Course Description

You mastered the R series and are dreaming of an institutional training grant to attract the most highly qualified trainees. How do you begin? A T32 grant is among the most prestigious to land, and among the trickiest to write. How do you choose a relevant, innovative topic, or cohesive faculty? How does one structure the curriculum? What strategies should one employ to evaluate a program like this? And how do you fill out all those onerous data tables? I will walk you through the steps of preparing for and writing a competitive T32 grant application.

Updated: April 28, 2020

CME Activity Term
Credits: 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Original Release Date: August 30, 2021
Review Date(s): August 2, 2022; August 30, 2023
Termination Date: August 30, 2024

Preview an Excerpt of This Course

Course Details

Who:  For those preparing to write an NIH T-series submission and the people who advise them.

When:  Available on demand

Cost:  $1500 

Summary of Course Sections

Part I. Planning Your Program

What is the purpose of an NIH institutional training grant? How do you choose one? How do you prepare in order to optimize your chance of success? We will discuss when to consider writing a T32, how to identify a topic area that fits the strengths and needs of your group, how to identify optimal MPIs and mentors, and ways to think about formulating a strong curriculum. We will emphasize how and from whom to elicit feedback on your ideas and plans before moving ahead with writing. I’ll present a task list for administrators and a draft timeline and milestones.


Part II. Writing the Research Strategy Part 1

The 25-page Research Strategy of a T32 is complex and highly detailed. We will discuss how to write the Background section; Training Program & Environment; PDs/PIs; and Preceptors/Mentors. Emphasis will be placed on winning strategies I’ve seen on successful applications. We will also review how to fill out and refer to Tables 1-5.


Part III. Writing the Research Strategy Part 2

Here we discuss winning strategies for writing about the Trainees and the Training Record, which includes a detailed discussion of your evaluation plan. Tips for filling out and referring to Tables 6-8 are presented. This talk also includes instructions for creating a successful Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity.


Part IV. RCR, Rigor, Mistakes Commonly Made

We will wrap up with a discussion of the design and writing of the 3-page Plan for Instruction in Responsible Conduct in Research; and the all-important 3-page Plan for Instruction in Methods for Enhancing Reproducibility. We will conclude with a presentation of the 12 most common mistakes I see on T32 Summary Statements, and the successful “fixes” my clients have used to overcome these criticisms.

CME Learning Objectives

At the end of the 2 hours 50 minutes of coursework, you will be able to:

  1. Identify and employ crucial steps to take to prepare to write an NIH institutional training grant application
  2. Acquire key information about effective NIH writing strategies
  3. Apply NIH effective strategies to writing and revising a draft submission
  4. Utilize learned skills to critique peer drafts to hone their own skills
  5. Develop better grantwriting skills that will carry forward on all submissions, whether to NIH or other funding agencies

Disclosure Statement

All individuals in control of the content for an MMS accredited continuing education activity must disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies for the past 24-months. For this activity, individuals in control of content did not disclose any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Accreditation Statement and AMA Credit Designation Statement

Accreditation Statement 

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Meg Bouvier Medical Writing, LLC. The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

AMA Credit Designation Statement 

The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this internet enduring material for a maximum of 2.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Content Disclaimer

Course content updated April 28, 2020. Content of this course was updated and re-recorded on this date. The content was accurate at that time. We recommend that you search for changes that may have occurred to the content since the recording date. Note that the course title may have been modified slightly since the recording.