TRACY VARGO-GOGOLA, PH.D. DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-SOUTH BEND DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME NIH Career Development Awards

When should I think about applying for a career development/K award? You have: Completed a few years of postdoctoral training Established a strong publication in your postdoctoral lab Met eligibility requirements for specific K awards of interest (degree type, time spent as a postdoc, residency status) Established a track record suggesting that additional mentored research and career development experience will lead to an independent and productive research career

How do I determine which career development award/K award mechanism is right for me? NIH K award kiosk careerdevelopmentawards.htmhttp://grants.nih.gov/training careerdevelopmentawards.htm Career Award Wizard walks you through a series of questions to help you determine the best options for you Contact the program officers at the NIH division where you are likely to submit your grant Talk to your mentor and other senior faculty who are interested and invested in your career development

K awards differ from other research grants Unlike R01 grants, K awards are highly personalized  What is this award going to do for this particular individual? K awards are not simply research grants; they are plans for facilitating your transition to becoming an independent scientist Fundability is based on a strong research proposal and a well developed career development plan Excerpts from a K award podcast available on the K Awards Koisk

Key elements of the research proposal Doable by you in the time frame of the grant Within your area of expertise and builds on your current strengths Will help you develop additional skills that are crucial for your transition to independence  Identify collaborators and get letters of support for techniques and model systems that are new to you Will generate preliminary data for your R01 grant Research plans go hand-in-hand with career development plans Excerpts from a K award podcast available on the K Awards Koisk

Key elements of the career development plan Design a detailed program of specific activities that will expand your research and professional skills to facilitate your transition to independence  Presentations at conferences  Additional course work or workshops  Training in a specific technique in another investigator’s lab  Participation in journal clubs, research colloquia, grand rounds, etc., with emphasis on how each of these activities will promote independence  Training in the responsible conduct of research  Meetings with mentor and mentoring committee  Describe how these activities fit into each year and/or phase of the award Tie it back to the research plan; explicitly state (give examples) how the research plan will promote your career development

Institutional track record and commitment to training fellows to become independent scientists Mentor  Track record of producing trainees that continue in independent academic research positions  Mentor’s statement should be highly personalized to highlight his/her qualifications for training you, your track record, potential to achieve independence, and how the training and research plans will promote independence  Co-mentor can be helpful if expertise in a particular area is lacking  Build a mentoring committee with a variety of expertise Expertise of your lab, department, center, co-mentor, mentoring committee Provide specific examples of how your training environment, including the institution and mentor(s) will facilitate your success Mentor’s letter, statement of institutional commitment, and career development plans should all echo each other Environment, environment, environment…

1. Talk with your mentors and the program director of the institute to which you are likely to submit your grant to discuss your eligibility, strength as a candidate, and appropriateness of your research topic for that particular institute. 10 things I wish I knew before I wrote my K99

2. Time is of the essence, allow yourself enough of it at each stage of the grant writing process to: Read and understand the PHS 398 instructions and K99 specific adaptations to these instructions, which totals more than 150 pages of detailed information. Learn about your institutions procedures and timeline for grant routing and submission. Ask early for letters of recommendation from 3 individuals who will write a detailed personalized letter of recommendation in addition to your mentor. Give them 4-6 weeks to write and submit their letter. Provide them with your CV and a summary of your research and career development plans. Write the scientific plans (and career development plans) of the proposal. For this you may need at least 4-6 weeks of designated writing time. Complete the paperwork burden associated with the grant (at least 40 hours). Get feedback from your peers and mentors. Be prepared to give them a draft of your proposal 2-3 weeks before you have to send it to your department officials and office of research administration. Finish a few days ahead of schedule in case there are any problems with the submission process.

3. Know your reviewers Each of the NIH centers that offer K99 awards has a designated K99 review panel. This is an important point because while your reviewers are likely experts in their field, it may not be your field. Provide the fundamental aspects of the science underlying your hypothesis and experimental plans that are necessary for your reviewers to critically evaluate:  Relevance of the hypothesis being investigated to human health and the mission of the center  Quality of the research  Feasibility of the studies  Whether the proposed studies will help you to accomplish your career development objectives Achieve a balance between providing the fundamental information as well as the specific details underlying your research plans. This may be more difficult now with the shorter application format.

4. What are the reviewers evaluating? Your strength as a candidate: are you an independent, mature, and productive junior scientist with the potential to become a leader in your field? To assess this they will evaluate your publication record, evidence of fellowships or other grants, and letters of recommendation. Your mentor: is he/she an established, well-funded investigator? Does he have a strong record of providing excellent training? Is he committed to your training and successful transition to a faculty position? Environment and institutional commitment to candidate: will the environment facilitate success in both the candidate's research and career development? The letter from your department chairman should address these points.

Career development plan: does the candidate have a well-defined career development plan? When you finish the mentored phase of the award will you be well positioned to compete for a faculty appointment and an R01 within the next few years? Research plan: does the candidate have a well-conceived research plan? Is the research hypothesis driven? Are outcomes, potential problems, and alternative approaches thoughtfully considered? Is there a clear demarcation between the studies to be performed during the mentored and independent phases? Clearly state how you will overlap and distinguish yourself from your mentor. Does the proposed research have the potential to contribute to the mission of the institute and lead to advances in the field? 4. What are the reviewers evaluating?

5. Understand the purpose of each section of the proposal. For example, in my application I did not include any information in the Candidate Section. I failed to realize that this was my opportunity to provide information about publications that were in progress or in review, which cannot be included in the bibliography/NIH biosketch.

6. This is a career development award, and thus, the Career Development Plan is a critical aspect of the application. Outline how this grant will literally serve as a map to navigate your pathway to independence. Delineate how the proposed studies will provide a foundation for your future career as an independent scientist. Discuss your short-term goals (e.g. publish papers on ongoing studies, master new techniques, develop a new model system) and long-term career goals (e.g. establish an independent research program to take to a faculty position in a particular research area). How will the proposed research aims and career development plans help you to achieve these goals? Describe the expertise of your mentors, how you plan to interact with them, and how these interactions will foster success in your research and career development. Discuss any seminars, journal clubs, conferences, course work, etc you will attend that will enhance your career development. Provide a time frame for your studies and career development activities. Which aims and goals will you pursue during the mentored phase of the award, and how will achieving these goals during this time frame help you to succeed during the independent phase of the award?

7. Get feedback from your peers and mentors!!! Identify fellow postdocs who have a strong command of written English, experience preparing grant applications, and are willing to critically evaluate your proposal. If possible, choose one reviewer who has expertise in your research area and one who does not. Ask your mentor(s) and collaborators to review all aspects of the proposal while keeping in mind what the reviewers will be evaluating.

8. Choose your mentors well. Identify mentors who have expertise in various aspects of your proposed research plans. Formulate a plan to meet with them regularly. Describe this plan in the Career Development section and how it will facilitate your success. Proximity matters. Your primary mentor should be at your institution (co-mentor should be within your institution or at a nearby institution).

9. Letter of institutional commitment A letter of institutional support from your division/department chairman is required. Department chairmen are incredibly busy. Prepare a draft of this letter in which you highlight the strengths and prior success of the training environment, the facilities and resources available at your institution, and your direct mentor's training history. Include a statement indicating that you will be released from other duties so that you can devote a minimum of 75% effort to you K99 grant (the application instructions specifically ask for this). Provide your chairman with a draft of the letter, and ask that he/she modify and sign it. Again, allow ample time for this.

10. Real people do get K99 awards >70% of faculty candidates invited to interview at IUSM- South Bend and University of Notre Dame during the past 3 years had a track record of funding, including postdoctoral individual fellowships and current K awards. Writing successful grant applications brings new challenges at every stage of career development. Explore other funding opportunities (American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, etc). If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.