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Cancer Center

Fellowship Award Writing Course | UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Fellowship Award Writing

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The Fellowship Award Writing course is a hands-on experience for pre- and postdoctoral scholars wanting to apply to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an individual National Research Service Award (NRSA). Course details will be posted in late 2025 and offered in Winter and Spring 2026

Why Get an F?

  • Receive stipend and tuition
  • Establish your credibility
  • Update yourself on the literature
  • Identify the key impact of your research and its funding potential
  • Improve critical grant writing skills early in your career
  • Practice communicating succinctly about your research
  • Foster new collaborations
F Award Types

F30

Dual degrees (matriculated in a combined M.D./Ph.D. or other dual-doctoral degree training program e.g. D.D.S./Ph.D., AuD/Ph.D., D.V.M./Ph.D.)

F31

Ph.D.'s (enrolled in a research doctoral degree program and enhance workforce diversity)

F32

Postdocs (individuals who have received a doctoral degree and are engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training)

Participants will gain a solid understanding of the creative, scientific, organizational and administrative aspects of preparing a competitive fellowship application. To help develop this understanding, along with discussing key elements of the proposal, participants will write, revise, and prepare an F series NIH grant application with constructive input from peers and individual mentors. At the end of the program, participants will have a completed, well-reviewed application ready for submission to the NIH.

This program is open to all UC Davis pre- and postdoctoral scholars, with priority given to cancer-focus scholars and translational researchers.

Mentor participation is a required part of the program. Pre- and postdoctoral scholars must have the support of their mentor(s) in order to participate. Each scholar’s mentors must:

  • Write a letter of support for their mentee to attend all class meetings of the F Award Writing Course
  • Pledge to complete reviews and submit timely feedback to each application component
  • Agree to attend the first class meeting as well as the Mentor’s Letter Writing class (see schedule for detail)

The program combines lecture, discussion, individual work and small group reviews on all application components. Considerable time is devoted to case-by-case presentations and evaluation/discussion of F award components prepared by individual scholars. This interactive group effort provides friendly, but straightforward, feedback toward the goal of submitting a competitive F application. Participants will also hear experiences from past awardees.

The program begins with building an understanding of the NIH funding mechanisms, how F awards can support career development and what receiving an F award entails. Following the NIH application form, participants will learn the requirements and nuances of each application component and draft their responses. Each component will be reviewed by small groups of fellow participants and by each participant’s mentor. The program closes with participants learning UC Davis’ submission requirements, systems and steps.