Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) 3rd Biannual Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Programme 2023

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) is the apex medical research organization charged with the responsibility to conduct research into diseases and conditions of public health importance in Nigeria. It is a reputable point of reference in basic, applied and operational research for the promotion of national health and development in Nigeria.

Applications are invited for:

Title: 3rd Biannual Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Programme

Location: Yaba, Lagos
 
Background

• The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Foundation (NIMR Foundation) has the mandate to build and expand capacity for translational research among early career investigators and promote innovation, development and commercialization of home-grown medicines, vaccines and technologies to address the health problems of Nigeria in particular, and Africa at large.
• The Foundation works collaboratively with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (the Institute) to build capacity for healthcare and medical research in Nigeria through a mix of academic scholarship awards and opportunities for hands-on, mentored capacity development for research.
• The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research with pilot funding from Welcome Trust in 2019 conducted the maiden Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Programme (GMTP) for a cohort of 30 early career researchers. This was informed by the mandate of the Institute to systematically train critical mass of junior and mid-level researchers who are able to perform high-quality, cutting-edge research and develop home grown solutions to address our health system challenges.
• To build on successes recorded from the maiden edition of the training and following the establishment of the NIMR Foundation in 2020 and the hugely positive outcomes recorded from the 2nd edition of the training programme held in 2022, NIMR Foundation in collaboration with Nigerian Institute of Medical Research hereby calls for applications from early career researchers from across Nigeria for the 3rd Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Program.

Programme Aim

• To build an adequate and sustainable network of committed early career investigators with inter-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborative approach and proficiency in developing high-quality, competitive grant writing and capacity for healthcare research and development in Nigeria.

What the Programme will Cover

• Understanding of health services research methods
• Formulation of research questions and hypotheses
• Selection of appropriate statistical tools for data analysis
• Ethics and Ethics Permission in Research
• How to search and identify targeted funding agencies and understand funders’ requirements
• Writing compelling grant proposals
• Identification of the technicalities of the peer review process and demonstration using a practice peer review process
• Improving proficiency in training and communication skills including writing plain language summaries
• Training on proficiency in facilitation of micro-teaching session on mentorship.
• Principles of establishing and managing partnerships and collaborations.

Format of Programme
Location and Dates:

• This will be a 21-day residential workshop which will be held at the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research located at 6 Edmund Crescent Yaba, Lagos.

Target audience:

• The training targets early and mid-career researchers who would like to develop their capacity for Grantsmanship and Mentorship.

Participants number:

• A total of 30 participants will be selected for the training.

Curriculum:

• The workshop will be guided by the National Grantsmanship and Mentorship Training Programme Curriculum developed by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research. For the 21-day period, the successful candidates will be tutored through hands on practical sessions on successful grants proposal writing.
• The teaching sessions will adopt blended learning approach with pre-course online self-directed reading and onsite teaching and learning methods including didactic lectures, role-plays, group discussions, micro-teaching sessions, online learning/webinars, peer-review simulation sessions, independent study time, home-work and term papers.
• Each training day will comprise of teaching sessions in the morning, practical sessions in the afternoon and group work and networking sessions in the late afternoon/ evening.

Faculty:

• The grantsmanship and mentorship training programme will be facilitated by a mix of local and international researchers who are well published, have experience serving or managing grant review panels and won grants from local and international funding organizations.

Who is Eligible?  
To be eligible, you need to provide evidence that:

• You are a citizen of a Nigeria (from any of the six-geopolitical zones).
• You are an early career investigator (junior and mid-level researcher) and you have completed your research education (either of below)
• You have been awarded a research doctorate (PhD/DPhil/MD) from a recognized academic institution normally within the past 6 years
• You have a medical/clinical qualification PLUS research-relevant Master’s degree, both awarded normally within the previous 6 years
• You are currently employed in Nigeria by a recognized university or research institution and a significant part of your job role includes developing and conducting health care research.
• You have not previously participated in similar grant-writing and/ or proposal development training by the Institute or other organization.
• You have limited or no experience in proposal development and grant-writing.
• You have not won any significant local or international research grants.
• You can commit to stepping down the training at your local institution within a period of 3 months after the training
• Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this training opportunity.

Entry Requirements
Application should include the following documents:

• A two-page bio-sketch (NIH format) with a maximum of 5 publications.
• A one-page research concept note (Times New Roman, Size 12, Spacing 1.15).
• Motivation letter of not more than 500 words (Times New Roman, Size 12, Spacing 1.15).
• A Letter of recommendation/Support from Dean/Provost of the Faculty/College indicating
• Endorsement to attend the workshop
• How the training will benefit the researcher/investigator
• Commitment that applicant will be available completely for the 21 days training
• Support for the applicant to step down the training within his/her institution on completing the training workshop.
• Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of completion of the Ethics Course (CITI) prior to the commencement of the workshop.

Application Closing Date
Sunday, 6th August, 2023 at 11:59PM WAT

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click Here for More Information

Application Process
To apply to participate in the grantsmanship and mentorship programme, kindly follow these steps:

• Complete and submit the online application above
• Provide the required documents including the following:
  • Short motivation essay of not more than 500 words
  • One page research proposal
  • Short bio sketch (maximum 2 pages)
  • A letter of recommendation/support from the Provost/Dean of college / Faculty.