Training Grants -NEED TO EDIT IS OUTDATED
The BRET Office can help with the creation of both training grant (T32) and Fellowship (F31/F32) applications. Part of these grant applications deals with the specific training plans, and that will be the responsibility of the PI applicant. However, a substantial fraction of these applications require extensive information about the institution, training and educational support, and outcomes of previous training activities. The BRET office has compiled text about institutional resources and outcomes, which is available below. This material is divided into three sections: material primarily for training grant applications, material for fellowship applications, and finally, material, which is relevant to both types of training support.
Click on the links below to JUMP to the text and supporting documents. Please use the linked documents as is, or in a modified form, in your applications. Please contact grantsatbret@vanderbilt.edu if you have any questions about the information presented here.
Relevant for Training Grants and Fellowships
Relevant for...
BRET office: Describes the history, structure, and activities of the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training
BRET Training Grant Text
BRET office: Describes the history, structure, and activities of the Office of Biomedical Research Education and Training
The NIH encourages all graduate and postdoctoral training programs in the biomedical sciences to provide trainees with exposure to, and preparation for, a range of research- and research-related careers in academia, industry, and other sectors. From the NIH Parent Announcement regarding T32s (PA-18-403; NIGMS T32s PAR-17-341):
The career outcomes of individuals supported by National Research Service Award (NRSA) training programs include both research-intensive careers in academia and industry and research-related careers in various sectors, e.g., academic institutions, government agencies, for-profit businesses, and private foundations. Training programs should make available structured, career development advising and learning opportunities (e.g., workshops, discussions, Individual Development Plans). Through such opportunities, trainees would obtain a working knowledge of various potential career directions that make strong use of the knowledge and skills gained during research training and the steps required to transition successfully to the next stage of their chosen career.
The PD/PI should describe program activities intended to develop the working knowledge needed for trainees to select among and prepare for the next step in varied research-intensive and research-related career options available in the biomedical workforce. For example, programs should provide all trainees with instruction and training in oral and written presentation, leadership skills, and in skills needed to apply for individual fellowship or grant support. All postdoctoral trainees should also be provided with instruction in laboratory and project management.The BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program was launched in 2006 to provide career and professional development resources for VUMC PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, The BRET OCD offers an annual Career Symposium, monthly PhD Career Connections seminars, and other activities to expose trainees to a range of career options and facilitate connections with alumni and employers.This document describes the history, structure, and activities of the BRET Office of Career Development: Career Development Boiler Plate Document
Supporting documents:
- Description of Institutional Support for Career Development – letter from the Dean
- The Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program has created an Annual Report to document all initiatives provided in the previous academic year (See current and past reports here.)
- The Annual Career Symposium is a large event to bring together PhD students and postdocs for a day of career and professional development. The annual symposium is typically attended by 300-600+ trainees, and is held at the end of May every year. Educating trainees about career opportunities is an important activity of training programs. Trainees are educated about various career options in part by an annual career symposium day sponsored by the Office of Career Development in the Biomedical Research, Education and Training office at VUSM. Pooling support for this event from multiple training grants with support provided by the institution provides an efficient way to deliver career and professional development learning experiences to our trainee population. Resource pooling allows each training grant to benefit to a level that none could achieve individually (See upcoming and past symposia details here.)
- Teaching Opportunities: Describes the teaching opportunities open to VUSM graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Included are descriptions of the activities of the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach and the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching.
Evaluation of Trainee Outcomes: Describes the formal mechanisms in place by the BRET Office to evaluate trainee satisfaction, track program outcomes, and data storage & security. T32 directors will want to include information about their own individual program evaluation plans.
Individual Development Plans (IDPs): Describes the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine IDP requirements for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Download a template of the Student Individual Development Plan.
Download a template of the Postdoc Individual Development Plan.
Document required annually for all postdoctoral fellows. Contains descriptive introduction. Please note: this is a sample IDP. Postdocs will automatically receive an electronic IDP to complete for their reappointments.
Institutional Description: Describes the research capacity of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, including NIH funding statistics and physical space.
Recruitment of Underrepresented Students: Describes the programs in place at VU to increase diversity in the sciences.
Responsible Conduct of Research: Describes all RCR activities which satisfy NIH requirements. You may copy as much as you see fit.
The following material reflects Vanderbilt and NIH policies for training in the Responsible Conduct of Research. This can serve as an integral component of Vanderbilt’s RCR training for T32 applications. In order to follow NIH instructions for T32 applications, it will be necessary to customize for the specifics of each individual application. Directors of training grants are welcome to use as much of this material as they please, but we caution again that you will need to individualize for the needs of each program. Individuals writing F31/32 applications may wish to draw upon this information as they see fit. However, please be aware that the mentor of the F31/32 applicant needs to be explicit in their contribution to the overall RCR training for the student/postdoc.
Biosafety Training: Describes the comprehensive biosafety training and programs that are offered for all trainees at Vanderbilt.
Supporting documents:
RCR documents useful for grant preparation
RCR Training Day and listing of previous events
Biosafety Training: Describes the comprehensive biosafety training and programs that are offered for all trainees at Vanderbilt.
Postdoctoral Training: Describes the programs and activities in place to support postdoctoral training at Vanderbilt, including the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association, and the Individual Development Plan.
Predoctoral Recruiting: Please contact Barbara Fingleton for the IGP, Ray Blind for the QCB, and Megan Williams for the MSTP.
IGP: Describes the history, structure, and curriculum of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program, the umbrella program under which most first-year graduate students are recruited and trained.
QCB: Describes the history, structure, and curriculum of the Quantitative and Chemical Biology program.
IGP and QCB Admissions and Outcomes Data: Admissions information on our students and career outcomes information on our graduates.