NINDS Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Training of Postdoctoral Fellows (F32 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Funding Agency:
- National Institutes of Health
The purpose of the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (Parent F32) is to support promising candidates during their mentored postdoctoral training under the guidance of experienced faculty sponsors. The integrated program of research and training should enhance the individual's potential to develop into a productive, independent researcher. The research and training plans are expected to provide the candidate with a strong understanding of the rigorous research design, experimental methods, quantitative approaches, and data analysis. The training plan should document the need for, and the anticipated value of, the proposed mentored training in relationship to the individual's research career goals. The training plan should also facilitate the fellow's transition to the next stage of their career.
This NINDS F32 is designed specifically to support postdoctorates who are just beginning a postdoctoral training period in a given laboratory or research environment (support from this F32 NOFO may be requested for either a first or subsequent postdoctoral mentored training position, but a subsequent postdoctoral position will only be supported if the laboratory, research environment and mentor(s) are completely different from those of the applicant's first postdoctoral position). The window during which applicants are eligible to apply (from approximately 12 months prior to starting in the proposed postdoctoral position to within 12 months of starting the postdoctoral position; resubmissions are allowed up to 18 months after starting the postdoctoral position) precludes the expectation of applicant-generated preliminary data, and thus encourages projects that rely on creative, innovative ideas that address highly significant questions. Due to the early application window, it is expected that there will be no preliminary data in the application and applicants are strongly encouraged NOT to include preliminary data in the application. Further, this F32 will only support postdoctorates who are within the first 4 years of training in a specific laboratory or scientific environment (or with a specific mentor). Candidates seeking support for completion of postdoctoral career development and transition to a faculty position can apply for a K99/R00.
Projects are encouraged at all levels of investigation, including basic science that is targeted to understanding central and/or peripheral nervous system processes but may not have direct disease-relevance, basic science with direct relevance to one or more neurological diseases or disorders, clinical (patient-oriented) research or translational research (studies designed to move compounds or devices towards clinical use). The integrated program of research and training is expected to provide applicants with training at the forefront of science that will prepare them to launch independent research careers in areas that will advance the goals of the NINDS mission.
The application should consist of a well-conceived scientific project, integrated with a comprehensive training plan, designed by a collaborative discussion between candidate and mentor. Although not always possible, it is hoped that these discussions will begin prior to the start of the candidate's training in the laboratory to enable planned research and training to start quickly. In addition to preparing the candidate to be a subject matter and technical expert, both the project and training plans are expected to provide the candidate with a profound understanding of quantitative principles of experimental design and analysis. Moreover, the candidate's approach should consider the experimental system quantitatively to ensure a deep understanding of the potential biological (as opposed to merely statistical) significance of experimental results.
The research should differ substantially from the applicant's prior research and training experience, and should not occur in a training environment already experienced by the candidate. A significant contribution to training potential is not only the novelty of the research project and skills obtained but the interaction with different investigators, in a different environment, to learn additional ways of approaching scientific, procedural and analytical problems.
The proposed research and training plan should enhance the individual’s potential to develop into a productive, independent researcher by providing strong mentorship, appropriate training and career development opportunities, and strong institutional support and commitment. The training plan should explain how the proposed mentored research and training plan, in combination with the candidate's prior training and experience, will contribute to the individual’s research career goals. The training plan should be explicitly designed to facilitate the forward progress of the fellow’s research career towards the candidate's desired goals.
It is expected that the training experience will provide:
- Strong, active mentorship that will prepare the candidate to thrive in the scientific enterprise
- A rigorous approach to a significant research question;
- Expertise in a research area;
- The opportunity to publish the research findings as first author;
- A strong foundation in quantitative reasoning, research design, methods, statistics and analytic techniques appropriate to the proposed research;
- An understanding of, and adherence to, the principles of scientific investigation that will ensure robust and unbiased experimental design, methodology, analysis, interpretation and reporting of results;
- An expert understanding of the tools and methods used;
- Opportunities to present research findings, and interact with members of the scientific community, at national meetings as the work progresses, and
- Professional skills and scientific credentials needed to transition to the next stage of the applicant’s research career
Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) does not allow applicants to propose to lead an independent clinical trial, but does allow applicants to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a sponsor or co-sponsor.
Award budgets are composed of stipends, tuition and fees, and institutional allowance.
February 10, 2025; June 9, 2025
Tish Weigand, Ph.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Telephone: 301-496-4188
Email: letitia.weigand@nih.gov