K12 Career Development Awards

Kickstart your research with a K12 career development award

The K Career Development Awards provides junior faculty with financial support and research training to develop the skills necessary to build a well-funded, collaborative career in clinical and translational research.

About the program

The University of Florida and Florida State University (UF+FSU) Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSA) Career Development Awards for Early Stage Investigators (ESI) provides 2 years of financial support and research training development for skills necessary to build a well-funded collaborative career in clinical or translational research.

Applications and eligibility

The UF-FSU CTSA Hub, is pleased to announce the Mentored Career Development Program in Clinical and Translational Science, funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). We are accepting pre-applications from emerging scholars committed to conducting translational research. The mission of the CTSA Mentored Career Development Program is to prepare emerging investigators to build successful careers focused on translational research.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens, citizen nationals, or have permanent residency status. Eligible applicants will have earned a clinical or research doctorate, including PhD, ScD, DrPH, MD, DO, DC, ND, DDS, DMD, DNS or equivalent. Candidates must be (1) junior-level at the rank of post-doctoral scholar, Instructor, Research Faculty, Assistant Professor and (2) full-time faculty or be able to provide confirmation from Division or Department leadership of a faculty appointment on or before July 1, 2026. Candidates cannot hold an extramural career development award or have an extramural career development application under review at the time of submission for the K12 or CTSA Scholar Award. Associate professors are not eligible for this award.

The CTSI welcomes applicants from any of the Health Science programs at UF, all UF campuses (Jacksonville, Lake Nona, UF-Scripps, and Sid Martin Biotech/UF Innovate) and Florida State University and related campuses via the UF/FSU CTSA partnership.

Dr. Faheem Guirgis presented a K12 Workshop. To view the record please click: K12 Design Workshop Recording.

For questions, please contact April Braxton: abraxton@ufl.edu

Pre-Application

The pre-application (or letter of intent) is a required step before applicants can be invited to submit a full application for a research-related opportunity. It serves as an initial screening to determine eligibility and fit for the program. Applicants from UF and FSU must submit it by Monday, December 15th (11:59 p.m.). Only those who submit a complete pre-application may be invited to submit a full application, which is due January 12, 2026.

Required Materials for the Pre-Application:

• Letter of Intent with a brief research overview (1–2 pages)
• NIH Biosketch for the candidate
• NIH Biosketch for the primary mentor
• Two Letters of Support:
  • One from the primary mentor
  • One from the candidate’s supervisor (each 1–2 pages)

Pre-Application Submission: 

• No later than Monday, December 15th (11:59 p.m.)
• UF Applicants submit via email to April Braxton at abraxton@ufl.edu  
• FSU Applicants submit via email to Andrea Johnson at aj22bd@fsu.edu  

Application Preview: January 5-9, 2026  

• We are offering this time to preview your application before final submission. 
  • NOTE: this is not a formal grant review, it is to ensure that all application materials are complete and responsive to the RFA. 
• Final applications are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, 2026.  

Application Preview Submission: 

• UF Applicants submit via email to April Braxton at abraxton@ufl.edu  
• FSU Applicants submit via email to Andrea Johnson at aj22bd@fsu.edu  

want to learn more? join us for:

K12 Career Development Award Info Sessions

The K Career Development Awards provides junior faculty with financial support and research training to develop the skills necessary to build a well-funded, collaborative career in clinical and translational research.