Funding for Research

[Mephisto]

I thought this would be good forum for this since hardly anyone looks at the research forums. I'm finishing up my second year and would like to plan to take a year between my 3rd and 4th year to do research. I don't know exactly what yet, but I feel like after third year, I will have a good idea of what I want to pursue as a specialty and can therefore tailor a research project and find a mentor that will be much more conducive to my specialty choice.

How do people find funding for one year projects (more like 9 months actually with our rotation schedule). Are the best options those NIH fellowships where you work in Bethesda? I have also heard about HHMI's cloister program down in Bethesda as well for basic research. If I want to do clinical research, i heard about the CRTP at NIH. Is there anything else you guys can think of? A lot of these fellowships require a full year of committment, which with my rotation schedule is not possible. It'll be more like 10.5 months as there is a six week overlap. Any suggestions?

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[Mephisto]

Oh, and are there PIs that will fund me for a year on their own? Or is it better to get a scholarship?

 

[LJDHC05]

Probably the easiest way would be to convince a PI to pay you from his/her grant as a research tech/clinical coordinator for a year. That is unless the words "cloister" and NIH don't intimidate you and you're convinced you'll get funding from those programs. It should be easy enough to do through your school.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

There are a wide variety of grants which you can apply for. If you find a mentor at your school you can apply for the HHMI Research Fellowship that will fund research at your local institution. There are also specialty specific grants which you can apply for, for example the Research to Prevent Blindness 30,000 dollar grant for those working in ophthalmology. Your school may have money to support research too, I think mine will pretty much give anyone whose willing to take a year off 20,000. I think it will be difficult to find a PI that will pay you a living wage for a year of research unless you have an awesome resume or have worked with them previously.