Led by Amy Ralston, Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The MIRAcle Cohort will prepare investigators to submit new or renewal R35/MIRA applications to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). MIRAcle will be led by Amy Ralston, with additional grant writing support from the Office of Research & Innovation’s Research Development and Proposal Services team.
Target Audience and Eligibility
MIRAcle is open to all who are eligible:
- Current NIGMS R01 or R35 holders
- Early Stage Investigators (<10 years since Ph.D., no prior major NIH funding)
- New Investigators (any career stage – no prior major NIH funding)
Are you eligible? Check here: MIRA Eligibility Decision Tree
Program Overview
Format and Timeline
MIRAcle will meet weekly via Zoom from October 11 to December 20, 2024. Meetings will typically be 1.5-2 hours long. Participants will be expected to write and share proposal components offline, as directed by the MIRAcle Team. Meetings will be focused on discussion topics and peer review of proposal components. Once participants have a complete draft of their proposal, they will work with editors from the Office of Research and Innovation to polish their application. Participants will receive examples of successful MIRA applications and summary statements.
Discussion Topics
Topics include: MIRA program goals and scope; institute mission; due dates; service expectations; preliminary data requirements; budget; study sections; scoring and review; success rates; effort; format; differences from R01; submission strategies and timeline; resubmission; renewal expectations and strategies; persuasive and effective writing styles; catastrophic errors to avoid; figures; formatting; and getting the most out of all the extra sections, including the new required document: Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives.
To Apply
Interested participants should fill out an application form. Enrollment in this writing group will be limited. Participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis. However, preference will be given to participants who are applying for a MIRA in January or February of 2025.
In the application form, participants will provide the following:
- Their target R35/MIRA application type (ESI, Established, Renewal)
- Their target submission date
- A brief description of how their research overlaps’ with the mission of NIGMS.