Q: What is a kangaroo’s favorite number? A: K99!
I only discovered that K99 grants are commonly referred to as "Kangaroo" grants, after receiving the Notice of Award. This does not prevent me from making a kangaroo joke…
There are several posts and blog articles on how to write a successful K99. You can check those out here:
from Jordan Ward, Associate Professor at UC Santa Cruz.
from Mathew Kiang, Asst. Professor at Stanford University
from Yingzi Xiong, Asst. Professor at Johns Hopkins
Instead of reiterating the information already provided by others effectively, I will share my personal perspectives in this post. I will discuss why I pursued a K99, how it proved beneficial to me, and what I would do differently if given the opportunity to do it all over again.
Key suggestions
Know your funding agency: Guidelines for writing a successful K99 grant can vary depending on the agency you're targeting. Advice for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) may not necessarily apply to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and vice versa. If you want to be certain about the institutions’ requirements you should consult the Program officer BEFORE you apply for the mechanism. You can learn more about this here.
There really is no formula! There are successful K99 applicants that do not have any first author manuscripts during their postdoc phase at time of application; similarly I came across unsuccessful applications where the applicants have multiple manuscripts. This is where understanding the goals of K99/R00 funding mechanism come into play: It requires demonstration for need for training and career development.
Do read the K SF424 (R&R) Application Guide. This is your best friend. It explains exactly what is being evaluated and what are the rubrics being used.
Prior grant writing experience: K99 is a monumental undertaking, as it requires several components. Having prior grant writing experience (e.g., fellowship, career development grant, writing sections of R01 with your advisor), even if it was unsuccessful, is important training and will be absolutely beneficial.
For what it’s worth: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Who really said this? Check this out!
So… When? What? Why?
I am a non-U.S. citizen and am not eligible for any NIH fellowship or career development applications (e.g., K08, K22) except K99/R00. If I were eligible, I would consider other mechanisms.
During my first year as a postdoc, I attended a K99 grant information session. The session followed a traditional format, covering different aspects of the application process. To be honest, I found the whole experience quite intimidating. However, there was one crucial takeaway from the session that stuck with me: the importance of being mindful of the timelines. As of now, the eligibility criteria state that you cannot be more than four years from the date of Ph.D. graduation when applying for the K99 grant. It's worth noting that some agencies may count this time from when you start your postdoc.
During the information session, I also discovered that many candidates find success through resubmission. Given the significant amount of funding at stake and our relative inexperience at this stage, it's natural for the first attempt to serve as a learning experience. However, considering the potential need for a resubmission, one must take the four-year timeline into account. The process itself is time-consuming. It can take anywhere from six to eight months from submission to receiving scores, summary statements, and having discussions with the Program Officer. After that, if you decide to pursue a resubmission, you'll need additional time to address the feedback and improve your application. The key point to remember is that if you want to take advantage of the opportunity for resubmission, it's crucial to plan accordingly. Aim to submit your first application by the end of your third year as a postdoc to ensure you remain eligible for submission during your fourth year.
During December 2020 and January 2021, I received a postdoctoral fellowship from Prevent Cancer Foundation; and a Career Development Award from Dermatology Foundation, respectively. My major postdoctoral manuscript (serves as basis for my K99) was published as a preprint during December 2020. I had strategized this to be able to submit my K99 application in February 2021 (middle of 3rd year as postdoc) to remain eligible for a resubmission. However, due to personal issues I could only submit my K99 in October 2021. At time of K99 submission my manuscript was published.
Based on summary statement, having the manuscript published reflected positively on my candidate background assessment. Having received prior funding was also viewed positively. I think these were critical in me receiving the K99 on the first attempt. My understanding is that each application is evaluated on it’s own merit. Therefore, I think these cannot be viewed in a formulaic manner.
What was the benefit?
Overall, writing the K99 application was one of the most rewarding experience of my career. You can also read Prachee Awasthi’s post here.
It forced me to lay out my vision and pen down the exact strategies I will use to transition to faculty position. In my career development plan I described in detail exactly what conferences and workshops I will attend to increase visibility and receive feedback on job application materials. Basically, I was able to create my own roadmap to going on job market and it gave me the confidence to share my vision.
Importantly, the K99 application also involves writing aims for R00, i.e., the faculty phase. These were helpful for preparing the faculty application research statement.
Navigating grant administration. This was the first time I was submitting a grant of this magnitude and it required figuring out several administrative aspects that essential for career in academia. For example, did you know that if you have an ERA-commons ID from graduate school it needs to be deactivated prior to starting a new ERA-commons account at your postdoc institution?
Since the K99 application burden is significant, which involves putting together an advisory committee, getting almost 10-12 letters of support, it most certainly helps with networking.
Carving an independent niche. One of the notable advantages of the K99/R00 award is the opportunity to explore a research area that is distinct from one's mentor. As this grant aims to facilitate the transition to independence, I had the freedom to think creatively and delve into an area that was significantly different from my advisor's research focus. If I were to suggest on the basis of my own summary statement, I would say I “played it safe” and the reviewers expected me to be more ambitious.
What would I not change?
Due to pandemic and personal circumstances, I felt that my R00 aims were lacking in preliminary data. I made this assessment based on experience of working with my advisor on several R01 submissions. Since I absolutely wanted to submit my grant October 2021, I decided to proceed with what I have. Sometimes, generating preliminary in a new area is not feasible, and in retrospect I understand that nothing will ever be perfect enough. I was not able to play some Jedi mind tricks on the reviewers and this was noted as weakness in the evaluation of proposal. Please see next point on this.
Spend time on each component of the application. Based on the Application Guide and RFA, the exact rubrics of how the application is evaluated were available. The “proposal” is a part of the application. The other components also require the same amount of attention to detail. As such, even if some aspects got scored harsher, the other components received positive attention. I gave attention to all parts of the application. As I noted above, the research strategy met with some weaknesses, but other components scored very high. It is the overall score that matters.
Make sure the application follows a common narrative. Using the specific aims page as an anchor, I wove the entire application around it. I said I needed training in metabolomics, I made sure that other components reiterated it. For example, letters of support, more details in career development plan on how this training will be achieved, and then in the proposal as well.
Ask for letters of support in a timely manner and provide all the help you can to obtain a letter your application deserves. Also, letters of support are different than letters of reference. You will need to strategize this.
What would I do differently?
Consult the Program Officer. To be fair, I knew this was of importance before pursuing the application. My personal circumstances made it impossible to contact the PO of different agencies before. My grant fell under purview of several NIH agencies, and I could have consulted several PO’s to find a good fit. I recommend all applicants to do so as certain agencies may offer better salary support. There are differences in amount of money allocated by each institute for the K99 phase.
Understand the budget section better. As I prepare the R00 transition, I am sure I will receive adequate training in this section, but I think I should have spent a little more time understanding how the NIH budget sections of grants work. What can go on the grant? What is indirects?
Re-read the grant before submission. I spotted a few typos after submission and lost a lot of sleep over it.
Be positive and seek help from others. This does not have to be a reinvention of the wheel. I could have asked for help on writing the facilities and infrastructure sections instead of writing them from scratch. That being said, I was personally satisfied that they were aligned with the grant.
Do you need a K99?
Having received the K99 grant myself, I would be disingenuous if I were to downplay its benefits. Demonstrating funding potential, regardless of the specific mechanisms employed, undeniably enhances a researcher's profile and prospects. As funding is essential for the sustainability of an academic research career, I made it a priority to develop my grant writing skills during my postdoctoral training. However, it is important to strike a fair balance and not neglect other crucial skills such as conducting research, mentoring, and publishing. A well-rounded skillset is key. It is crucial to understand that every individual's career path is unique, and there are multiple avenues to achieve success within the scientific community. While the K99 grant is valuable, it is not the sole determinant of success. Actively pursuing a variety of opportunities can significantly increase your chances of success. So, my advice is to seize as many opportunities as possible and leverage your strengths to stack the odds in your favor.
