The Emerging Global Leader Award (K43) is a mentored career development award from the Fogarty International Center of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
It gives junior faculty and research scientists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) protected time and research money to build an independent career. Recipients run a health research project relevant to their country’s priorities at their home institution, guided by a mentor there and one at a US institution.
Benefits & funding
- Up to US$100,000 a year toward the recipient’s salary, in line with the home institution’s pay scale
- Up to US$40,000 a year for research development costs (e.g. a technician, justified travel to the US partner)
- 3, 4 or 5 years of support; foreign institutions receive limited indirect costs (8%)
- Duty: at least 75% of full-time effort (9 person-months) on the award
Eligibility
- Citizen of an eligible LMIC (list below); US citizens and US permanent residents cannot apply, including dual nationals
- Fogarty excludes upper-middle-income G20 members outside sub-Saharan Africa; the list below already reflects this
- Must hold a junior faculty or research scientist post at the LMIC institution that applies, held for at least one year at submission
- At least a master’s degree with a research thesis; PhD preferred, MD eligible
- Not eligible if PI of a multi-year R01-equivalent grant (R03/R21-type grants are fine)
- No age limit; only one K application under review at a time
Application process
- 1Line up two primary mentors: one at your LMIC institution and one at a collaborating US institution.
- 2Pick the notice: PAR-24-295 if you will lead an independent clinical trial, PAR-24-296 if not.
- 3Send a letter of intent by email (optional, strongly encouraged).
- 4Your institution submits electronically via Grants.gov and eRA Commons by 3 December 2026.
- 5Referees upload the required reference letters to eRA Commons by the same deadline.
Program timeline
Application deadline
3 December 2026
Peer review
March 2027
Fogarty Advisory Board
May 2027
Earliest funding decisions
July 2027