National Program for the Career Development Of Physician Scientists in Diabetes Research (Diabetes - Docs) (K12 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA DK 21 019

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA DK 21 019

The National Program for the Career Development of Physician Scientists in Diabetes Research (Diabetes-DOCS) is an NIH-funded K12 institutional career development program designed to build a stronger pipeline of physicians who will become independent, research-leading physician-scientists in diabetes. The central aim is to address a recognized shortage of pediatric endocrinologists and other physicians who are doing high-impact, innovative research on the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of diabetes. Rather than funding a single institution to train only its own faculty, the program is set up as one coordinated national effort with scholars supported at their home institutions across the United States, creating a distributed training network with shared standards, oversight, and career-development expectations.

Structurally, the opportunity supports one national program run through a national administrative center led by one or more Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs). Those leaders are expected to establish and work with an advisory committee made up of accomplished basic and clinical investigators with strong track records of peer-reviewed funding and successful mentoring of physician-scientists. In practice, the administrative center functions as the hub that sets program policies, coordinates scholar selection and evaluation, standardizes mentoring and training elements, and ensures accountability to NIH goals. Scholars, however, remain embedded at their own institutions, where their research and mentoring teams are based, allowing the program to reach promising physicians regardless of geography while maintaining a consistent national framework.

The initial scientific emphasis is Type 1 diabetes (T1D), supported through NIDDKs Statutory Special Diabetes Program funding mechanism. Applicants are also expected to plan for a potential future expansion, contingent on competitive review, to include career development for physicians whose research aligns with NIDDK priority areas in type 2 diabetes. This means the program is intended to be scalable: it starts with a focused T1D mission, but it should be designed so it can broaden its portfolio if NIH decides to expand the scope later based on performance and program needs.

A major stated expectation is that Diabetes-DOCS will contribute to increasing diversity among physician-scientists who go on to independent research careers aligned with NIDDKs diabetes mission. In practical terms, applicants should anticipate that NIH will look for concrete plans to recruit, support, and retain scholars from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical research and from a wide range of medical specialties, not only pediatric endocrinology. Because the program is national and scholars remain at their home institutions, it can intentionally widen access to structured mentorship, protected research time, and career-development resources for clinicians who might otherwise lack a clear pathway into sustained diabetes research.

From an eligibility standpoint, the opportunity is broad and includes many types of applicant organizations, reflecting the national and inclusive intent. Eligible applicants listed include various levels of government (state, county, city/township, special districts), public and private institutions of higher education, independent school districts, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofits (with and without 501(c)(3) status), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and small businesses, among others. The announcement also explicitly highlights additional eligible organizational categories such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, and even non-U.S. (foreign) organizations and regional organizations. This breadth signals that NIH is open to a wide range of capable institutions serving as the administrative center or participating environments, as long as they can credibly operate a rigorous national K12 training program.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the National Institutes of Health under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-DK-21-019, categorized as a discretionary grant in the health and food/nutrition activity area (CFDA 93.847). The mechanism is K12, and clinical trials are optional, meaning scholar projects may include clinical trial-related research when appropriate but are not required to do so. The listing provides an award ceiling of $1,300,000. The original closing date shown is 2021-11-18, which indicates this specific announcement round is historical; anyone looking to apply now would typically need to find a current reissue, successor FOA, or related NIDDK career development program, but the goals and structure described here capture what NIH intended to build through Diabetes-DOCS.

Overall, Diabetes-DOCS is best understood as a national, hub-and-spoke physician-scientist development platform: one coordinated leadership team and advisory structure sets the program direction, while scholars conduct diabetes research and receive mentored career development at their own institutions. The expected outcome is a measurable increase in well-trained, diverse physicians who secure independent funding and sustain long-term research careers in diabetes, starting with T1D and potentially expanding to include NIDDK-relevant type 2 diabetes research areas.

• The National Institutes of Health in the food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Program for the Career Development Of Physician Scientists in Diabetes Research (Diabetes - Docs) (K12 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.847.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-08-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-11-18. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,300,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for RFA DK 21 019

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