Dear Colleagues:
The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) is offering its biennial National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing Series during the 2026 spring semester. The NIH Grant Writing Series prepares junior faculty to submit their first R01 or other individual investigator proposals to the NIH. Each participant will write and compile an advanced draft of an NIH proposal that has been reviewed by both their peers and an experienced faculty mentor.
I invite you to nominate junior faculty from your college, department, or unit that you feel would benefit from this program. The selected participants will be asked to attend the six lecture/discussion sessions over Zoom Jan. 29 – Mar. 5, 2026, and participate in a peer review workshop on Mar. 31, 2026. They will also be matched with an experienced faculty member who will mentor the participant during the grant writing process. The selection process will be competitive, and participants will be chosen by the NIH Grant Writing Series Selection Committee.
Since 2015, 88 faculty have been nominated by their departments or units and selected to complete the full program. Our records show that, within five years of completing the program, these faculty have been awarded over $96M from the NIH.
Please submit your nominations by December 1, 2025. Contact Maggie Berg (meberg@illinois.edu) with any questions.
Sincerely,
Stephen A. Boppart, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute