Career Development : Articles

• E-Mail This Article
• Print This Article
• Share This
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg it!
  • Facebook

The GrantDoctor

The GrantDoctor
United States
14 February 2003

PREVIOUS ADVICE

Dear Pam,

I doubt it will have everything you're looking for, but this was precisely our goal in putting together the NIH R01 Toolkit. This piece provides more than just definitions: It offers advice on the best way to prepare an application. It aims to answer the most obvious questions, and it was written, in part, because we were not able to locate a concise source of the most important information that someone new to the process needs. So it might serve you well.

If you're seeking more detail and you're willing to deal with a lack of concision, NIH maintains a comprehensive list of definitions, activity, and organization codes, etc., which you'll find here. Many of the definitions are technical--of greater interest, perhaps, to NIH accountants than to investigators--and it can be tough going for the uninitiated. But it's an excellent reference, and if you're a wonk you'll have a blast. Hopefully the combination of these two documents will serve your purposes.

As for which K award your docs should apply for: Several recent GrantDoctor columns address the issue (see sidebar). Taken together and combined with NIH's own resources, they should be adequate to get the faculty in your program started on their search. Note, however, that once they've done this preliminary research, potential applicants should contact the appropriate program officer at NIH. NIH Career Development Awards are subtle, and a knowledgeable person on a telephone can offer insights that can't easily be communicated via a multipurpose program announcement (PA).

The various NIH institutes and centers offer different versions of the various K awards. NIH puts it this way: "The NIH institutes and centers implement this award in different ways to accommodate the career needs of researchers working in fields related to their specific missions." So how do you figure out who at NIH to talk to? Each mechanism (K01, K08, K22, et al.) has a single NIH-wide program announcement, and these are all listed at NIH's "K Kiosk." Click on the link of the PA of interest and scroll down; the point person for each participating NIH institute or center is listed near the bottom.

Be Well,

The GrantDoctor

Dear Ricardo,

You don't specify your area of research, and it makes a big difference. If your research advisor has NIH funding, you're in luck: NIH is awash in money to support talented young scientists from underrepresented populations, and Latinos are distinctly underrepresented in all areas of science. Have your advisor contact his or her NIH program officer and request an administrative supplement; NIH will often disperse additional funds to support promising researchers from underrepresented populations. Here's how NIH puts it:

"NIH hereby notifies all Principal Investigators holding NIH research grants that funds are available for administrative supplements to existing grants for the support and recruitment of underrepresented minority investigators and students. The aim of these supplements is to attract and encourage minority individuals to enter and pursue health-related research careers in areas within the mission areas of all the awarding components of the NIH."

If your research advisor is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) supplements program will be of interest. The REU program works just like the NIH program, except that it is limited to undergraduates (NSF has other programs for high school and graduate students). The REU supplements are not to be confused with the REU Centers program, which provides institutional support for undergraduate-intensive research efforts.

Speaking of which: If your research happens to be in materials research and engineering, you should know that your institution (the University of California, Davis), Stanford University, and IBM's Almaden research facility maintain a collaborative NSF-sponsored REU center in materials research. REU centers may request supplements to support undergraduate students.

Beyond that, your choices depend on your area of research. A quick search of GrantsNet's undergraduate funding database (keyword: "summer"; type of application: "students"; first four items selected in the "supported components" list) returns 90 items, mostly from disease-specific philanthropic programs. Not all will be appropriate--indeed, most are for biomedical research--but it's worth a look.

Best of Luck,

The GrantDoctor

Due to the high volume of questions received, The GrantDoctor cannot answer all queries on an individual basis. Look for an answer to your question published in this column soon! Thank you!

• E-Mail This Article
• Print This Article
• Share This
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg it!
  • Facebook

To Advertise   |   Find Products