CAIRIBU ARCTICS Community
Be part of the virtual CAIRIBU trainee community, ARCTICS (Advancing the Research Capacity of Trainees and Investigators at early-Career Stages)
Virtual CAIRIBU ARCTICS Community forums convene monthly to provide resources and skills to the next generation of benign GU investigators. STAY TUNED FOR THE 2023 SCHEDULE. Email CAIRIBU to join the planning committee
- 2022 ARCTICS Schedule
- Materials from forums below:
- August 2022 forum executive summary, Preparing for Post-Graduate Career Opportunities: fellowships, postdoctoral research positions, K12 scholarships, and others
- August 2022 forum slides from Dale Bjorling (list of NIDDK K12 Programs related to urologic research and info about the UW-Madison KURe Program)
- List of topics covered at prior forums; additional materials below:
- August 2021 forum executive summary, Becoming a Scientist – How to Know What You Need to Know, prepared by Alexis Adrian, graduate student, UW-Madison U54 Urology O’Brien Center
- RECORDINGS of prior CAIRIBU ARCTICS Community forums are on the CAIRIBU YouTube channel
Thte 2023 dkNET Summer of Data Student Program is a valuable opportunity for students to refine their research practices in rigor and reproducibility, and ultimately benefit their research projects. The application deadline for the program is April 24, 2023.
dkNET Summer of Data Student Program: https://dknet.org/about/Summer-Program
The CAIRIBU Interactions Core is launching a new initiative to connect CAIRIBU-affiliated trainees to potential mentors. The purpose of the CAIRIBU Mentorship Network was conceived by a committee of CAIRIBU trainees and ESIs. The objective is to provide an avenue beyond a trainee’s primary PI/mentor for additional individualized feedback or career advice (see the non-exhaustive list of potential topic areas below).
Potential Topics for Mentor-Mentee Relationship Discussions:
- Feedback and guidance on research questions and ideas (prior to developing specific aims)
- Feedback on portions of grant applications (e.g., specific aims page, strengths and weaknesses of approach, thoughts on how grant would be scored)
- Network building (connect mentee to others who can help their research and to key contacts in the field)
- Lab management (how to manage personnel, how to handle conflicts, etc.)
- Career advice (how to advance career, next steps)
- Negotiating salaries
- Managing expectations (how to set reasonable, achievable goals and how to avoid being overly ambitious)
- View the CAIRIBU Mentorship Packet for resources on establishing and maintaining a mentor relationship
How does the mentorship network work?
If you would like to be paired with a mentor, complete this form to specify your needs, expectations, research interests, and career goals. After you are matched with a potential mentor, you will contact the mentor to discuss whether it is a good mutual fit. If so, you will set up and maintain communications between you and your mentor.
New Complimentary Course for AUA Members
Mentors include Drs. Dolores Lamb, Li Xin, and Margo Damaser
Learn more
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GRANT WRITING
INSTITUTIONAL GRANT WRITING RESOURCES
Many institutions have grant writing resources to help investigators and students through the grant application process. Check out this list of institution-specific grant writing resources at CAIRIBU-affiliated institutions.
Pre-Award Resources:
- Getting started? Watch this VIDEO that covers the basics of the NIH grants process.
- Example Grant Applications – Find examples of applications including R01, R03 and K01 grants.
- Comparing Popular Research Project Grants—R01, R03, or R21 – Learn more about the different types of NIH grants including which might be right for your research idea.
- Types of Applications – Learn more about the types of NIH applications and specific submission requirements for each type.
- Contacting NIH Staff – Read more about which NIH staff member can help you at each phase of the application and award process.
- Search funding or find similarly funded projects with the NIH’s RePORTER Matchmaker tool.
- NIDDK Research Areas – Urology – Learn more about the urology-related topics and research that NIDDK supports. For additional information on clinical studies supported by NIDDK, go HERE or visit the Kidney and Urological Systems Function and Dysfunction – KUFD study section.
- Study Section Selection – Assisted Referral Tool (ART) – The Assisted Referral Tool (ART) was developed by the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) to identify study sections that might be assigned to review your application. Enter your project title and a brief description to get matched with relevant study sections and review their rosters.
- All About Grants Podcast: Considerations for a Research Plan – In this NIH “All About Grants” episode a duo of NIH program officers, Drs. Lillian Kuo from the National Cancer Institute and Kentner Singleton from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, share their advice and experience on developing a research plan for a grant application. They discuss the relationship between the specific aims and research strategy, provide suggestions for when you sit down to start writing, and share common pitfalls.
- Center for Scientific Review (CSR) – Since 1946, the CSR has worked to see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews—free from inappropriate influences – so NIH can fund the most promising research.
- NIDDK 2021 Award Funding Policy – Find NIDDK budget data, funding guidelines, and more.
- NIH Peer Review: “Live” Mock Study Section – Learn more about the review process and get an idea of what happens during the review, during the discussion, what topics might come up
Form Help:
- PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form Walk-through – This video walks you through the FORMS-F version of the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form used for NIH grant application due dates on or after May 25, 2020. This form is used to collect detailed study-level information for the protocols included in NIH grant applications.
Post-Award Resources:
- Ever Wondered What Happens During the Scientific Review of an NIH Grant Application? – Understanding how peer review works is key to writing a good grant application. In this 44-minute video, NIH Peer Review: “Live” Mock Study Section, scientists have gathered virtually to review three fictional applications in response to a fictional Request For Applications. Watch their discussion to learn how applications are scored, what questions are commonly asked, and what mistakes to avoid in your application.
- Already funded? Find tips to stay funded.
GRANTS.GOV
- Learn the basics of grants including the grant lifecycle, grant policies, grant terminology, and more
OTHER PROPOSAL WRITING RESOURCES
- Developing Competitive Proposals – Grants Resource Center
- A Proposal Writing Short Course – Foundation Center
- Updates on recording ‘Other Support’ when applying for federal grants
Source: Office of Research and Sponsored Program, University of Northern Colorado
MENTORING
Find the mentor toolkit developed by UW-Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research HERE.
- Get the most out of your mentor relationship. Craft an Individual Development Plan (IDP) together with your mentor to help you identify the skills, competencies, and relevant projects necessary for you to further your career goals.
OTHER RESOURCES
Connect to online resources
- Thriving as an Early-Stage Investigator: The Untold Do’s and Don’ts
- Hypothesis Center Live Demo, a dkNET webinar. dkNET is a search portal that helps researchers find research resources relevant to their research and keep up to date on new tools, services and mandates to support robust and reproducible science”