FORECAST · GRANT
Forecast to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 - Clinical Trial Required)
- Expected deadline
- Not stated
- Who can apply
- Small businesses
- Award range
- Not stated
- Expected awards
- 120
- Total program funding
- Not stated
- Your own money required
- No cost sharing or matching required
- Opportunity number
- NOT-CA-25-102
- Posted
- Jul 1, 2025
- Assistance listing
- 93.398
What it funds
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), with other NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs), intends to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 - Independent Clinical Trial Required) to support rigorous, mentored scientific research and career development for early-stage postdoctoral scholars. With salary and research development funds, the ACE K32 supports up to three years early in the postdoctoral training period and serves as the foundation for an independent career in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. Preliminary data are not required, emphasizing innovative research ideas and thoughtful plans for career development and mentorship that will support postdoctoral scholars who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators in research fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH ICs. This program encourages applications from candidates who have not yet completed their terminal doctoral degree and expect to do so within one year of the application due date. On the application due date, candidates may not have completed more than two years of postdoctoral training. Resubmission applications are included in the eligibility window. Candidates must have identified a postdoctoral research group and developed a strong research and career development plan prior to, or shortly after, commencing training with that mentor. Applications must be submitted by the institution where the postdoctoral research will be conducted. Following or near the completion of the ACE K32, awardees may apply for a more advanced NIH career development award (e.g., K01, K08, K99/R00) on their path to research independence. The expectation is that, through this sustained period of mentored research career devel…
Open the official notice on Grants.gov ↗What to do next
- This is a forecast: the agency expects to post the full notice later. Open it on Grants.gov and subscribe there to be told when it posts.
- Get your SAM.gov registration ("all awards") and Grants.gov account active now; both take time.
- Use the forecast's award range and eligibility to decide whether to prepare.
- Watch for the notice; the dates here are estimates and can change.
New to this? Applying for a federal grant, step by step · Register to apply · How to read the notice · Write the narrative · Build the budget · Agency contact: jakowles@mail.nih.gov
From Grants.gov's official daily extract of Oct 25, 2026. The notice on Grants.gov and its attachments are what count. UX Contract is independent and not a government website.