Open

Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

Federal funding opportunity PAR-27-062 from National Institutes of Health (Department of Health and Human Services).

Apply on Grants.gov →Application closes July 12, 2029

Posted: May 27, 2026
Closes: July 12, 2029
Cost sharing: No
Instrument: Grant
Assistance listing: 93.855, 93.398, 93.121, 93.286, 93.853
Category: Health
Archives: September 10, 2029

Program funding history

Awards made under Assistance Listing 93.855 (one of 5 on this opportunity) across FY2025–FY2027, from public federal spending records.

FY2025 obligated: $4.2B
FY2026 obligated: $4B
FY2027 (to date) obligated: $0
Awards in window: 12,807

Top recipients: The Johns Hopkins University, Regents of the University of California, San Francisco, the, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Emory University, Duke University

Source: USAspending.gov · refreshed October 2026 · Program page: awards, recipients and the opportunities under this listing →

Synopsis

The purpose of the Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32) is to support rigorous, mentored scientific research and career development for up to three years for early-stage postdoctoral scholars. Candidates must submit their application up to one year prior to beginning their postdoctoral position or no more than two years after their postdoctoral training begins (resubmissions included). The ACE K32 will foster early, goal-directed planning and encourage innovative applications with the potential for a significant impact on scientific research and career development. Inclusion of preliminary data are not required as the ACE K32 emphasizes innovative research ideas and thoughtful plans for training and mentorship that will facilitate the development of the postdoctoral scholars who have the potential to become productive, independent investigators in research fields relevant to the missions of the participating NIH Institutes and Centers.

Who can apply

State governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Small businesses
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Special district governments
County governments
Private institutions of higher education
For profit organizations other than small businesses
City or township governments
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Independent school districts
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

Refer to Section III. Eligibility Information in the NOFO for additional information on eligibility. Foreign Organizations/International Collaborations: Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.

How to apply

Applications go through the official government listing. Grants Radar links you straight to the source — applying is free.

View on Grants.gov

Agency contact: National Institutes of Health · [email protected] · 301-402-2541

New to federal funding? How to read an announcement · Who can apply · How grants work

Remind me before this closes

One email about a week before this grant closes (the next morning, if it is already closer than that). That is all this sends — it is not a newsletter signup.

Stored once per grant, used only for this watch’s emails; every one carries a one-click unsubscribe. Privacy

Get grants like this every Tuesday — free

One email a week: the biggest new federal grants and what’s closing soon — the same list for everyone. Unsubscribe any time.

No spam, ever. Privacy

Similar grants

Forecast to Publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Academic Career Excellence (ACE) Award (K32 - Clinical Trial Required)
NOT-CA-25-102 · National Institutes of Health
Institutional Mentored Career Development Award (Parent K12) (Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
PA-27-030 · National Institutes of Health · closes July 12, 2029
Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) in Human Cancers for Years 2027, 2028, and 2029 (P50 Clinical Trial Required)
PAR-28-022 · National Institutes of Health · closes September 25, 2029
Paul Calabresi Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-27-025 · National Institutes of Health · closes March 12, 2029
Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award (R16 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-25-414 · National Institutes of Health · closes September 7, 2028
Support for Research Excellence First Independent Research (SuRE-First) Award (R16 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
PAR-25-415 · National Institutes of Health · closes September 7, 2028

Same-day alerts, matched to you

The free digest is weekly — the same list for everyone. Members get every open federal grant scored to their organization — and an alert the day a real match posts: we read every new posting the day it opens. Free for 30 days, then $29/mo. Card required, cancel any time before day 31.

Not ready for a subscription? A one-time Fit Report — $29 — scores every open federal grant to your organization once, by email within one business day.

See pricing