UPDATE: The MIRA office hour on December 12 has reached its capacity and registration is closed. For additional sessions, visit the Navigating NIGMS Grants webpage.

We’re hosting a virtual question-and-answer “office hour” on Thursday, December 12, for Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35) early stage investigator (ESI) applicants. This small group session is designed to help late-stage postdoctoral researchers and early career faculty plan their future applications. We’ll start with a brief presentation of key components of the ESI-MIRA application (research strategy, biosketch, budget, etc.) and spend the rest of the time in open discussion to answer your questions.​

NIGMS supports a wide range of research, training, workforce development, and institutional capacity building grants in the biomedical sciences. While NIH’s Center for Scientific Review reviews the majority of our investigator-initiated research grants (read our post on NIGMS RPGs), NIGMS has its own scientific review branch (SRB) that manages the review of applications to programs in workforce development and in research capacity building (past posts on training and capacity building provide more information). These programs often require reviewers with unique experiences, in addition to scientific or technical expertise. Thus, SRB is always searching for volunteers with varying experiences and scientific expertise from all career stages, funding and review experiences, geographic locations, and institution types to provide expert reviews. Some examples include individuals familiar with research training programs, institutional administration, faculty mentorship, Tribal communities, and people with experience conducting research in states that are eligible for Institutional Development Awards.

You’ve determined that you’re conducting research related to the NIGMS mission and have found a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) you’d like to apply to. Now it’s time to craft your application.

There are many resources providing guidance on what to include in an NIH funding application. We recommend reviewing our grant writing webinar series, which discusses faculty readiness and submission considerations, as well as determining whether a funding opportunity is right for you and writing a competitive application. NIH’s Write Your Application webpage also includes valuable guidance.