The National Institutes of Health is Recruiting
Lasker Clinical Research Scholars
The National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the Lasker Foundation, is pleased to announce the 2026-27 Lasker Clinical Research Scholars Program. This is an opportunity for up to 10 years of funding for clinical researchers.
The Lasker Scholars program supports a small number of exceptional clinical researchers to promote their development as early stage independent investigators. This unique program provides Scholars with five to seven years of support as an independent principal investigator in the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP), followed by up to 3 years of funding at an extramural research institution. Scholars may also have the opportunity to remain in the IRP rather than leaving for an extramural position, by mutual agreement.
During the IRP (Si2) phase, Lasker Scholars become NIH employees and conduct research at the NIH as tenure-track investigators. Scholars will be offered competitive salaries, commensurate with experience and qualifications, and will be provided research space, supported personnel positions, and a research operating budget. In some cases, Lasker Scholars may be able to maintain an adjunct affiliation with their previous institution while working at the NIH. During the extramural (R00) phase, successful Scholars receive up to $500,000 in direct costs per year for their research program.
Candidates must have a clinical doctoral degree (MD, MD/PhD, DO, DDS, DMD, RN/PhD or equivalent) from an accredited domestic or foreign institution and must have a professional license to practice in the United States. The program is intended for investigators at the early stages of their independent careers, and candidates cannot have already obtained tenure at a research institution. Applicants generally will have completed or will be completing a post-residency clinical fellowship and will have demonstrated significant patient-oriented research experience to qualify for a tenure-track level appointment.
The application will include a research proposal and submission of four letters of reference. The deadline for a full application is November 6, 2026. The positions will start in 2027, though the start date is flexible. The funding announcement and application instructions are in PAR-27-076. Applications must be submitted as described in the funding announcement, NIH cannot accept applications submitted through this journal.
For questions, contact Dr. Charles Dearolf, Director of Program Development and Support, NIH Office of Intramural Research, at LaskerScholar@nih.gov.
More information and the list of research areas of interest are available at https://www.nih.gov/research-training/lasker-clinical-research-scholars.
The program honors the contributions of Mary and Albert Lasker to the National Institutes of Health and to the overall biomedical community. The Lasker Foundation will provide Scholars with the opportunity to participate in selected activities.