The NEI Institutional Mentored Physician Scientist Award (K12 Clinical Trial Optional) is a grant opportunity issued by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This funding opportunity is designed to support institutional career development programs that train clinically trained vision scientists for independent research careers. The grant permits the participation of scholars in minimal risk clinical trials, including those where the scholar leads an independent trial, contributes to an ancillary trial, or gains research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator.

The goal of this funding opportunity is to increase the number of clinician-scientists trained in clinical and translational vision research and support their progression to independent careers. These programs are expected to be creative, innovative, and aligned with the NEI Strategic Plan. Applicants are encouraged to design programs that build multidisciplinary expertise across fields like ocular genetics, artificial intelligence, computational modeling, and bio-behavioral research, enabling scholars to enhance patient treatment and drive scientific progress in vision science.

Funding is provided through a grant mechanism. Budgets are not capped but must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project, with a maximum project period of five years. Annual direct costs of up to $30,000 per scholar can be requested for program-related expenses. Salary support for scholars is capped at the legislative limit, and they are expected to dedicate 9 person-months (75%) of full-time professional effort, or 6 to 9 person-months (50% to 75%) for ophthalmic surgeons. Scholars must hold a clinical doctoral degree, such as MD, DO, OD, or DVM, and may receive up to six years of combined career development support across NIH K08, K12, and K23 awards.

Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, tribal governments, nonprofits, and faith- or community-based organizations located in the U.S. Foreign institutions and foreign components of U.S. institutions are not eligible. The application must demonstrate institutional commitment, adequate faculty and facilities, and distinguish the proposed program from other existing career development initiatives at the same institution.

Applications are due annually on June 9 through June 2026, with corresponding review and award cycles scheduled later in the year. The earliest project start date for each cycle is in April of the following year. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, ASSIST, or an institutional S2S system. Detailed application instructions must be followed precisely, including substituting "scholars" for "trainees" and "career development" for "training" where applicable.

Evaluation of submitted applications is based on several criteria, including the strength of the proposed program and environment, qualifications of the Program Director(s) and mentors, scholar recruitment strategies, and the likelihood of scholars transitioning to independent research careers. Special emphasis is placed on career development in rigorous and reproducible scientific research and instruction in the responsible conduct of research. Applications proposing clinical trials must demonstrate the capacity to manage them effectively, including data coordination and protocol adherence. Award recipients must also comply with applicable NIH reporting and data sharing policies.

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