The NIAID Office of Research Training and Development recently launched the 2024 NIAID Grant Writing Training and Mentoring Program. In its fifth year, the course aims to help fellows who are actively planning to write and submit funding proposals to put together competitive applications for a variety of grants and fellowships. Broken into two distinct phases, participants go through the full life cycle of the grant proposal process, either as an active writer or an auditor. Active writers will prepare grant proposals for the purpose of submission within the next year, while auditors will gain the tools necessary to write a successful grant proposal when the time comes.
Each year, 10 fellows are selected to be a part of the program’s cohort as active writers who will go on to submit the grant proposals they develop during the course. They are joined by an additional, larger group of fellows who will audit the program sessions with the option of writing a grant proposal to submit. This year’s active writers are Roland Bamou, M.Sc., Ph.D., Adam Hage, Ph.D., Hiroshi Ichise, Ph.D., Zhixin Jing, Ph.D., Ian Lamborn, M.D., Ph.D., Patrick Mpingabo, M.D., Ph.D., Noah Onchieku, Ph.D., Tiago Rodrigues Ferreira, M.S., Ph.D., Chinedu Alphonsus Ugwu, D.V.M., M.Sc., Ph.D., and Sarah van Tol, M.S., Ph.D. Dr. Ferreira previously participated in the program as an auditor and expressed his excitement to be taking part as an active writer this year. “I hope that it will offer me a valuable initial mentored writing experience, enabling me to effectively articulate my research vision into compelling and persuasive project proposals as I embark on my journey to become an independent investigator,” he remarked.
In the first phase of the course, fellows receive guidance on how to select the correct grant mechanism and application timeline according to their career goals. This phase also covers the foundational elements necessary for writing competitive grant applications. When asked about his decision to apply for the program, Dr. Ugwu reflected, “For the next phase after my NIH fellowship, I want to apply for a K43 grant as well as a Wellcome Trust Early-Career Award. My first session of the grant training definitely confirmed to me that I am in the right place to prepare, articulate, and package my idea into a successful grant proposal.” During the second phase, participants are equipped with the strategies needed to write each section of a grant proposal before either having their completed proposals reviewed and critiqued by grant writing professionals or observing a mock review session to learn more about the process.
Fellows interested in learning more about successful grant writing can visit the NIAID Fellows Training SharePoint to access a variety of resources.
Learn more about predoctoral and postdoctoral training opportunities at NIAID.