NHGRI to fund genomics education, career development

August 11, 2009

By hammersmith

NHGRI to Fund Genomics Education, Career Development

August 06, 2009

By a GenomeWeb staff reporter

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Human Genome Research Institute will fund education programs and training initiatives that are connected to specific NHGRI initiatives or are aimed at spreading new information and approaches.

The institute will provide the education funding for two distinct types of programs. NHGRI will grant up to $50,000 per year for up to three years for courses that are short and advanced-level that spread new lab techniques, methods, and analysis that is related to the institute’s mission.

The institute also will grant up to $300,000 per year for up to five years to fund research education and training initiatives that are linked to specific NHGRI initiatives, such as the Centers of Excellence in Genomic Science and large-scale sequencing and database grants.

NHGRI wants applicants for the Initiative to Maximize Research Education in Genomics program to design courses to cross-train genomics researchers, and it wants scholars involved in ethical, legal, and social implications of their research, in addition to courses in other areas. The focus should be on helping individuals transition to the next career level, remain in the sciences, pursue doctoral degrees or advanced training, and to pursue careers in genomics, said NIH.

These programs could include, but are not limited to, academic enhancement programs, career development activities, enhancements in writing scientific papers, and fellowship/grant applications, and developing scientific presentation and interviewing skills.

These courses should be targeted to those with doctoral level careers and beyond, and they should be hosted by academic or research institutions where the faculty is experienced in conducting training. They also should include established investigators or scholars in the area of instruction on the faculty, and they should be roughly two weeks in length and offered annually.