The Mock K & R Grant Review Program helps early-career investigators successfully navigate the transition to independent research funding. Designed for investigators pursuing NIH K awards and first-time R01 grants, the program provides expert feedback on grant applications before submission through a structured, interactive peer review process.

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Participants are matched with a multidisciplinary review panel that includes content experts, methodological and biostatistical reviewers, faculty mentors, and peer investigators. Reviewers provide detailed feedback on scientific aims, study design, methods, training plans, and overall grantsmanship, helping applicants strengthen their proposals prior to submission. The process also gives participants valuable experience reviewing the work of their peers, fostering critical grant-writing and evaluation skills.

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The program is led by Drs. Ken Freedberg, Vicki Fung, and Mark Siedner, with administrative support from Sara Wolf. It is grounded in a collaborative, "pay-it-forward" model in which applicants, mentors, and faculty reviewers contribute to one another's success while building a stronger research community.

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Over the past 15 years, the program has supported more than 130 investigators and has achieved remarkable outcomes, with approximately 91% of participants securing K awards and more than 50% obtaining R01 or equivalent project funding. Beyond its funding success, the program has strengthened mentorship, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and created a culture of shared scholarship that extends across research centers and disciplines.