Research Training and Career Development Program
Division of Population and Health Promotion Sciences
OBJECTIVE
We are presenting for information purposes a Program Announcement (PA) to begin the NIDCR Oral Health Research Curriculum (OHRC) Grants. The purpose of these grants is to infuse an appreciation of science and the results of scientific research in the dental school curriculum. Competency in genetics is a mandatory component of the program. Through these grants dentist scientists and clinical Ph.D. researchers will become an active part of the educational fabric and interact with students throughout all four years of dental school as well as during the postgraduate specialty training period.
BACKGROUND
Several recent reports have considered the rationale for and ways to strengthen the interaction between research and dental education. Each of these documents reinforced the fundamental importance of research to oral health, the dental profession and dental education. Major recommendations of these reports were related to the creation and expansion of oral health knowledge, the importance of research and scholarship and the interaction between research and education. OHRC grants should create, develop, design, implement and evaluate educational and research experiences in dental schools at the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels that enhance the education process, cultivate future scientists and encourage the participation of clinician graduates in oral health research and academic careers.
FUNDING MECHANISM
This PA will use the NIH Education Research Program grant (R25) award mechanism. Applicants are solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. Awards are renewable one time only. Total support is limited to seven (7) years. The initial competitive award cannot exceed four years (but may be less), during which a planning phase should be completed by the end of the first year. The remaining three (or fewer) years should be used for implementing and evaluating the plan. Funds can be used to cover costs for such things as faculty coordinator(s) and support staff, consultants, travel, supplies, equipment and an evaluation process. If necessary, a competitive renewal may be submitted for a maximum of three years to finish the implementation and evaluation. The length of the grant period should be consistent with the objectives of the program. It is assumed that the grantee institution will subsequently assume support for programs developed through this award. Funds requested for this program are limited to $150,000 per year in direct costs.