Applicants preparing an NIH mentored K submission may wonder if they must submit their application to the same institute or center (IC) at which the primary mentor is funded. Submitting to a different IC from that which funds the primary mentor is allowed. However, doing so may make it a bit harder for the K applicant to get funded.
If a K applicant’s primary mentor has substantial funding and has a good relationship with the program staff at a specific IC, there is an advantage to submitting the K application to that same IC. For example, program staff already know the mentor’s work and may also be familiar with their ability to mentor. The mentor can also introduce the K applicant to the PO and facilitate a discussion about whether the goals of the project fit the IC’s current funding priorities.
One challenge to K applicants is that this submission is often their first contact with NIH, so they must convince reviewers and program staff not only that the project is worth doing, but that they are capable of doing it. If program staff already know the mentor, it makes it easier to overcome this issue. That said, if the project fits more clearly in the funding portfolio of another IC, then pitch the project idea to a program officer at that other IC. Project fit to an IC’s funding priorities is of paramount importance in making this decision.
