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Writing and Communication Center

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Home > Writing & Communication Center > NIH K Grant Consultation Service

NIH K Grant Consultation Service

This consultation service offers tailored feedback to NIH K grant applicants on draft Specific Aims pages and career development plans in a peer-group setting.

This service aims to strengthen participants’ grant-writing skills, foster experience in peer review and writing groups that participants can carry back to their home institutions, and build a supportive community throughout the K grant application process.

If selected, participant support includes the following:

  • February 2026: Peer review of a draft Specific Aims (SA) page in one of the virtual two-hour group meetings listed below. Meetings and review discussions will be led by a Harvard Catalyst Distinguished Mentor (DM)
    • February 3 | 10:00am-12:00pm
    • February 5 | 1:00-3:00pm
    • February 10 | 9:00-11:00am
    • February 10 | 12:00-2:00pm
  • February 2026: Second peer-review meeting to review edits to SA pages two weeks after the initial peer review, led by a DM.
    • February 19 | 1:00-3:00pm
    • February 19 | 3:00-5:00pm
    • February 24 | 9:00-11:00am
    • February 25 | 9:00-11:00am
  • March 2026: Participation in a series of K grant writers’ forums
    • March 2 | 12:00-1:00pm
    • March 16 | 12:00-1:00pm
    • March 30 | 12:00-1:00pm
  • April 2026: Peer review of a draft career development plan in a virtual two-hour group meeting, led by a DM.
    • April 14 | 9:00-11:00am
    • April 15 | 9:00-11:00am
    • April 16 | 1:00-3:00pm
    • April 17 | 9:00-11:00am

Participants will be placed into the above meetings, based on the availability provided in their application.

Apply

Application will close January 7 at 11:59pm EST.

Eligibility

To be considered for this service, applicants must:
  • Be based at a Harvard-affiliated institution.
  • Be planning to submit a NIH K grant application for the June 2026 deadline.
  • Have a fully-written draft of their specific aims page ready to submit.

The service is free for Harvard-affiliated schools and institutions. Eligible applications will be selected based on completeness of their Specific Aims draft and availability for meetings. Applicants will be informed of the status of their application within two weeks of applying.

Preparation

Applicants should be prepared to attach a fully-written draft of their Specific Aims page to the application. We strongly recommend that the draft be pre-reviewed by a mentor before taking part in this service. Before applicants submit their draft Specific Aims page, they must review the recommendations laid out on the NIH K Grant Specific Aims Page Checklist (PDF).

The first component of this service is participation in a peer review of the participant’s Specific Aims page in a DM-led writing group via Zoom.

Cite Us

Have you received a consultation from Harvard Catalyst? Remember to cite us in your publications.