Fellowship Award Writing Workshop

The F Award Writing Workshop is a hands-on workshop for pre- and postdoctoral scholars wanting to apply to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an individual National Research Service Award (NRSA).

"This is the most useful workshop I've taken at UC Davis so far."
— Jennifer, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Why Get an F?

  • Receive stipend and tuition
  • Establish your credibility
  • Examine what is most important about your research (and why anyone would give you money for it)
  • Improve critical grant writing skills early in your career
  • Practice communicating succinctly about your research
  • Update yourself on the literature
  • Foster new collaborations

F Award Types

  • F30 - Dual degrees (matriculated in a combined M.D./Ph.D. or other dual-doctoral degree training program e.g. D.D.S./Ph.D., AuD/Ph.D., D.V.M./Ph.D.)
  • F31 - Ph.D.'s (enrolled in a research doctoral degree program and enhance workforce diversity)
  • F32 - Postdocs (individuals who have received a doctoral degree and are engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training)

"I am astonished by the impact this workshop has made on my writing and communication skills."
— Danielle (awarded an F31), Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology

Participants will gain a solid understanding of the creative, scientific, organizational and administrative aspects of preparing a competitive fellowship application. To help develop this understanding, along with discussing key elements of the proposal, participants will write, revise, and prepare an F series NIH grant application over the course of this in-person workshop with constructive input from peers and individual mentors. At the end of the program, participants will have a completed, well-reviewed application ready for submission to the NIH.

This program is open to all UC Davis pre- and postdoctoral scholars, with priority given to cancer-focus scholars and translational researchers.

Mentor participation is a required part of the program. Pre- and postdoctoral scholars must have the support of their mentor(s) in order to participate. Each scholar’s mentors must:

  • Write a letter of support for their mentee to attend all class meetings of the F Award Writing Workshop
  • Pledge to complete reviews and submit timely feedback to each application component
  • Agree to attend the first class meeting as well as the Mentor’s Letter Writing class (see schedule for detail)

The workshop is incredibly valuable and demystified the grant writing process for me.
— Gabriel, Orthopedic Surgery Department

Workshop Format

The program combines lecture, discussion, individual work and small group reviews on all application components. Considerable time is devoted to case-by-case presentations and evaluation/discussion of F award components prepared by individual scholars. This interactive group effort provides friendly, but straightforward, feedback toward the goal of submitting a competitive F application. Participants will also hear experiences from past awardees.

The program begins with building an understanding of the NIH funding mechanisms, how F awards can support career development and what receiving an F award entails. Following the NIH application form, participants will learn the requirements and nuances of each application component and draft their responses. Each component will be reviewed by small groups of fellow participants and by each participant’s mentor. 

 Workshop Schedule and Registration

For more information, email the Office of Education, Training, and Career Development at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.