K Awards Training: A Path to Success

Summer 2024 (Dates TBD) | Livestream, virtual training

More information about the 2024 K Awards Training is coming soon! Sign up below to hear about registration opening!

K Awards: A Path to Success is a combined web based course and live stream workshop that will familiarize participants with the fundamentals of successful K award applications.

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Training Overview

The major goals of K Awards: A Path to Success is to orient attendees to grant-writing and grant-strategizing for successful K applications, including how to position their research and themselves to engage reviewers. Participants will work with CareerVolt workshop leaders with a proven track record of helping applicants improve and position successful K applications. Attendees will learn about different K award mechanisms, how K’s are unique from R’s, and strategies to maximize each K award component. They will gain an understanding of the goal of the K award program, which is critical for maximizing funding success.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:

K Program Goals and Expectations
Types of K Awards: Which Is Right for You?
Timing: When to Submit Your K Application
K Award Application Preparation and Considerations
K Award Application Evaluation: How K Awards are Evaluated and Scored
Principles of Great K Applications
Selling Yourself as a K Applicant
Selling Your Science
Synthesizing the Full K Story

Audience and Requirements

This workshop targets researchers who have submitted or will be submitting a K award application or are thinking about submitting a K award application within six months to one year from the workshop date. There are a few requirements to attend this training:

While this workshop targets trainees, it is unsuitable for pre-doctoral students. All participants must have completed a PhD, MD, and/or DVM.
Participants must be willing to develop a draft aims page and have their draft aims (whether their real or ‘disguised’ research) seen by others in attendance.

Resources

NIH Research Career Development Awards (K) Kiosk

Instructors

Jessica K. Lerch, PhD, Co-Founder, CareerVolt; Founder, Significance, Innovation, Impact. Dr. Lerch earned her PhD in Neuroscience at Case Western. She then completed postdoctoral training at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami and went to a Research Assistant and then a tenure-track Assistant Professor appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. In late 2017, Jessica moved to a science consulting role with Eva Garland Consulting, helping small biotechnology companies and researchers across the world strategize their science to achieve over $37 million in grant funding for their R&D and early-phase clinical trial projects. Jessica started her first company, Significance, Innovation, Impact, in 2018 as a grant-writing consultant. In 2019, Jessica joined with long-time friend and colleague Dr. Sheila Cherry to launch CareerVolt, born of their shared desire to help scientists succeed in their career paths by filling skills gaps and supporting attainment of professional goals.

Scholarships

Training scholarships are available for the K Awards Training.

Location

Summer 2024: The K Awards Training will be a livestream, remote training that takes place over live, online video. Please note this training is not a self-paced, pre-recorded online training.