April 18, 2024 – end of October 2024
Led by S. Alexandra Burt, SSC Diamond Distinguished Professor, Psychology, MSU
S. Alexandra Burt, Ph.D., facilitator for the program
This mentoring program is designed to prepare early-career faculty at MSU to submit a strong R01 proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Participants will receive information and advice on all aspects of the grant writing process during biweekly cohort meetings and personal mentoring sessions.
- Get tips for planning a successful NIH proposal
- Understand the NIH peer review process
- Understand how to tailor your proposal to fit the NIH criteria
- Learn how to develop the specific aims, research strategy, and ancillary sections of NIH proposals
- Learn advanced NIH grant writing via a combination of didactic sessions, examples, peer review, and personal mentorship
- Get extensive feedback on your research plan to improve your chance to win
Target Audience
Early career faculty with New Investigator status (i.e., no previously funded R01) intending to (re)submit an R01 application in October 2024 (or to submit their revised R01 application in November 2024).
Timeline
This group will meet 60 to 90 minutes every other week between April and October, including the summer months. Meetings are held in person, as this format maximizes engagement and learning and promotes the exchange of real feedback. Meetings will include both informal group meetings and individual mentoring sessions. Participants will work on developing and writing each section of their R01 proposals between meetings.
Program Overview
The mentoring program will focus on writing key sections of NIH research grants, including the specific aims page, the significance and innovation sections, and elements of the approach section. It will also focus on writing key ancillary sections, preparing a budget, and developing effective graphics and tables. Participants will learn about NIH’s overall philosophy and approach, making connections with program officers, analyzing and understanding funding opportunities, and the proposal review process. We will also discuss key differences between writing grant proposals and manuscripts, how to effectively communicate ideas and expertise, and common mistakes and solutions.
To Apply
Fill out the online application form. You will need to provide the following: 1) your biosketch or CV, not to exceed five pages including funding history, 2) a tentative title for this proposal, 3) a short description of your proposal or your specific aims page, not to exceed one page, 4) your target submission date, 5) a description of any pilot data you have for the proposed project, not to exceed one page, and 6) a letter of nomination (self-nomination or nomination from your department chair or research dean). Enrollment in this program will be limited. The deadline is March 15, 2024, and applicants will receive notification by April 1. If you have any questions, please contact ORI.Editors@msu.edu.
I can't say enough about how awesome this program is. I wouldn't have submitted a grant without it. I had a seed of an idea but it never quite came to fruition without this program. Oftentimes, I felt a little ambivalence about grants...What we needed was to actually sit down and do it, with a steady hand of someone who's done it themselves and wanted the best for us. It was an awesome program! - 2023 program participant