The URM Postdoctoral Enrichment Program award provides a total of $50,000 over three years as outlined below to support the development of a URM postdoctoral fellow in a degree-granting institution (or its affiliated graduate and medical schools, hospitals and research institutions) in the United States or Canada. Individual URM postdoctoral fellows conducting biomedical or medical research are eligible to apply.
Awards are made to institutions on behalf of the awardees. The institutions are responsible for disbursing the funds and for maintaining adequate supporting records and receipts of expenditures. Indirect costs may not be charged against the awards.
Awardees must provide BWF with an annual progress report detailing their progress. Institutions must provide an annual financial report. Both reports must be submitted (on forms that will be provided) by the deadline (TBD) of each award year. Continued funding will depend on both the timely submission of these reports and their favorable review by BWF and its program advisory committee.
Award recipients may obtain funds from other sources for research in the same or similar areas as that conducted under these grants, so long as there is no conflict with meeting the terms of BWF's award. Award recipients may not hold concurrent BWF awards or NIH K99/R00 awards.
This award cannot be used to provide the postdoctoral fellow’s salary or to purchase reagents or equipment commonly found in the mentor’s laboratory.
· Year one: $20,000 will be granted to support enrichment activities of the postdoctoral fellow ($10,000 for research supplies or equipment uniquely required to enhance the postdoctoral fellow’s research and $10,000 for education and training, including for mentors in the research lab where the postdoctoral fellow is assigned.)
· Year two: $20,000 (same allocation as year one)
· Year three: $10,000 will be granted for enrichment activities for the postdoctoral fellow to advance his/her research.
A qualified mentor is required for the URM Postdoctoral Program. It has been documented that minorities are less likely to enter and remain in science and engineering when they lack mentors and role models. In most science and engineering disciplines, the percentage of URMs among faculty recently hired is not comparable to that of recent minority Ph.Ds. and is far below that of recent bachelor degree recipients. This results in fewer minority faculty to act as role models for minority students. (A National Analysis of Minorities in Science and Engineering Faculties at Research Universities, Nelson and Brammer, January 2010). This program is designed to encourage innovative scientists with broad ranging backgrounds in the biomedical and medical sciences and with experiences in working with postdoctoral fellows to consider serving as mentors.
BWF will host workshops and courses to set expectations for mentors and postdoctoral fellows. Discussions will include considerations of the cultural barriers that exist for URM postdoctoral fellows within the scientific community and the value effective mentors can have on career development.
BWF acknowledges that many postdoctoral/clinical fellows will move to new institutions to begin their independent research careers; therefore, this award is “portable.” Awards may be transferred only with written approval of BWF. Requests must be received at least four months prior to any move, and approval will be based on whether the move will enhance the awardee’s scientific growth and career development and whether the hiring institution demonstrates adequate commitment to the award recipient's career. Awardees who change institutions may take with them any equipment or supplies purchased under the award, as well as the balance of any unused award funds.
BWF prefers that awardees not move from one institution to another during their three years of faculty service. Special training opportunities that require faculty-level awardees to spend up to a year away from their base institution may be considered; awardees must submit to BWF a written request that explains why the training is needed.
Scientific publications or presentations that result from these awards must acknowledge the awardee’s receipt of a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Underrepresented Minority Postdoctoral Enrichment Program. Copies of journal articles and other publications should be sent to BWF along with the annual progress report.
Awardees should follow their institutions’ patent, copyright, and intellectual property policies regarding discoveries that result from research conducted under these awards. BWF expects the appropriate federal, state, and local guidelines with regard to scientific misconduct are in place and enforced at all institutions with which BWF awardees are affiliated.
Awardees should share scientific findings in a timely manner via the standard means of scientific communication, including publications and/or presentations in scientific forums. BWF will not retain any rights to published results or patents that result from the research.
The awards will begin on September 1, 2013.