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SYNERGY Scholars

Mentored Career Development Program

 

LETTER OF INTENT (Required): Due Friday, December 20, 2013

FULL APPLICATION: Due Friday, February 7, 2014 (by 5:00 pm)

AWARD START DATE: May 1, 2014

 

 

Background

Dartmouth SYNERGY Scholars is an on-going Mentored Career Development Program, modeled on the NIH KL2 Scholars Program. The program combines didactic training, mentoring, exposure to multidisciplinary research, and ongoing evaluation to prepare junior investigators for careers in Clinical and Translational Research (CTR). The SYNERGY Scholars Program Committee anticipates that two slots will become available to begin May 1, 2014. The SYNERGY Scholars Program aims to develop future researchers and facilitate collaborative translational research studies. The Program Committee anticipates that providing funding for such studies will accelerate the development of clinical and translational research scientists, thereby having a positive impact upon our overall clinical and translational research enterprise.

 

The SYNERGY Scholars Program seeks to promote multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research initiatives. Consequently, applications that reflect a strong multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary focus will be viewed very favorably. The proposed research must meet the NIH definition of patient-oriented research—i.e., the focus of the research can be translational, mechanistic, therapeutic, clinical trials-oriented, physiological, behavioral, or epidemiologic in nature. If the research is focused on testing a drug or medical device, the SYNERGY Scholars award is restricted to only early phase pilot studies. See http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/hs/glossary.htm for a full definition of patient-oriented research and clinical trials.

 

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates for the SYNERGY Scholars Program must have a research (PhD) or health-professional doctoral (MD, DO) degree or its equivalent. Applications from women and under-represented minorities are encouraged.

The candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and must hold a regular faculty appointment at Dartmouth College at the level of Instructor, Assistant Professor, or Associate Professor. Exceptional applicants who are Research Associates or Fellows will be considered. An individual who has been approved for hire into a faculty role, but has not yet started as an employee at Dartmouth, is eligible only if there is documentation to support the hire and an anticipated start date.

Former or current PD/PIs on an NIH research project (R01), program project (P01), center grants, FIRST Awards (R29), sub-projects of program project (P01) or center grants, other career development awards (K–awards), or the equivalent are not eligible. Former principal investigators of an NIH Small Grant (R03), Exploratory/ Developmental Grant (R21), Dissertation Awards (R36), or SBIR/STTR (R34, R41, R42, R43, or R44) remain eligible.

Candidates must be able to commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort for career development and research activities associated with the SYNERGY Scholars Program for a duration of two years. The SYNERGY Scholars Program will provide funds annually to cover 75% of the individual's salary, not to exceed $100,000, plus fringe benefits. Year 2 funding is contingent upon demonstrated progress toward the Scholar’s individual career goals and continued support from mentors and the department chair. Each Candidate's department chair or supervisor must provide a supporting letter guaranteeing that the individual will have no more than 25% time committed to other non-research (e.g., clinical/teaching) duties during the period of the award.

In addition to the Candidate’s salary support, the award will provide up to $25,000 per year to cover travel, supplies, research assistant salary, and tuition expenses.

Candidates and appointed Synergy Scholars may apply for individual mentored career development awards, including NIH K-awards (e.g., K07, K08, K22, K23) or foundation training awards (e.g. ACS). If successful, the Scholar’s appointment would be supplanted by the funding received from the individual’s new external career award.

 

Please see the attached RFA for more information and application guidelines.

 

If you have additional questions please contact [log in to unmask].

 

Thank you!