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Career Development Award

American Heart Association

Purpose

This grant supports highly promising healthcare and academic professionals, in the early years of one’s first professional appointment, to explore innovative questions or pilot studies that will provide preliminary data and training necessary to assure the applicant’s future success as a research scientist.

The award will develop the research skills to support and greatly enhance the awardee’s chances to obtain and retain a high-quality career position.

Budget

$77,000 per year, including 10% institutional indirect costs.

The award may be used for salary and fringe benefits of the principal investigator, collaborating investigator(s), mentoring team members, and other participants with faculty appointments, consistent with percent effort, and for project-related expenses, such as salaries of technical personnel essential to the conduct of the project, supplies, equipment, computers/electronics, travel (including international travel), volunteer subject costs, data management, and publication costs, etc.

AHA does not require use of the NIH salary cap.

Award Duration: Three years. non-renewable

Total Award Amount: $231,000

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong Alignment with the AHA Mission

Applications that clearly demonstrate how the proposed work will reduce cardiovascular disease, stroke burden, brain health problems, or improve population health tend to score better. Reviewers explicitly assess potential impact on the AHA mission.

2. High Scientific Impact

Funded proposals typically address an important unmet need and show potential to change clinical practice, scientific understanding, prevention strategies, or health outcomes. Impact is a major review criterion across AHA mechanisms.

3. Innovation and Novelty

AHA strongly favors projects that:

Challenge existing paradigms
Introduce new concepts or technologies
Explore novel mechanisms
Open new research directions

Innovation is particularly important in programs such as the Innovative Project Award.

4. Strong Preliminary Data (Except Innovation-Focused Awards)

For most investigator-initiated grants, convincing preliminary data demonstrating feasibility and supporting the central hypothesis substantially improves competitiveness. Reviewers look for evidence that the project can realistically succeed.

5. Investigator Track Record

Successful applicants often demonstrate:

Relevant publications
Prior productivity
Expertise in the proposed area
Evidence of completing previous projects

For early-career awards, potential and career trajectory may weigh more heavily than extensive publication records.

6. Strong Mentorship Environment (Career Development/Fellowships)

For Predoctoral, Postdoctoral, and Career Development Awards, a highly accomplished mentor and supportive research environment are among the strongest predictors of success. AHA specifically emphasizes appropriate investigative groups and mentorship structures.

7. Clear and Feasible Research Plan

Successful applications generally have:

Well-defined aims
Logical experimental design
Appropriate statistical methods
Realistic timelines
Identified alternative approaches

Reviewers often downgrade proposals that are overly ambitious or lack contingency plans.

8. Multidisciplinary Collaboration

For larger AHA programs, including Strategically Focused Research Networks (SFRNs), multidisciplinary teams and collaborations across basic, clinical, translational, and population sciences are strongly encouraged and frequently seen in funded applications.

9. Effective Non-Scientist Summary

Unlike many funding agencies, AHA formally evaluates the lay/non-scientist summary. Applications that clearly explain the public-health importance and societal impact of the work receive an advantage.

10. Institutional Environment

Competitive applications usually come from environments that provide:

Necessary facilities
Access to patient populations or specialized resources
Strong research infrastructure
Protected research time for investigators

AHA review criteria consider whether the environment supports project completion.

Specialties

Cardiovascular Diseases

Eligibility Requirements

At the time of application, the applicant must hold an MD, PhD, DO, DVM, DDS, or equivalent post-baccalaureate doctoral degree.
Postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply but must have attained faculty appointment by the time of award activation.
Investigators who have been awarded NIH K99/R00 or R01 grants are not eligible to apply.
The Association will permit a Career Development Awardee to concurrently hold an NIH K award (other than K99/R00) if there is no budgetary overlap.
The awardee must devote at least 10% effort to the Career Development Award.

Recognizing the unique challenges that clinicians, in particular, experience in balancing research and clinical activity, this award mechanism aims to be as flexible as possible to enable applicants to develop academic careers in research alongside fulfilling clinical service commitments.

In limited cases, a delay of the award start date may be allowable up to six months.
- This includes applicants with clinical appointments.
- Applicants must indicate their intent to delay the start date in the Personal Statement section of their biosketch.

All applicants are required to self-register as peer reviewers with the American Heart Association and select two distinct scientific keywords that accurately reflect their areas of expertise. By registering, applicants consent to being contacted regarding future peer review opportunities and are strongly encouraged to participate as availability permits.

AHA research awards are limited to U.S.-based non-profit institutions, including medical, osteopathic, and dental schools, veterinary schools, schools of public health, pharmacy schools, nursing schools, universities and colleges, public and voluntary hospitals and others that can demonstrate the ability to conduct the proposed research.
Applicants must have one of the following designations at the time of proposal submission – not award start date, depending on career stage and each individual’s situation. An awardee must maintain one of the designations listed below throughout the duration of the award. Please consult with your institution’s grant officer.
U.S. citizen
Permanent resident
Pending permanent resident (must have filed Form I-485 for permanent resident status and obtained an I-797C Notice of Action that the application has been received by USCIS and case is pending)
E-3 Visa - specialty occupation worker
F-1 Visa – student (for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows only)
G-4 Visa - family member of an international organization employee
H1-B Visa - temporary worker in a specialty occupation
J-1 Visa - exchange visitor (pre- and postdoctoral fellowships only; all other awardees must obtain an H-1B or equivalent by the proposal due date)
O-1 Visa - temporary worker with extraordinary abilities in the sciences
TN Visa - NAFTA Professional
DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

At the time of award activation:

An awardee must hold a faculty/staff position up to and including the rank of assistant professor (or equivalent).
Within the requisite Department Head letter, the Department Head must affirm clearly that should an applicant not currently hold a faculty position, the applicant will hold the required position by start date of the award. Proposals will not be accepted with the intent to delay the award start date to accommodate the faculty appointment. It must be guaranteed by the award start date and stated explicitly by the Department in the requisite letter.
No more than six years may have elapsed since the first faculty/staff appointment (after receipt of doctoral degree) at the assistant professor level or equivalent (including, but not limited to, instructor, research assistant professor, research scientist, staff scientist, etc.). If the candidate held the title of instructor during postdoctoral fellowship or residency years due to clinical or teaching responsibilities, that period of time does not count against the eligibility period for applying for the Career Development Award. The AHA will consider interruptions of work experience due to extenuating circumstances and clinical training.
The applicant must demonstrate that adequate time will be devoted to ensuring the successful completion of the project.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Heart Association

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 7272 Greenville Ave. Dallas, TX 75231

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