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OpenGrant2026

NIH Fogarty Emerging Global Leader Award K43

Mentored research career development award for LMIC scientists

NIH Fogarty International Center with Participating NIH Institutes and Centers

Three to five years of protected research and career-development support for eligible junior faculty and research scientists based at LMIC institutions.

What it funds

  • Protected research time
  • Structured career development and mentorship
  • A substantial research project relevant to the country’s health priorities
  • A pathway toward research independence
  • Award duration of three, four or five years

Eligibility

Institution
The applicant institution must be in an eligible LMIC
Citizenship
The candidate must be an LMIC citizen. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are not eligible
Appointment
Academic junior-faculty position or research-scientist appointment held for at least one year at submission
Degree
At least a master's degree that required a research thesis. PhD-trained candidates are preferred but a PhD is not universally mandatory
Mentors
Two primary mentors are required: one at the LMIC applicant institution and one at the collaborating U.S. institution
Effort
Generally at least 75% of full-time professional effort committed to the award
Application route
PAR-24-295 for independent clinical trial required, PAR-24-296 for independent clinical trial not allowed

Is this a fit?

Apply if

  • You are an LMIC citizen based at an eligible LMIC institution
  • You hold a qualifying junior faculty or research-scientist appointment
  • You are still developing toward full research independence
  • You have a coherent research agenda relevant to your country's health priorities
  • You can build a strong LMIC-U.S. mentoring structure
  • You can commit at least 75% of full-time professional effort
  • Your institution can support NIH submission and grant administration

Skip it if

  • You are unaffiliated or do not hold a qualifying LMIC institutional appointment
  • You are a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
  • You already hold or have held a major R01-equivalent independent research grant, subject to the NOFO
  • You cannot commit the required protected effort

What you need to prepare

Needed at application

  • Correct K43 NOFO selection
  • NIH, Grants.gov and eRA Commons institutional registrations
  • Candidate biosketch and background
  • Career goals and objectives
  • Career-development and training plan
  • Research Strategy
  • Mentoring plan and mentor statements from LMIC and U.S. mentors
  • Letters of reference submitted through the required NIH process
  • Institutional commitment and support documentation
  • Facilities and resources information
  • Detailed annual budget and budget justification
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan where applicable
  • Human-subjects and clinical-trial sections where applicable

How the application works

  1. 1
    Confirm personal and institutional eligibility
  2. 2
    Choose the clinical-trial-required or clinical-trial-not-allowed NOFO
  3. 3
    Contact Fogarty programme staff early if eligibility or fit is uncertain
  4. 4
    Identify both primary mentors
  5. 5
    Build an integrated career-development and research plan
  6. 6
    Confirm institutional and eRA Commons registrations well before the deadline
  7. 7
    Prepare the NIH application package and reference letters
  8. 8
    Submit through the applicant institution and confirm receipt in eRA Commons

Key dates

Application deadline
3 December 2026

The Methods Bench take

Best suited for
Junior faculty and research scientists who already have a credible research foundation but need protected time, advanced mentorship and a structured path to independent research leadership.
The main hurdle
This is as much a career-development application as a research proposal. A strong study alone will not carry a weak training plan, mentorship structure or institutional commitment.
Start early on
Eligibility, U.S. and LMIC mentors, institutional registrations, career-development gaps and the overall application architecture.
Watch out for
NIH K awards are complex. Applicants who begin by writing the Research Strategy before settling the career-development logic often create an application that feels disconnected.

Before you start, check

  • Are you an eligible LMIC citizen?
  • Is your institution eligible?
  • Have you held the qualifying appointment for at least one year?
  • Do you meet the degree and research-independence requirements?
  • Can you commit at least 75% effort?
  • Do you have both an LMIC and a U.S. primary mentor?
  • Which K43 NOFO fits your clinical-trial status?
  • Are your institution and key personnel properly registered for NIH submission?
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