Grant Writing

Annually, during the spring, BPP offers a three-part workshop supporting postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty physician scientists learn the strategies and tactics of preparing NIH fellowship and career development grant proposals (F32 fellowships, K99 Pathway-to-independence Awards, and other K- Career Development Awards).

Beth Schachter, Ph.D, Science Communications Consultant, presents for all three workshops.

Below are short descriptions for the three workshops:

• Workshop 1: Grantsmanship (General Session) - This session is designed for potential applicants of NIH F32, K99/R00, and K Career Development Awards. It provides an overview of NIH extramural funding, details on F and K awards, and guidance on structuring a research proposal. Participants will also learn how to develop a strong Specific Aims page.
• Workshop 2: F Applicants Workshop (Kirschstein-NRSA: F32) - This session is tailored for F32 applicants, covering key components of a successful application, including the Research Training Plan, Mentoring and Training Plan, Biosketch, and Candidate Description. Participants will also receive guidance on securing strong recommendation letters and hear insights from past F32 awardees. This award is open to U.S. citizen or permanent resident, with research or clinical doctoral degree (institution eligibility: U.S. domestic institutions, foreign institutions).
• Workshop 3: K Applicants Workshop (Pathway to Independence: K99/R00) - Designed for K award applicants, this session covers key components of the application, including the Research Plan, Mentoring and Training Plan, Biosketch, and Candidate Description. It also addresses common challenges faced by K award applicants and features insights from past K awardees.This award is open to U.S. citizen or non-citizen, with research or clinical doctoral degree, and no more than 4 years of Post-Doctoral research experience (institution eligibility: U.S. domestic institutions).

K & F Award workshops participants will gain a solid understanding of the creative (scientific) and the organizational/administrative aspects of preparing a competitive fellowship application. To help develop this understanding, along with discussing key elements of the proposal, participants will draft a preliminary outline of these sections. Based on the outline, participants will then draft an action plan for completing the application.

In addition to this annual workshop series, we also host panel discussions that provide insight, tips, and experiences from past awardees, including those who have received K99, NRSA, NSF, Foundation, Non-Academic, and Career Development Awards.