109 Pursuit of Fellowship Funding Through Peer Review Writing Groups

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Pursuit of independent funding by predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows requires navigating the intricate steps in preparing extramural grant applications. The Workforce Development Core of the NJ Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS) sought to evaluate an interactive grant writing group of fellows mentored by a trained coach. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants meet weekly for 3 months to develop components of a fellowship application for submission to NIH and private foundations. Sessions were moderated by a senior faculty member trained as a coach by the National Research Mentoring Network. Participant grant submission and review of the program were collected annually for the period of 2019 to 2021 as well as demographics for the 2022 cohort. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Over this period, 32 predoctoral and 19 postdoctoral fellows participated in the peer review writing groups with 24 trainees currently enrolled. The peer review writing group moved to Zoom in 2020 which has enabled expansion of training to include the 3 Hub institutions and 6 additional universities. Of the 41 survey respondents, 78% submitted fellowship applications to NIH (N=28) or a non-NIH agency (N=4). Eight of these applications are currently under review or have been resubmitted for peer review. 54% of reviewed applications have been funded as NIH fellowships, diversity supplements, career grants, or non-NIH fellowships. Over 90% of participants have recommended the writing group to other trainees. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, a weekly grant writing group of predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows is an effective means to receive peer review of fellowship application components and support submissions for extramural funding.