Program Plan

Program Plan instructions and required components may vary by NIH Institute, Center, and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Applicants should always review the specific FOA and Institute-specific guidance before preparing this section.

A. Background

State the overall goals and specific, measurable objectives of the research training program, ensuring they align with the Program Objective of the funding opportunity.
Provide the rationale and need for the proposed research training program, including relevant background and scientific context.
Describe how the program will develop a pool of well-trained scientists with the technical, operational, professional, and ethical skills needed to conduct rigorous and reproducible research and pursue careers in the biomedical research workforce.
Explain how the proposed program enhances the existing research training environment and provides value beyond financial support for trainees.
Describe how the proposed program complements and integrates with existing research training activities at UCSD.
Summarize the research training activities and strengths of the major participating departments, programs, and faculty.

Summarize Data in Tables 1-3
Table 1: Participating Depts./Programs
Describe:

The organization of the proposed training program.
Participating departments, programs, and training units.
The involvement of faculty and trainees in grant-supported activities.
Relationships among participating units and how they contribute to the training environment.

Table 2: Participating Faculty
Describe:

The distribution of participating faculty by academic rank, department, and research area.
The rationale for selecting participating faculty.
The overall experience of faculty in training predoc and/or postdoctoral researchers.
The breadth of expertise represented among program faculty, including faculty at different career stages, from multiple disciplines, and with complementary scientific perspectives that support the program's training goals.
Any participating faculty whose mentoring records indicate limited recent training experience and how they will contribute effectively to trainee development.

Table 3: Institutional T32 Grants
Summarize:

The overall level of research training support available at the institution.
Any substantial overlap of participating faculty across institutional training grants.
How the proposed program complements existing training programs while avoiding unnecessary duplication of training activities.

B. Program Plan
a. Program Administration

Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI)
Describe:

The PD/PI's qualifications to lead the training program, including scientific expertise, active research, administrative leadership, and experience in research training.
The PD/PI's commitment to the program, including the percent effort devoted to administration, oversight, and trainee development.
How the PD/PI will provide scientific and administrative leadership to achieve the program goals and objectives.

Administrative Structure
Describe:

The administrative structure of the training program.
The roles and responsibilities of the PD/PI(s), program leadership, and key personnel.
The strategy used to administer and oversee the program, including monitoring trainee progress, evaluating program effectiveness, and ensuring successful completion of training objectives.
The processes for obtaining ongoing advice and program oversight, such as Internal and/or External Advisory Committees, if applicable.
The process for trainee appointments, reappointments, and mentor selection and oversight.
The scientific expertise, funded research accomplishments, and administrative experience that support effective program leadership.

Multiple PD/PI Applications (if applicable)
Describe:

The rationale for the multiple PD/PI leadership structure.
How the multiple PD/PI model enhances program administration and scientific leadership.
The governance, communication, and decision-making process among PD/PIs.
Include the required Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan.
For renewal applications, explain any changes to the PD/PI structure or leadership team.

b. Program Faculty
Summarize Table 2: Participating Faculty
Describe:

Each faculty member's research that is relevant to the program and how trainees will participate in that research.
The extent to which participating faculty have cooperated, interacted, and collaborated, including joint publications and joint sponsorship of trainee research.
How communication, training, and mentorship responsibilities are coordinated in programs where trainees have multiple mentors.
The ability of participating faculty to support trainee research activities, their training records, and the success of their trainees in generating publishable research results.
Plans to ensure successful trainee guidance by faculty with limited research training experience.
The criteria used to appoint, evaluate, and remove program faculty.
How participating faculty are trained to use evidence-informed mentoring practices that support the development of trainees from all backgrounds.
How mentoring is monitored, including oversight of trainee-participating faculty matches and plans for addressing unacceptable mentoring practices.
How the program has a diverse team of program faculty, including faculty at a range of career stages and from a variety of scientific backgrounds.
How program faculty provide supportive mentoring.
How faculty effectively coordinate training and mentorship responsibilities.

Summarize Table 4: Research Support of Faculty

Total and average grant support among participating faculty.
The participation of faculty without research grant support and how trainee research activities will be supported.

Summarize Table 5: Publications

The average number of publications and the number of trainees who have published their research.
For predoc and postdoctoral programs, the number of trainees with first-author publications and the number who completed training without a first-author publication.

New Applications: Provide publications from students and/or postdoctoral scholars who are representative of those expected to be appointed if the program is funded.

c. Proposed Training
Describe:

The proposed training program.
The training levels, number of trainees, required academic and research background, and plans to accommodate varying levels of trainee preparation.
For postdoc programs, the proposed distribution of trainees by degree (e.g., M.D., Ph.D.).
Coursework, research opportunities, trainee involvement in research, skill-development activities, and the duration of training.
How the program and faculty provide training in scientific reasoning, rigorous research design, relevant methods, quantitative approaches, and data analysis appropriate to the trainees' level and preparation.
For multidisciplinary or multi-departmental programs, how training components are integrated and coordinated and how they contribute to each trainee's experience.
For clinician-focused training programs, interactions with basic science departments and investigators, plans to provide a substantive foundation for a competitive research career, and any trainee access to and responsibility for patients, including time commitments.
Representative examples of trainee experiences, including curricula, degree requirements, didactic courses, laboratory experiences, qualifying examinations, seminars, journal clubs, and other training activities.
Mentor selection, program guidance, performance evaluation, and mentoring plans.
How trainees will be taught data science principles, including statistics, bioinformatics, data management, security, privacy, research ethics, and responsible conduct of research.
Activities that help trainees choose and prepare for the next step in their biomedical research careers.
Training in oral and written communication, including preparation of fellowship and grant applications.
For postdoctoral trainees, instruction in laboratory and project management.

Include, as applicable:

Opportunities for trainees to participate in human subjects research supported by other research grants.
Postdoc trainees with health professional degrees, note that a minimum of 2 years of research training is generally expected.

Short-Term Training

Describe how didactic training is structured and justified for the duration of the training experience.
Supervised biomedical, behavioral, or clinical research experiences that develop and enhance research skills and knowledge for a health-related research career.

Renewal Applications

Describe how the training program has evolved in response to changes in relevant scientific and technical knowledge or educational practices.

d. Training Program Evaluation
Describe:

The evaluation plan used to assess the quality and effectiveness of the training program.
Plans to obtain feedback from current and former trainees to identify program strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities for enhancement.
The evaluation metrics used to assess program outcomes and how they align with the program's goals and objectives.
Plans for assessing trainee career development and progression, including publications, degree completion, subsequent training, and career outcomes.
How the evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the training environment, mentoring, and trainee support, including whether trainees find the program inclusive, supportive, and conducive to their scientific and professional development.
Procedures for reviewing evaluation results and responding to program evaluation findings.

Renewal Applications:

Discuss evaluation results from the previous project period.
Program modifications implemented in response to evaluation findings.

e. Trainee Candidates and Retention Plans
Describe:

The size and characteristics of the training program's candidate pool, including prior clinical and research training and candidate career levels.
Plans to recruit candidates and how those plans will be implemented. Recruitment refers to outreach activities designed to encourage individuals to apply before the review and selection process and does not refer to appointment or hiring decisions.
The nomination and selection process used to identify trainees, including criteria for initial appointment and reappointment.
How the program identifies individuals who would benefit from the training experience and are likely to succeed with appropriate training and support.
Factors considered during selection, including applicant experiences, commitment to program goals, potential for research careers, and need for research training.
Trainee retention plans, including activities designed to maintain scientific interest and continued engagement in the program.

Note: Programs must not use race, ethnicity, or sex as eligibility or selection criteria.

Summarize Table 6B: Applicants, Entrants, and Their Characteristics

The overall number of applicants and potential trainees.
Applicant credentials, characteristics, and eligibility for training grant support
Recruitment, enrollment, and matriculation trends over the reporting period.

f. Institutional Environment and Commitment to Training

Describe:

Institutional commitment to the goals of the proposed training program.
The support provided by the applicant organization and participating departments and programs.
Resources available to support the training program, including space, laboratory facilities, curriculum support, faculty release time, trainee support, and other improvements that enhance the research training environment.

Include:

A signed institutional commitment letter on organizational letterhead describing the applicant organization's commitment to the proposed program.
For postdoc programs, a description of the institutional environment and support available to postdoctoral scholars.

Explain, if applicable:

How the proposed program differs from existing externally funded training programs.
How the proposed program will complement or synergize with existing programs.
Whether trainees may transition between programs.
How faculty, trainees, and institutional resources will support the proposed program alongside existing programs.

g. Training Outcomes
Describe:

The ability of participating departments and programs to:
- Recruit potential trainees.
- Retain trainees through completion of training.
- Report admissions outcomes, including the number of offers made and matriculants.
The applicant pool, including:
- Training-grant-eligible applicants.
- Non-training-grant-eligible applicants.
The characteristics of current program participants, referring to Table 6B, as applicable.

Summarize Table 7: Appointments to the Training Grant (Renewals Only)

Describe: The utilization of awarded training positions Explain any unfilled positions, early trainee terminations, or differences between awarded and appointed positions.

Summarize Table 8: Program Outcomes
Describe:

The use of training positions, including distribution by mentor, program year, and duration of trainee support.
The program's success in achieving its training objectives.
The current research involvement of former trainees, including subsequent grant support, when applicable.

Renewal Applications
Describe:

The selectivity of appointments to the training grant.
Any appointment of a postdoctoral trainee with a health professional degree who received less than 2 years of NRSA-supported research training, including justification for the appointment.

Got Questions?

Contact UCSD Training Grant Office