Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Required)

Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Required) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). Assists NINDS intramural clinician-scientists in transitioning to independent academic faculty positions.

PAR-25-216: Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Required) This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities. Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. Department of Health and Human Services Part 1.

Overview Information Participating Organization(s) National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Components of Participating Organizations National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Funding Opportunity Title Career Transition Award for NINDS Intramural Clinician-Scientists (K22 Clinical Trial Required) K22 Career Transition Award March 31, 2025 - This funding opportunity was updated to align with agency priorities.

Carefully reread the full funding opportunity and make any needed adjustments to your application prior to submission. April 4, 2024 - Overview of Grant Application and Review Changes for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2025. See Notice NOT-OD-24-084 August 31, 2022 - Implementation Changes for Genomic Data Sharing Plans Included with Applications Due on or after January 25, 2023.

See Notice NOT-OD-22-198 . August 5, 2022 - Implementation Details for the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy. See Notice NOT-OD-22-189 .

Funding Opportunity Number (FON) Companion Funding Opportunity See Section III. 3. Additional Information on Eligibility .

Assistance Listing Number(s) Funding Opportunity Purpose This NINDS K22 is specifically designed to facilitate the transition of NINDS intramural neurologist- and neurosurgeon-scientists to independent, academic faculty positions that support clinician-scientists to engage in independently funded scientific research as well as clinical activities.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for applicants proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary study to an existing trial, as part of their research and career development.

Applicants not planning an independent clinical trial, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, must apply to companion NOFO ( PAR-25-215 ).

Funding Opportunity Announcement Goal(s) To support extramural research funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) including: basic research that explores the fundamental structure and function of the brain and the nervous system; research to understand the causes and origins of pathological conditions of the nervous system with the goal of preventing these disorders; research on the natural course of neurological disorders; improved methods of disease prevention; new methods of diagnosis and treatment; drug development; development of neural devices; clinical trials; and research training in basic, translational and clinical neuroscience.

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) The following table includes NIH standard due dates marked with an asterisk. Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed) AIDS - New/Renewal/Resubmission/Revision, as allowed All applications are due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the submission process by the due date.

Required Application Instructions It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Career Development (K) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this NOFO or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts ). Conformance to all requirements (both in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the NOFO) is required and strictly enforced.

Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV . When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the How to Apply - Application Guide , follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

There are several options available to submit your application through Grants. gov to NIH and Department of Health and Human Services partners. You must use one of these submission options to access the application forms for this opportunity.

Use the NIH ASSIST system to prepare, submit and track your application online. Use an institutional system-to-system (S2S) solution to prepare and submit your application to Grants. gov and eRA Commons to track your application.

Check with your institutional officials regarding availability. Workspace to prepare and submit your application and eRA Commons to track your application. Part 1.

Overview Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description Section II.

Award Information Other Award Budget Information Section III. Eligibility Information Section IV. Application and Submission Information Section V.

Application Review Information Section VI. Award Administration Information Section VII. Agency Contacts Section VIII.

Other Information Part 2. Full Text of Announcement Section I. Funding Opportunity Description The overall purpose of the NIH Research Career Development program is to help ensure that a pool of highly trained scientists is available in appropriate scientific disciplines to address the Nation's biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs.

NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) support a variety of mentored and non-mentored career development award programs designed to foster the transition of new investigators to research independence and to support established investigators in achieving specific objectives. Candidates should review the different career development (K) award programs to determine the best program to support their goals.

More information about Career programs may be found at the NIH Research Training and Career Development website. The goal of the Career Transition Award (K22) is to provide support to newly trained basic or clinical investigators to develop their research skills through a two phase program: an initial period involving an intramural position at the NIH and a subsequent period of support at an extramural institution.

The award is intended to facilitate the establishment of a record of independent research by the candidate in order to sustain or promote a productive, independent research career. The goal of this NINDS K22 program is to foster the integration of highly skilled, NIH-trained neurologists and neurosurgeons into the pool of clinicians-scientists conducting neuroscience research at institutions across the country.

This funding opportunity is available to licensed neurologists and neurosurgeons in the NINDS intramural program who are within 4 years of completion of residency or clinical fellowship. For this 5-year award, recipients may spend up to 2 years in the intramural phase, with the balance (3 years or more) in the extramural phase.

The entire award is intended to be mentored, but a transition to independence is strongly encouraged during the extramural phase of the award (see: Transition to the Extramural Phase in Section VI of this NOFO).

In order to transition to the extramural phase, recipients must obtain a faculty position at an academic institution that will provide a minimum of 9 person-months (75% of full-time professional effort) to neurologists or 6 person-months (50% full time professional effort) for neurosurgeons that is entirely dedicated to research.

In addition, the extramural institution must provide access to the resources, and have appropriate mentor(s), needed for completion of the K22 award research project and development of a strong application for an NIH R01 or equivalent award.

This extramural position should either be a tenure-track position or an equivalent, secure faculty position, which includes a strong institutional commitment that will facilitate progress towards a successful dual career as clinician and research scientist.

In order to obtain the 5th year of K22 funding, recipients must work with their institutions to submit an NIH R01, DP1 or R21 application, as PD/PI, by the end of the 4th year of the K22 award.

This NOFO is intended to facilitate the transition of NINDS intramural clinician-scientists to independent, academic faculty positions that support clinician-scientists to engage in independently funded scientific research as well as clinical activities. As such, candidates should develop, with their mentors, a comprehensive, coherent career development plan to gain the knowledge and skills required to succeed in such positions.

Components of the plan should include, grant-writing and oral presentation, specialized coursework if needed, and strong expertise in experimental design and statistical methodology.

Regardless of their research question or approach, candidates should obtain a fundamental understanding of the requirements for experimental rigor (see, for example, NOT-NS-11-023 and the related NINDS Transparency in Reporting guidance ) and build such rigorous processes into their research project.

Proposed career development experiences might include networking with key researchers in their field, both nationally and internationally, attendance at workshops designed to enhance specialized knowledge and skills, and presentations at national and international meetings.

Candidates should also receive guidance on administrative skills associated with an independent research career at an extramural institution, which may include, managing a laboratory, managing a budget, managing personnel, recruitment of human subjects, organizing multiple sites for clinical research activities, etc. In concert with the career development plan, candidates should also propose a well-conceived research plan that investigates a highly significant, scientific problem within the NINDS mission.

The proposed initial phase of the research to be conducted at the NIH intramural program should be designed to continue at an extramural academic institution during the second phase of the research.

Projects that require special resources available only at the NIH intramural program are acceptable if 1) collaborative efforts with NIH staff can be maintained, 2) it is clearly feasible to continue timely research activity that requires these resources, and 3) collaborators and the NINDS scientific director commit to the continued collaboration.

Regardless of whether special NIH resources are necessary to continue the project in the extramural phase, a significant component of the proposed project must belong to the candidate, such that they are free to pursue the project at an extramural institution without competition from the mentor(s) at NIH.

As this is a mentored, career-development award, candidates should have one or more mentors who will fulfill all of the candidate's career development needs. Mentors are expected to contribute to the successful completion of all career development plan components, as well as provide guidance on choosing, and negotiating for, an appropriate extramural position.

Note: This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is designed specifically for candidates proposing to serve as the lead investigator of an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or a separate ancillary clinical trial, as part of their research and career development.

Those not planning an independent clinical trial, or proposing to gain research experience in a clinical trial led by another investigator, must apply to companion NOFO ( PAR-25-215 ). Investigators proposing NIH-defined clinical trials may refer to the Research Methods Resources website for information about developing statistical methods and study designs. See Section VIII.

Other Information for award authorities and regulations. Section II. Award Information Grant: A financial assistance mechanism providing money, property, or both to an eligible entity to carry out an approved project or activity.

Application Types Allowed The OER Glossary and the How to Apply - Application Guide provides details on these application types. Required: Only accepting applications that propose an independent clinical trial(s). Need help determining whether you are doing a clinical trial?

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Award budgets are composed of salary and other program-related expenses, as described below. The total project period may not exceed 5 years.

Other Award Budget Information During the intramural support years, salary will be consistent with that provided by the intramural programs for other investigators in the same position. During the extramural support years, NINDS will contribute up to $125,000 per year toward the salary of the career award recipient. Further guidance on budgeting for career development salaries is provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

See also NOT-OD-17-094 . The total NIH contribution to salary may not exceed the legislatively mandated salary cap. See: http://grants.

nih. gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary. htm .

Other Program-Related Expenses During the intramural support years, the NINDS intramural program will contribute $25,000 per year towards the research career development costs of the award recipient.

During the extramural support years, NINDS will contribute $50,000 per year toward the research development costs of the award recipient, which must be justified and consistent with the stage of development of the candidate and the proportion of time to be spent in research or career development activities. Salary for mentors, secretarial and administrative assistants, etc. is not allowed.

Indirect Costs (also known as Facilities & Administrative [F&A] Costs) are reimbursed at 8% of modified total direct costs. NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made from this NOFO. Section III.

Eligibility Information Higher Education Institutions Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education Private Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education) For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses) City or Township Governments Special District Governments Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized) Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized) Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government U.S. Territory or Possession Only NINDS may apply for the initial mentored phase of the K22 mechanism on behalf of intramural neurologists or neurosurgeons.

NINDS is not eligible to apply for the extramural phase of the award. Public and private institutions of higher education, as well as For-profit and Non-profit institutions affiliated with a medical school, may serve as institutions for the extramural phase of the award only after an initial award is made to the NINDS intramural applicant. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Organizations) are not eligible to apply.

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply. Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement , are not allowed. Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the How to Apply - Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award.

All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. Failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission, please reference NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.

3. 9. 2 Electronically Submitted Applications for additional information.

System for Award Management (SAM) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least annually . The renewal process may require as much time as the initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already been assigned a CAGE Code.

NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code – Foreign organizations must obtain an NCAGE code (in lieu of a CAGE code) in order to register in SAM. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) - A UEI is issued as part of the SAM. gov registration process.

The same UEI must be used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application. eRA Commons - Once the unique organization identifier is established, organizations can register with eRA Commons in tandem with completing their Grants. gov registration; all registrations must be in place by time of submission.

eRA Commons requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to submit an application. Grants. gov – Applicants must have an active SAM registration in order to complete the Grants.

gov registration. Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s)) All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons.

If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks. All PD(s)/PI(s) must be registered with ORCID .

The personal profile associated with the PD(s)/PI(s) eRA Commons account must be linked to a valid ORCID ID. For more information on linking an ORCID ID to an eRA Commons personal profile see the ORCID topic in our eRA Commons online help .

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal Investigator) Candidates must be within 4 years of completion of residency or clinical fellowship for the initial application and within 5 years of completion of residency or clinical fellowship for any amended applications. This NOFO is restricted to individuals who are clinically licensed, neurologists or neurosurgeons in the NINDS intramural program.

Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to work with their mentor and organization to develop an application for support (see specific information available for intramural candidates on the Electronic Submission Intranet – link available only to users internal to NIH). Multiple PDs/PIs are not allowed.

By the time of award, the individual must be a citizen or a non-citizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (i.e., possess a currently valid Permanent Resident Card USCIS Form I-551, or other legal verification of such status). Candidates for the K22 award must have a clinical doctorate (including MD, DO, or equivalent clinical doctoral degree), or a clinical and research doctoral degree.

Individuals must be in the career development phase of development; individuals who are independent researchers are not eligible for this award. This NOFO does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 1. 2 Definitions of Terms .

3. Additional Information on Eligibility Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct, and each is from a different candidate. NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time per NIH Grants Policy Statement Section 2.

3. 7. 4 Submission of Resubmission Application .

An individual may not have two or more competing NIH career development applications pending review concurrently. In addition, NIH will not accept: A new (A0) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of an overlapping new (A0) or resubmission (A1) application.

A resubmission (A1) application that is submitted before issuance of the summary statement from the review of the previous new (A0) application. An application that has substantial overlap with another application pending appeal of initial peer review. (See NIH Grants Policy Statement 2.

3. 9. 4 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications ).

Candidates may not submit research project grant (RPG) applications, or have RPG applications pending council review, concurrently with the K application. Individuals are NOT eligible to apply if they had any individual NIH career development award, or have pending an application for any other PHS career development award or a Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00).

Individuals are not eligible to apply if they have been or are currently a PD/PI on an NIH research grant (such as R01, R03, R21, P01) or a Project Lead on a Program Project (P01) or Center Grant (P50), or a non-NIH equivalent to these grants/awards. At the time of award, the candidate must have a “full-time” appointment at the organization.

Neurologists are required to commit a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort (i.e., a minimum of 9 person-months) and neurosurgeons are required to commit a minimum of 50% of full-time professional effort (i.e., a minimum of 6 person-months) to their program of career development.

Candidates may engage in other duties as part of their remaining full-time professional effort not covered by this award, as long as such duties do not interfere with or detract from the proposed career development program. Candidates who have VA appointments may not consider part of the VA effort toward satisfying the full time requirement at the applicant institution.

Candidates with VA appointments should contact the staff person in the relevant Institute or Center prior to preparing an application to discuss their eligibility. After the receipt of the award, adjustments to the required level of effort may be made in certain circumstances. See NOT-OD-18-156 and NIH Grants Policy Statement , Section 12.

3. 6. 4 Temporary Adjustments to the Percent Effort Requirement for more details.

Before submitting the application, the candidate must identify a mentor at NINDS who will supervise the proposed career development and research experience. The mentor should be an active investigator in the area of the proposed research and be committed both to the career development of the candidate and to the direct supervision of the candidate's research.

The mentor must document the availability of sufficient research support and facilities for high-quality research. Candidates are encouraged to identify more than one mentor, i.e., a mentoring team, if this is deemed advantageous for providing expert advice in all aspects of the research career development program.

In particular, candidates are strongly advised to involve a co-mentor at an extramural institution who can guide the applicant with regard to obtaining an extramural position and leading a research group in an extramural institution. The primary mentor should have a successful track record of mentoring individuals at the candidate's career stage.

The mentor(s) or mentoring team must demonstrate appropriate expertise, experience, and ability to guide the applicant in the organization, management and implementation of the proposed research and clinical trial.

Institutional Environment Both the intramural and extramural environments must have strong, well-established records of research and career development activities and faculty qualified to serve as mentors in biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research. Section IV. Application and Submission Information 1.

Requesting an Application Package Buttons to access the online ASSIST system or to download application forms are available in Part 1 of this NOFO. See your administrative office for instructions if you plan to use an institutional system-to-system solution. 2.

Content and Form of Application Submission It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the Career Development (K) Instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide except where instructed in this notice of funding opportunity to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the How to Apply - Application Guide is required and strictly enforced.

Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review. For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions – Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications . All page limitations described in the How to Apply - Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.

Instructions for Application Submission The following section supplements the instructions found in the How to Apply - Application Guide and should be used for preparing an application to this NOFO. All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. SF424(R&R) Project/Performance Site Locations All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

Other Project Information All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. Include a description of your current research and the research you propose to continue in the independent phase. SF424(R&R) Senior/Key Person Profile Expanded All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed. PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form The PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form is comprised of the following sections: Other Candidate Information Mentor, Co-Mentor, Consultant, Collaborators Environment & Institutional Commitment to the Candidate Other Research Plan Sections All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: Candidate Information and Goals for Career Development Describe the candidate’s commitment, as evidenced by prior history and future plans, to a career in a biomedical or behavioral research field relevant to the mission of the NINDS.

Describe how the prior and current training and research efforts of the candidate relate to this commitment. Provide evidence of the candidate's potential to develop into a successful independent investigator. Usually this is evident from publications, prior research interests and experience, and reference letters.

Describe all of the candidate's professional responsibilities at NINDS and elsewhere and show their relationship to the proposed activities on the career award. Describe the candidate's clinical experience and ability to combine a research and clinical career. Describe the candidate's plan for transition to an extramural position that combines clinical and research opportunities.

If applicable, describe the candidate's ability to organize, manage, and implement the proposed clinical trial, feasibility or ancillary clinical trial. If applicable, describe the candidate's prior efforts, interests and experience in clinical trials research.

Career Goals and Objectives​ Describe a systemic plan: (1) that shows logical progression from prior research and training experiences to the research and career development experiences that will occur during the career award period and then to independent investigator status; and (2) that justifies the need for further career development to become an independent investigator.

This should be framed as a gap-based plan, whereby the candidate describes the strengths and weaknesses in their research, skills and knowledge, and describes a plan to fill in the training gaps required to launch a highly successful research career. Describe the candidate's current and long-term research and career objectives.

The candidate must demonstrate they have received training or will participate in courses such as: data management, epidemiology, study design (including statistics), hypothesis development, drug development, etc., as well as the legal and ethical issues associated with research on human subjects and clinical trials.

Candidate’s Plan for Career Development/Training Activities During Award Period A systematic plan should be presented for obtaining the background, research experience, and career development activities necessary to launch an independent research career. Describe current activities and how they relate to the candidate's career development plans and career goals.

Describe proposed activities, e.g., those that will lead to new and/or enhanced research skills and knowledge, as well as necessary professional skills such as grant-writing, communication and leadership. The career development plan must be specifically tailored to meet the needs of the candidate and the goal of achieving independence as a researcher.

Describe the professional responsibilities/activities, including other research projects that fall outside of the minimum commitment to the K22 award activities of 9 person-months (75% full-time professional effort) for neurologists and 6 person-months (50% full time professional effort) for neurosurgeons.

The total time required for these non-K22 activities should be explicitly described, with the time devoted to each explicitly stated. Explain how these responsibilities/activities will help ensure career progression to achieve independence as an investigator.

Describe planned didactic components, workshops, meetings, collaborative activities and other relevant research and educational activities that will contribute to the research career development of the candidate. Describe specific activities, in detail, that will provide a solid understanding of the fundamentals of experimental design, statistical methodology, data analysis and scientific rigor.

This description must include formal activities, engaged in previously or planned, that will provide the candidate with strong expertise in experimental design and the breadth of statistical methodologies relevant for different types of biomedical research.

Describe the specific activities designed to obtain a practical knowledge of the administrative skills associated with an independent research career in an extramural environment, which may include, as applicable, managing a laboratory, managing a budget, managing personnel, recruitment of human subjects, organizing multiple sites for clinical research activities, combining a clinical practice with research career, etc. The mentor, or mentorship team mentors, who will oversee this part of the career development plan should be explicitly named.

A timeline is strongly encouraged. This timeline should include expectations for activities that will be completed in the first phase (intramural) and the second phase (extramural) of the award.

Of particular importance is a description of the timeline of achieving milestones, such as what experiments will be required for an initial publication, expectations for minor and/or major publications as they relate to the research plan, any anticipated productivity requirements for obtaining an extramural position, etc. Applicants are strongly encouraged to form an active advisory committee (or mentoring team) to assist with the development of the program of study and to monitor the candidate's progress during the career development program.

Moreover, it is highly recommended that this advisory committee contain at least one extramural investigator who can provide career guidance on transitioning to an extramural position. If such a team is formed, applicants should describe the anticipated makeup of the committee, the planned frequency of meetings and group vs individual expectations for advisory committee members.

Describe the specific plan for transition to the extramural phase of the award.

This plan should include information on 1) the expected timing of the transition, 2) the type of position that will be sought, 3) what niche the applicant hopes to fill in an extramural position, 4) what special resources would be required at the extramural institution for the successful continuation of the research and what resources, if any, might be unique and require collaboration with NINDS (if no unique resources are needed this should be clearly stated), and 5) other information the applicant deems pertinent.

All instructions in the How to Apply - Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions: The research plan must span both phases of the award. The candidate should clearly indicate the research planned for each phase.

This narrative should describe what the candidate will accomplish during the mentored phase research that will enable them to launch an independent research program (i.e., what does the candidate still need to accomplish during the mentored phase in order to obtain an extramural faculty position, launch a successful independent research career and submit a competitive NIH grant application).

The proposed research plan should be described within the context of the scientific literature already in existence related to the project. This description should convey a mastery of the scientific literature relevant to the project, as well as the rigor of the papers that are cited as key evidence in support of the proposed project.

The application must also describe the relationship between the mentor’s research and the candidate’s proposed research plan. If more than