Postdoctoral Fellow Awards

Page updated October 3, 2022

Deadlines

  • Accepted year-round

Purpose

This funding program provides partial support (up to 50%) for a post-doctoral research associate for NIH-R15 funded investigators at the primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). The purpose of this program is two-fold: 1) to enhance the productivity of the NIH-R15 funded faculty member during  the award period by providing full-time management of the laboratory; and 2) to train and develop new Ph.D. investigators for faculty positions at PUIs. It is expected that this support will increase the PI’s research productivity to enhance the competitiveness of subsequent R15 and/or R16 renewal applications, and will increase the pipeline of biomedical research faculty at Kentucky institutions. If a postdoctoral fellow cannot be recruited, funds may be requested for partial support of a full-time  post-baccalaureate trainee.

Eligibility

  • Faculty at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are not eligible for KY INBRE Postdoc Awards.
  • All other KY INBRE faculty who have an active NIH R15/R16 grant are eligible to apply.

Conditions

  • The PI must request the maximum allowable direct costs R15 awards ($300,000), R16 SuRE-first awards ($500,000) and R16 SuRE Awards ($400,000).
  • While Post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to teach, teaching should be limited to no more than one course per semester. The salary portion dedicated to teaching must be provided by the host institution.
  • The PI in collaboration with the recruited Post-Doctoral Fellow (or post-baccalaureate trainee) must create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that addresses the Fellow’s or trainee’s career goals and strategies to meet these goals. The plan along with annual reviews must be submitted to the KBRIN office. Guidelines for the development of IDPs and sample annual reviews may be found at the following links: IDP Guidelines; Sample Post-Doc Review
  • Institutions must provide sufficient research space and release time from teaching (at least 50%) to support the PIs NIH-R15/R16 supported research.
  • All publications must acknowledge support from NIGMS grant #P20GM103436.
  • The R15/R16 PI must submit an annual research progress report and a Post-Doctoral Fellow / Post-baccalaureate Trainee progress report to the KY INBRE office no later than January 15th.
  • Applications for support should be submitted prior to submission of the R15/R16 award (see application procedures below)

Awards

  • The maximum annual award is $33,000 (total direct cost) for support of a postdoctoral fellow or $25,000 (total direct cost) for a post-baccalaureate technician.
  • The award may only be used to cover up to 50% of the associated personnel costs (salary, fringe benefits) of a post-doctoral fellow or post-baccalaureate trainee. The remaining personal costs must be covered from the PI’s NIH R15/R16 grant and/or the institution (if teaching is expected or required).
  • The award may be renewed annually based upon meeting standard KY INBRE metrics. A third year of support will not be granted without evidence of grant related publications in refereed Pubmed type journals.
  • A facilities and administrative (F&A) cost will be allowable in addition to total direct costs.
  • All funds must be expended within the KY INBRE fiscal year between May 1st and the following April 30th.
  • A support letter indicating KY INBRE support will be provided for the applicant’s R15/R16 proposal.

Applications

Requests for Post-Doctoral Funding support should be sent via e-mail to ()  at least 30 days prior to the intended NIH R15 submission date.
The request should include:

  • the applicant’s current biosketch;
  • a one-page narrative that includes the specific aims of the research and the expected R15 proposal submission date;
  • an NIH budget page for the post-doctoral award; and
  • a support letter from the appropriate Chair, Dean, or other authorized university official.