(6 Page Limit for all letters combined)
Who must complete the “Plans and Statements of Mentor and Co-Mentor(s)” attachment?
Any candidate applying for a mentored CDA (see (https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/career-development.) must include a “Plans and Statement of Mentor and Co-Mentor(s)” attachment.
All mentored career development applications should identify any and all co-mentors involved with the proposed research and career development program. The mentor and each co-mentor must provide a statement as described below.
Format:
Follow the page limits for the Plans and Statements of Mentor and Co-mentor(s) in the NIH Table of Page Limits unless otherwise specified in the FOA.
The plans and statements must be appended together and uploaded as a single PDF file. See NIH’s Format Attachments page.
Content:
The mentor and co-mentor(s) (if applicable) must each document their role and willingness to participate in the project and explain how they will contribute to the development of the candidate’s research career. Each statement should include all of the following:
- The plan for the candidate’s training and research career development. Include information not only about research, but also about other developmental activities, such as seminars, scientific meetings, training in RCR, and presentations. Discuss expectations for publications over the entire period of the proposed project. Define what aspects of the proposed research project the candidate will be allowed to continue to pursue as part of his/her independent research program.
- The source of anticipated support for the candidate’s research project for each year of the award period.
- The nature and extent of supervision and mentoring of the candidate, and commitment to the candidate’s development that will occur during the award period.
- The candidate’s anticipated teaching load for the award period (number and types of courses or seminars), clinical responsibilities, committee and administrative assignments, and the portion of time available for research.
- A plan for transitioning the candidate from the mentored stage of his/her career to the independent investigator stage by the end of the project period of the award. Describe the mentor’s (or co-mentor’s) previous experience as a mentor, including type of mentoring (e.g., graduate students, career development awardees, postdoctoral fellows), number of persons mentored, and career outcomes.
Note for co-mentor statements: Co-mentors must also address the nature of their role in the career development plan and how the responsibility for the candidate’s development is shared with the mentor. Describe respective areas of expertise and how they will be combined to enhance the candidate’s development. Also describe the nature of any resources that will be committed to this CDA.
Note for mentors of CDA applicants who are proposing to gain clinical trial research experience under a mentor’s supervision (i.e., but will not be leading an independent clinical trial):
In addition to the information above, your statement must include the following:
Source of funding.
l ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (e.g., NCT87654321), if applicable; and
l A description of how your expertise is appropriate to guide the applicant in any proposed clinical trials research experience.
Do not attach these statements from the mentor(s) and co-mentor(s) in the Appendix
