NIH to restrict K99/R00 Pathways to Independence to U.S. citizens and permanent residents
The National Institutes of Health plans to limit its K99/R00 Pathways to Independence award to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and non-citizen nationals, ending a rare funding route for visa-holding international researchers.
An internal NIH presentation shows the agency will bar foreign scholars on visas from applying for the Pathways to Independence grant. The K99/R00 program has traditionally been one of the few mechanisms that supports postdoctoral scientists on visas, providing two years of postdoc funding followed by three years for an independent lab. Officials say the change will apply only to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and non-citizen nationals. Experts warn that without this avenue, many promising international trainees could struggle to launch research careers in the United States.
Why it matters
Limiting the K99/R00 grant reduces funding options for international researchers, potentially weakening U.S. biomedical talent pipelines.
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