By Xoel Cardenas, Sr. Communications Specialist, Office of the Vice President for Research
The Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) at the University of Utah has kicked off another year of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Cohort Fellowship Program.
The NSF continues to be one of the top federal funding sources that contributes to the university’s research portfolio. The 2024-2025 NSF Cohort is a critical program in driving NSF research funding for the university.
The program is designed for both new and experienced faculty and aims to provide researchers with effective resources and tools to successfully submit and win an NSF grant. The Cohort works to foster a sense of belonging for faculty who engage in federally funded research and encourage consistent and long-term interdisciplinary collaboration.
On August 26th, the NSF Cohort fellows gathered at the Ken Garff Club for an introductory dinner to officially kick off the 2024-2025 Cohort. Fellows and Cohort instructors were able to interact and prepare for the year ahead.
“The cohort program provides faculty with an amazing opportunity to cultivate grant writing skills while learning from senior scholars,” said AVPR Jakob Jensen. “Over the course of a year, the faculty craft an entire grant piece by piece. At each step, the faculty receive extensive feedback from multiple mentors. It is a truly unique program that positions our faculty for success.”
The current Cohort consists of 22 fellows from seven different colleges, including Social and Behavioral Sciences, Medicine, Science, Social Work, Education, Humanities, and Engineering.
The Cohort meets twice a month for three months in the fall (September, October, November) and in the spring (February, March, April). The first session each month is virtual, and the second session is in person.
Their first virtual session occurred on September 13th. At the session, all 22 fellows presented lightning talk versions of their proposed research projects. Over a dozen mentors and senior scholars watched the talks and provided feedback.
“It was a busy session,” said Whitney Mackay, one of the administrators for the Cohort program. “But it is incredibly inspiring to see 22 research projects presented in a single session. I love seeing all of these projects that will make such an impact on the world.”
On September 27th, the Fellows met for their first in-person session. The goal of that session was to receive writing feedback on the first sections of their grant. Direct feedback from mentors is strongly correlated with the ultimate grant success.
“The program is off to a great start. It’s our third year running this program and we’ve almost trained sixty scholars to write NSF grants over that time. It will be rewarding to watch the cumulative impact of the program in the years ahead,” said Jesse Morris, who leads the training program.
Faculty interested in applying for the next Cohort, should watch for a call in Spring 2025. The call will appear on The AVPR’s Desk. You can sign up to receive a biweekly newsletter from The AVPR’s Desk here.
For more information about the Cohort program, visit the VPR Office’s NSF Cohort Program website.