Predoctoral Fellowships & Awards in the Biomedical Sciences

Funding Opportunities

Predoctoral Fellowships & Awards in the Biomedical Sciences

          General Resources
          Federal Fellowships (NIH, NSF and others)
          Professional & Private Organization Fellowships
          UAB Funding Sources
          Diversity Funding Initiatives
          Postdoctoral Fellowships

NOTE: The new Graduate School Incentive Program to Promote Individual Fellowship Applications will provide $250 awards to students who submit fellowship applications and $2000 additional support to students who receive a fellowship award.

General Funding and fellowship preparation Resources

          Community of Science 
          ScienceCareers.Org
               GrantsNet - funding database tailored to biomedical scientists in early career stages 
               GrantDoctor
               Career Development: Grants and Grant Writing
          UAB Office of Grants and Contracts – UAB processing and forms
          UAB Financial Affairs – Tax information regarding Fellowships & Scholarships
          UAB Graduate School Professional Development Workshops  
               Grants and Fellowships 101
               Writing Fellowships
          UAB Fellowships and Scholarships Office

Federal Funding Sources

     National Institutes of Health

• NIH Research Training Opportunities: Extramural Training Mechanisms
  
  
• NIH Kirschstein - NRSA (National Research Service Award) Individual Predoctoral Fellowships

  Individual Predoctoral Kirschstein - National Research Service Awards For M.D./PH.D. Fellowships (F30)
  Individual Predoctoral Kirschstein - NRSA Fellowships (F31)  
  Individual Predoctoral Kirschstein – NRSA Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research                        

  IMPORTANT: Note that only selected NIH Institutes offer Individual Predoctoral NRSA Fellowships.
                 Also, recipients must be US citizens or permanent residents.

  See below for Institute-specific NRSA Fellowship information:
  National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH) 
  National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)  
  National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

  National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
  National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS)
  National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
  National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)                                                                                 

• Funding for all NRSA Fellowships and Training Grants by Specific NIH Institutes
  
  
•  NRSA Stipend Levels (note that the NRSA fellowship stipend is supplemented as required with additional funds to meet current UAB stipend levels)
            FY 2008
            FY 2007
            FY2006                                                                        

• NRSA Funding Policy concerning Tuition & Benefits 

•  NIH Dissertation Awards (R36)

  Aging Research Dissertation Awards to Increase Diversity (R36)                                                                    
  AHRQ Grants for Health Services Research Dissertation (R36)                                                                       
  NIDA Drug Abuse Dissertation Research: Epidemiology, Prevention, Treatment, Services, and Women and Sex/Gender Differences (R36)
  NIMH Mental Health Dissertation Research Grants to Increase Diversity in the Mental Health Research Arena (R36)

• And for the Future – a sample of NIH Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities (see UAB OPE Funding for a complete listing)

  Individual Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowships (F32) (offered by ALL NIH Institutes)                                                                           
  NIH Pathway to Independence (PI) Award (offered by all NIH Institutes)                                                                          
  NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
  NIH LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAMS (all available to PhD as well as MD trained postdocs)

• NIH Resources

  NIH Forms and Applications 
                 Individual NRSA Forms and Instructions (PHS 416-1)
                 Individual NRSA Progress Report for Continuation Support Forms (PHS 419-9)
  Standard Application Receipt Dates (check specific Institutes for exceptions)
  NIH Center for Scientific Review  
  NIH Fellowship Study Sections 
  NIH eRA Commons
  NIH Office of Extramural Research   
  NIH Extramural Awards by State
  NIH CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects)

National Science Foundation

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants
Specialized Information for Graduate Students
NSF FastLane Introduction: NSF online application process 

Other Federal

Environmental Protection Agency Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study                
Department of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowships
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship
US Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC): Fellowships in Breast Cancer  

Private Organization Sources

Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama (research grants)
American Association of University Women*                                           
American College of Rheumatology Medical and Graduate Student Achievement Award
American Diabetes Association – Clinical Scholars Award (MD/PhD or optometry students)
American Heart Association: Southeast Affiliate*
American Lung Association*
American Medical Association Foundation Seed Grants (MD/PhD student interest)
American Physiological Society: (minority fellowships, travel awards)
APA Predoctoral Fellowships in the Neurosciences
American Society for Microbiology/CDC (minority fellowships)
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (travel, best paper awards)
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation  (summer or supplement awards)
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America* (summer or supplement awards)                                              
The Epilepsy Foundation* 
HHMI Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students (MD/PhD, DMD/PhD students)
L’Oreal Women in Science International Fellowships*       
Lupus Foundation of America* (summer or supplemental awards)
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans
PHRMA Fellowship Awards in Pharmacology (one predoc application allowed per institution)
PHRMA Fellowships in Health Outcomes Research
Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation (MD/PhD students)
* Denotes awards that are available to both US citizen and international students

UAB Funding Sources

Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program (CMFSDP) Fellowships
Howard Hughes Medical Institute-funded UAB Hughes Med to Grad Fellowship Program                                                                 
NIH Training Grants at UAB, with predoctoral positions (available soon)
Graduate School Incentive Awards to Promote Individual Predoctoral Fellowship Applications
Graduate Student Association (GSA) Travel Grants  
Graduate Student Research Day Awards (Graduate School)
Ireland Research Travel Scholarships (Graduate School)
Samuel B. Barker Awards (Graduate School)

Funding Resources to Enhance Diversity in Biomedical Research

Federal Sources

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Individual Predoctoral Kirschstein – NRSA Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
NIH Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
NIH NCI Opportunities for Training and Career Development for Minority Individuals
NIH NRSA Institutional Training Grants: Minority Supplements for NCI-Supported NRSA
NIH NAID Biodefense Research Training and Career Development Opportunities
NSF Graduate Student Travel Award (for visiting prospective postdoctoral sponsors)

Professional Society Sources

AACR Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research (travel award)                  
AACR-Women in Cancer Research Brigid G. Leventhal Scholar Awards in Cancer Research (travel awards)                                    
American Physiological Society:* (minority fellowships, travel awards)
American Psychological Association Fellowships in the Neurosciences
American Society for Cell Biology Minority Affairs Committee Awards
American Society for Microbiology Graduate Research Fellowship
FASEB/MARC Programs
FASEB MARC Travel Awards
Ford Foundation Predoctoral Diversity Fellowships
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowships
Graduate Women in Science Fellowships (supplement & travel awards)
L’Oreal Women in Science International Fellowships*                                                       
SACNAS Genome Scholars Fellowship Program
Society for Neuroscience Scholars Program
UNCF/Merck Science Initiative 

UAB Sources

Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program (CMFSDP) Fellowships

Special Interest Training Fellowships

AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowships
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowships
Grass Fellowships in Neuroscience at the Marine Biological Laboratory (14 week summer research program)
The National Academies: Internship Program in Science Policy