a CTSI K12 award, to ensure that you will be eligible for early career faculty salary support after completing two years as a CTSI K12 scholar.
The K12 is for all types of translational research across the translational spectrum.
The K12 award is designed for Instructor/Assistant Professor researchers who need further education and training to become an independently funded investigator. Competitive applicants will have evidence of research and scholarly productivity.
From the NIH/NCATS K12 Program Announcement:
"The objective of the institutional research career development (K12) programs component of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program is to prepare and provide protected time to scholars for an intensive mentored research career development experience that leads to full research independence and leadership positions in clinical and translational science. At the end of the research career development experience, the scholars should be well positioned with the knowledge, skills, and ability to advance diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical interventions, and behavioral modifications that improve health. Consistent with the type of mentoring and career development being provided by the CTSA Program, a K12 scholar candidate who is already in the process of applying for an independent mentored career development grant, Program Project Grants/Center Grants or equivalent grant is likely too senior for the K12 award."
Yes! There have been many applicants who applied more than one time.
Yes; however, depending on your prior research experience, you may be better served taking time to build collaborations, assemble your mentoring team, and spend time refining your proposal, and then apply for the K12 a year or two later.
No. NIH specifies that, at the time of their appointments, K12 Scholars must NOT have a pending application for any other mentored career development award (e.g. K07, K08, K22, K23) that duplicates any of the K12 provisions. Please inform us of any pending grant applications you have prior to submitting the K12 application so that we can help you determine whether there is a conflict.
Yes! K12 awardees are encouraged to apply for another K or R award as early as immediately after being reappointed for their second year of the K12. If the K12 awardee receives another award prior to the end of their K12 award (e.g. R01) that is not allowable per NIH specifications, then they may have to relinquish the K12 award to be able to transition to their new award.
The K12 award is not transferable to another institution.
You can have a base salary up to $160,000 with 75% effort allocated to the grant and still stay within the $120,000 cap ($160k x 75% = $120k.) If your base salary is over $160,000 then the portion that exceeds the $120,000 salary support will be cost-shared to your department.
Former or current PDs/PIs on any major NIH research project grant (does not include smaller NIH research grants and awards) or equivalent non-PHS peer reviewed grants or project leaders on sub-projects of Program project (P01) or center grants (P50) are not eligible to participate as K12 scholars.
K12 Scholars must commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort to their research and educational program for at least two years. K12 Scholars in surgical specialties may have less than 75% of full-time professional effort, but not less than 50%, protected time for this program, if sufficiently justified and programmatically approved.
Effort reporting is based on your total hours worked, not on 40 hours per week. For example, if you spend 30 hours per week on your K12 research and education but you regularly work 60 hours per week, then you are at 50% effort on the K12, not 75% effort.
Yes, all applicants must submit a letter of support from their Department Chair (or Section Head if applicable), agreeing to protect 75% (or 50% for surgical specialties) of the applicant’s time, if awarded the K12. The letter of support must also confirm your department’s agreement to cost-share any portion of your salary that exceeds the $120,000 salary support cap of the K12. (This generally only applies to individuals with a base salary over $160,000.) Additionally, the letter should indicate a commitment to provide adequate protected research time in the third year for the Scholar to continue their research effort.
No. The 75% protected time is to be utilized to fulfill the requirements of the K12 award only. Work on other funded research projects is allowed only if it was specified in the K12 research or training plans.
Yes, but only if the effort for it falls within the other 25% of your time. For specific questions on eligibility, contact Susie Newcomb at Susan.Newcomb@Advocatehealth.org.
It is recommended (but not required) that your primary mentor be at the location of your primary faculty appointment and meet with you regularly to provide guidance and knowledge pertinent to your research project and interests. Having a local primary mentor will provide you with more opportunities to build collaborations, and may allow the mentor to better help you overcome obstacles to a successful K12 project.
Yes. Your mentoring team can include faculty at other institutions, but we strongly recommend that your primary mentor be at the location of your primary faculty appointment
The K12 awards have a shorter duration (2 years) than the NIH individual K awards. With an individual NIH K, the applicant applies directly to the NIH agency that would fund the K and, if awarded, would be the named PI on the K award. With the K12, the applicant applies internally, and all reviews and the selection process take place internally. If the applicant is awarded the K12 they would be added as a trainee on the CTSI K12 grant which is funded through the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), the same agency that awarded the CTSA grant. The CTSI K12 cannot be transferred to a different institution, in contrast to NIH individual K awards, which may be transferable.
For the 2027-2029 K12 cycle, the RFA is released in August 2026, the letter of intent is due on October 26, 2026, and the K12 application is due on December 7, 2026.
All applicants will be notified by February 1, 2027 regarding the status of their application based on the internal review. Only the top scoring applicants will receive an external review by one of our Carolinas CTSA hubs and be invited to present a “chalk talk” on April 8, 2027 in front of the K12 selection committee.
The finalists selected to receive the K12 award will be notified by the K12 Directors by April 15, 2027. The K12 award period will begin July 1, 2027 and end on June 30, 2029.
Yes, all applicants will receive a summary of the scores that they received along with brief comments from the reviewers.
No, but IRB approval is required before you can start your K12 so IRB approval should be sought as soon as you have been notified about receiving the K12 award.
Yes, each scholar may include in their overall budget travel in the amount up to $2,500 per year, which will typically cover one scientific meeting per year.
Please send an email to Susan.Newcomb@AdvocateHealth.org.