If you're thinking about research as a career path, it's important to consider the type of work that you want to do. You may think it's too early to be thinking about this, but the sooner you consider your career goals, the better you can plan for the training and experience you'll need. When you think about your career plan, it's important to give yourself enough time to participate in a variety of research experiences. This will help you learn about the type of research that excites you the most, and will help you with your overall career development process. Did you know that many institutions and government agencies offer financial support for career development? This is done through a variety of training grants and learning experiences that new researchers use to develop their career paths, and gain the skills and experience they need to work toward their goals. As you begin to explore this type of funding, the variety of sources may seem overwhelming. If you're looking for a specific type of training, be sure to ask for help in finding it. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, as well as other government agencies, offer different types of career development awards depending on your training needs. You can also investigate funding sources that are provided from foundations and other non-profit organizations. If you're looking at funding from the NIH, it's important to know that each of the institutes focus on a different type of disease. The exceptions to this are the National Center for the Advancement of Translational Science or NCATS, and the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences or NIGMS. These institutes support research broadly, and lay the foundation for advances in science that will improve human health. You can find research training support in other countries too. For example, if you want to access grants from the European Union, you can apply through the regional or national authorities in the member state where you're registered. Be sure to check out the resources page at the end of this video for information about research in other countries. As you begin to think about your research training, here are some tips to help you get started finding the best type of funding to help you meet your career goals. If you work or go to school at a college or university, begin by contacting the research office in your department. They may have information about funding that's designed for the specific type of work you're doing. You can also ask your mentors, peers, and colleagues for recommendations. They may know about funding from foundations, national organizations, or other sources that you can apply for. Faculty members at different colleges and universities can apply for grants that help support free and postdoctoral students in training. Check to see if there are institutional awards such as a T32 grant that would be right for you, and don't forget to contact the Office for Sponsored Programs at your academic institution. Their role is to coordinate grant requests, and they can often help researchers find funding opportunities. Your institution's Office of Sponsored Projects can also help you make sure that you're writing your application correctly, and are meeting the specific requirements for each funding opportunity. There are several types of funding from the US Federal Government that you can investigate when you're creating your career development plan. They fall into three broad categories; career development awards, training grants, and fellowship grants. Career development awards are also known as K series awards. This type of funding is given to senior postdoctoral fellows or people who have finished their academic training and work in faculty level positions. These awards allow scientists to gain more experience conducting research, while also obtaining additional education and training in their field. Individuals who apply for these awards identify and work with a mentoring team to help them continue their development as they build their research program. There are many types of K awards. Some provide for protected time for new researchers to have an intensive mentored research experience. Others are designed to provide independent funding that helps increase the number of new research investigators. Still others are related to specific areas like population research, child abuse and neglect, or biomedical engineering. Regardless of the focus, most K awards provide early career faculty with 3-5 years of funding to conduct independent research, and prepare them for the next stages of their career. A training grant or T32 is another type of award. It provides funds to an academic institution to develop a mentored research training program. Students in graduate programs or those who are completing a fellowship, may apply for an institutional T32. Applying for this type of funding is a bit different than a K award, because you apply for the funding at your institution and not to the NIH. Students who participate in a T32 training grant may receive a stipend, funds to help pay their tuition, and funds to support their research activities. Most training grants require students to participate in research training full-time for 1-2 years. The last category of funding is a fellowship grant or an F award. This type of award provides a mentored research experience to students and scientists at various stages of their careers. Like K awards, there are a variety of F awards that are related to the stage of training a student is in, the type of research they're doing, and for conducting international research. Fellowship grants can range from 3-6 years and require full-time participation in research activities for the duration of the grant. Applying for an F award is different than a T32, because students apply for the award directly to the NIH. Unlike the T awards, applicants usually include faculty mentors to guide their research. Applicants to this type of award are required to outline the type of research they plan to complete, as well as the training they'll receive. While finding funding for your research development might seem overwhelming, there is a lot of support available to find the grant that works best for you. Check out these resources to learn more.
