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URBEST Microgrant Applications

URBEST is excited to announce a request for URBEST Microgrant Applications to support initiatives led by graduate student and/or postdoctoral groups who are advocating for professional development and skill building opportunities in areas of science policy, industry, regulatory science, data science, higher education, communication, or outreach. These areas are suggestions and the list is by no means exhaustive. Deadline for proposals are Friday, July 5, 2019.

Funding: Most awards will be around $1,500, with the potential for up to a maximum on $3,000 for highly innovative and high-impact proposals. The timeline is for one year, starting September 1, 2019.

Paperwork: This email contains three attachments: the request for microgrants review process (doc), the application form (doc) and the scoring rubric (pdf). Please submit your application to Jennifer_Brennan@urmc.rochester.edu in PDF format.

Eligibility: UR groups (medial center, river campus, or a combination) managed by graduate students and postdocs are eligible to apply. Your group is expected to consist of at least 50% full time graduate students, at least one URBEST trainee, and we strongly recommend that a proposal is submitted by a group and not an individual. Only one submission per group will be accepted.

Any questions or would like to brainstorm idea? Contact Tracey_Baas@urmc.rochester.edu She will not be part of the review committee.

Microgrants Application

Microgrants Review Process

Microgrants Scoring Rubric

First Tuesday of Each Month: URBEST Mentoring Up Case Studies.

These half-hour sessions will provide a forum to discuss some type of conflict that is relevant to graduate education research, in essence a case study. The session will be led by one faculty guide and one co-facilitator. Trainees that complete the Workshop (next one May 7) and at least six of the ten Case Studies (at your own pace) will earn a Mentoring Up electronic badge. Trainees that earn electronic badges will have the option of becoming co-guides with the faculty guides for the monthly Mentoring Up Case Studies. To join the Mentoring Up Program, Fill out the registration form.

(April 1 – 15 ) URBEST Enrollment is officially open

The URBEST Program is one of seventeen programs funded by the NIH to experiment with methods to enhance training opportunities for early career scientists and prepare them for a variety of career options in the dynamic biomedical workforce landscape. Our mission is to Broaden Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) for today’s PhD graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. We believe that all biomedical research and science careers are equally valued as successful careers. The URBEST Program aims to increase the confidence and motivation of trainees to identify and pursue their career goals, and to reduce training time by enabling trainees to more efficiently direct their efforts.

Join us today by applying through our survey! We will be scheduling orientation for May. Until that time, please attend some of our April events.

Why Choose Us

You can join a program that identifies and supports bold, innovative approaches to broaden graduate and postdoctoral training, including internship possibilities.
You need a team of mentors to be successful at the University of Rochester and beyond. No one person can offer you everything.
You will find out you are “not the only one.” Discover peers across a variety of departments that can support you by sharing their experiences.
You can expand your network by participating in face - to - face activities and discover opportunities through the URBEST LinkedIn Group.
URBEST leaders (and contacts) can discuss next steps for your professional development, no matter what career appeals to you

Testimonials

Comments from current and former URBEST Trainees

I enjoy the professional and career development aspects - learning accountability, project management, team management. It's largely taking ideas that I already practice and linking them together with formal terminology.—Jimmy Zhang

The program has opened my eyes to the fact that there are other job opportunities out there for PhDs who don't feel like academia is a good fit for them. The URBEST program has helped me see gaps in my training and helped to fill them with important soft skills or experiences I may not have had otherwise. – Lauren (Rice) Walling

All Testimonials