Fellowship Grants NRSA F32

Fellowship Grants
NRSA F32
Domenick “Tony” Prosdocimo, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Laboratory of Mukesh Jain, MD
PSP, Thursday 3/14/13

Experimental
design
Mentor’s advice
Letters of
recommendation
Pilot data
Goal setting
Fellowship Toolbox:
Where to look
For fellowships
Why a fellowship
What budget
can be used for
Write a
Compelling story
Peer advice

The first steps toward a fellowship?
1. Pre-doc: identify mentor with track record of training in your
field of interest
2. Post-doc:
- Preliminary data.
- Identify local and national collaborators
- need 6-8 week block of time to write
- appointment status – “post-doctoral scholar”
- application deadlines
3. A successful fellowship application focuses not only on the
science, but also the training involved
4. Acquire previously funded applications as a roadmap
- email me, dap17@case.edu

• National Research Service Awards (NRSA)
– F30 Predoctoral Awards for MD/PhD Fellowships
– F31 Predoctoral Fellowships
– F32 Postdoctoral Fellowships
• K Awards
– K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Awd
– K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award
– K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award
– K99/00 Pathway to Independence Award

Grantwriting Resources
ScienceCareers.org
Career Development Articles
NIMH Grant Application Process
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/researchFunding/grantprocess.cfm
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/researchFunding/training.cfm
FASEB Grantsmanship Training Program
https://ns2.faseb.org/careerutilities/grantprg.htm
Grant Application Writer’s Handbook, Reif-Lehrer
See also http://casemed.case.edu/gradprog/

The NIH NRSA Ruth L Kirschstein
F KIOSK
http://grants1.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm
Stipend FY 2012
Predoctoral $22,032
Postdoctoral Years of Experience:
0 $39,264
1 $41,364
2 $44,340
3 $46,092
Training Related Expenses
Predoctoral Trainees: $4,200
Postdoctoral Trainees: $7,850

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual
Postdoctoral Fellows (Parent F32) (PA-10-110)National Institutes of HealthNational
Center for Complementary and Alternative MedicineNational Cancer InstituteNational
Center for Research ResourcesNational Eye InstituteNational Human Genome Research
InstituteNational Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteNational Institute on AgingNational
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and AlcoholismNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious
DiseasesNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesNational
Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioengineeringEunice Kennedy Shriver National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication DisordersNational Institute of
Dental and Craniofacial ResearchNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney DiseasesNational Institute of Environmental Health SciencesNational Institute of
General Medical SciencesNational Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of
Neurological Disorders and StrokeNational Institute of Nursing Research

The NRSA (F31, F32) success rate
http://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook/index.aspx?catid=17

SA Application Preparation
low the instructions:
dividual Fellowship SF424 (R&R) Application Guide”
1. Submission is three times per year
(Apr 8, Aug 8, Dec 8)
2. Grant needs routed internally first, application should be
complete in full at least 1 week prior to submission dates
3. Allow yourself 6-8 weeks to prepare
4. This is a 3 year grant: proposal should fit accordingly
5. It’s about the training as much as the science

Take a look at potential reviewers:
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
http://www.csr.nih.gov/committees/rosterindex.asp
Roster Index for Fellowship Study Section
http://public.csr.nih.gov/StudySections/Fellowship/Pages/default.aspx
Physiology and Pathobiology of Cardiovascular and
Respiratory Systems [ F10A ]

• Reviewers are:
– Busy
– Overworked
Write for the Reviewers
– May not be as
knowledgeable about
the details
Typically, you’ll receive three reviewers:
-each reviewer scores your grant on a 1-9 scale prior to study section.
-the average gives an impact score
The day your study section meets:
-all reviewers of the study section will have access to the impact
scores as well as the grant
-typically, best scored grants will be discussed first
-on average, each grant gets discussed for only 10 minutes
-impact scores could change following discussion
-final impact scores are translated into a percentile

Reviewer 1
Reviewer 2
Reviewer 3

The Application:
Online: grants.gov - SF 424 (R&R)
All subsequent sections are submitted as .pdf into this online
submission form
1. Project Summary / Abstract
2. Project Narrative: 2-3 sentence paragraph summarizing
your application in layman terms
3. References Cited
4. Facilities & Other Resources
5. Equipment
6. List of Referees: (identify 3 referees early)
- 3 letters of reference submitted by the referee through
eRA commons, you simply list the individuals name and
affiliation.

The Application cont:
7. Letters of Support: (identify potential collaborators
early)
- What techniques are outside the scope of your lab’s
expertise
- Be explicit in stating you will learn these techniques
first-hand in your collaborators’ lab
- remember, it’s more about the training than the
science
- be prepared to write these letters yourself and simply
have your collaborator sign them

The Application cont:
8. Statement by the mentor: (Critical)
- A good letter should include:
- Applicant accomplishments
- Brief statement about applicant, undergrad and post-grad
studies
- how mentor came to know applicant
- genesis of current application
- current collaborations applicant has with other lab members
- Mentor Training Record
- brief background of mentor
- list of past and present mentees (where are they now)
- Research Training Plan for the Applicant
- how often will mentor meet with applicant
- present at local and national meetings
- Relationship of training to career goals
- how will the current application aid in developing an
independent line of investigation

The Application cont:
9. Biosketch:
- Applicant
- Personal statement, position and honors,
Publications
- Undergrad and post-graduate grades
- Mentor

Get Started: The Research Idea
A strong research idea should pass the “so what” test.
What is the benefit of answering your question?
Who will it help and how?
If you cannot make a definitive statement about
the purpose of your research, it is unlikely to be funded.

The Application cont:
10. Specific Aims Page (1 page):
- Brief overview/background
- Hypothesis
- Aims
- helpful to include cartoon of hypothesis and aims

Specific Aims
Goal - make the reviewer want to read more
Make sure you:
Provide a rationale—where did hypothesis come from?
why is this a strong idea? is it novel?
Have objectives that are measurable and highly focused
Have aims that are feasible in technique, time and money
-remember, this is a three year grant
http://www.theresearchassistant.com/tutorial/2-1.asp

The Application cont:
11. Research Strategy (6 pages):
- Background and Significance
- Approach / Preliminary Results
- Aims
- Rationale for subaims and proposed studies
- Interpretation, Limitations, and Future Directions
- Methods
- Statistics

Questions thus far?

12. Use of Vertebrate animals:
The Application cont:
13. Select Agent Research:
- are there hazardous or biological agents to be used to carry out
proposed studies?
14. Resource Sharing Plan
- will the application result in the development of a new agent /
mouse strain – NIH wants us to share
15. Respective Contributions
16. Selection of sponsor and institution
- Why did you join the lab
- how will the current application allow you to develop and
independent line of investigation
17. Responsible Conduct of Research

The Application cont:
18. Goals for Fellowship Training and Career
- short and long term goals
- state how the current application will position you for Kgrant,
R01 / independent line of investigation
19. Activities Planned under this award
- dedicated percent effort
- what weekly research seminars will you attend
- national meetings
20. Doctoral Dissertation
- 2 page summary of dissertation if applicable

Reviewer 1
Reviewer 2
Reviewer 3

Questions?