Scholar Awards

Applicants must have a MD (or equivalent) or PhD clinical fellows, post-doctoral fellows, or junior faculty are eligible. Applicants must identify a primary mentor with appropriate content expertise and experience mentoring young investigators. Candidates should be US citizens, US permanent residents, or non-US citizens with a valid visa to work in the US. MGNet Scholars do not have be at a MGNet site.

The MGNet Scholar Program provides up to two years support for mentored research training to prepare Scholars for an independent research career in the field of MG. The second year of funding is contingent on demonstration of adequate progress. Research must constitute at least 50% of each Scholar’s professional effort. The MGNet Scholar Program provides

The MGNet Scholar Program provides

• Awarded Scholars up to $75,000 per year to support salary, research costs and didactics. Indirect costs are not allowed.
• Additional $3,000 per year to travel to MGNet sites to learn specific skills and/or to scientific meeting(s) to present the results of their research.

Upon award, each Scholar must form a two to three member advisory committee to include a primary mentor, an additional clinician- investigator or collaborator, and a MGNet faculty sponsor, to meet quarterly. Each Scholar will develop an individual development plan with annual goals and renew it with the committee at least every six months. The advisory committee must approve career development activities, including grant writing, research skill workshops, or coursework. Scholars are encouraged to transition to NIH (eg, K award), departmental, or private foundation support for their research and further career development.

Applicants will upload the elements of the application to the MGNet Scholar Portal no later than close of business October 1, 2022

• Specific Aims (one page)
• Research proposal developed in collaboration with the primary mentor (2 pages). Applicants are encouraged to consult an MGNet biostatistician while developing the proposal; awarded scholars must have annual biostatistics consults.
• Statement of applicant research experience, career goals, and research training plan (one page)
• Applicant NIH Biosketch (max five pages)
• Three letters of recommendation supporting the applicant’s research potential (primary mentor and two others).
• Statement of research and career development training plan, including any proposed research skills, workshops or professional development activities.
• Primary Mentor NIH biosketch
• Letter from department chair describing support for the candidate and at least 50% protected time to complete the program.
• Budget and budget justification.
• Status of an IRB application (applicants must show evidence of IRB approval or submission, for awarded applicants funds cannot be provided without IRB approval).

Applications will be reviewed by a MGNet Scholar Program Committee. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Applicant’s commitment to MG career and promise as a scientist (30%)
• Research and career development training plan and mentorship (30%)
• Scientific merits of the research plan (40%)

MGNet is a member of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network Consortium supported by U54 NS115054