Grants Facilitation

KOHORT K Award Program 2024

KOHORT is a five-month program solely for postdocs and early-stage investigators (ESI; having had no prior NIH R-series research award funding). This program is developed and led by the School of Medicine Office of Research Grants Facilitation Unit (GFU). KOHORT is designed to provide investigators with a solid foundation in creating, submitting, and receiving a career development award (K01, K08, K23, K99/R00, etc.) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is not suitable for investigators writing research (R-series) proposals for NIH or for people writing career development proposals for NSF or other extramural funding agencies or foundations.

Mentors are expected to participate actively with their mentee in KOHORT and will be compensated for their efforts. This involves: 1) participation in at least two KOHORT writing group discussions; 2) review of mentee grant application sections throughout the duration of KOHORT; and 3) final discussion of application after mock study section with outside reviewers.

Key Features

  • Regular peer feedback
  • Drafts due bi-weekly for group discussion
  • Group coaching
  • NIH-style mock review

Assistance Provided

  • Critical review for clarity and coherency
  • Feedback from colleagues outside your niche
  • Effective communication
  • NIH-style mock review

Sections To Be Written

  • Biosketch
  • Specific aims
  • Significance and innovation
  • Approach and references
  • Candidate background
  • Career training plan
  • Other NIH form pages

Eligibility

  • Postdoctoral scholars
  • Clinical fellows
  • Junior faculty

Preference is given to investigators associated with UC Davis School of Medicine.

Expectations

Program participants are expected to:

  • Devote five hours per week to writing
  • Already have a research plan
  • Already have a mentor for the K-award
  • Submit their proposal within six months of completion of the KOHORT program

Application Process

Please complete an application form and email a single PDF of the required materials to Tracy Huff at tahuff@ucdavis.edu by February 15, 2024. All applications will be thoroughly reviewed, and candidates will be informed of their inclusion in the KOHORT program by March 15, 2024. KOHORT will begin on April 18, 2024.