2023 Early Career Development Awards

Last year we introduced a pilot grants program meant to enhance the careers of our postdoctoral trainees.

Again in 2023, we will award two, one-year pilot grants of $20,000 each to postdoctoral trainees for projects based on an innovative idea that establishes a new research direction. Each award will include a $1,000 supplement to the salary of the applicant. These grants are intended to provide trainees with the experience of developing a fundable research plan that can be pursued in their current labs, or included in future job applications. The guidelines of the program are as follows:

1. Eligibility: Applicants must be Postdoctoral Associates/Fellows, Instructors, or Research Assistant Professors in the BUSM Department of Biochemistry. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received previous external research funding as a Principal Investigator.

2. The project can take the applicant’s current research as a starting point, but must represent a new and innovative direction that is developed primarily by the applicant. Projects should not merely duplicate current or planned directions of the applicant’s PI.

3. Applications should include the following: (1) A research plan of no more than three pages (including figures); (2) References (no page limit); (3) A one‐page description of the applicant’s research background, accomplishments, and career plans; and (3) A budget with no more than $10,000 of salary support for the applicant. A short justification should be included for each budget item. Documents should use 11‐point font and 1⁄2 inch margins. Applicants should also include copies of their full CV.

4. A letter of support from the applicant’s PI should be included. In addition to commenting on the applicant’s qualifications, and approving the applicant’s commitment of time to the project, the letter should attest to the fact that development of the research project and preparation of the application were the work of the applicant.