Website: https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta
For More Information Contact: National Scholarships Office – scholarships@umd.edu
Who Can Apply: US Citizens and Permanent Residents – recent graduates planning to begin a year of research within 2 years of obtaining a bachelor’s degree and planning to go to graduate school or professional (medical/dental/pharmacy) school an opportunity to spend one or two years performing full-time research at the NIH.
Description: The Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) program and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Research Training Award (CRTA) provide opportunities for recent college graduates to spend a year engaged in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Postbac IRTAs/CRTAs work side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. The NIH consists of the 240-bed Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center and more than 1200 laboratories/research projects located on the main campus in Bethesda, MD and the surrounding area as well as in Baltimore and Frederick, MD; Research Triangle Park, NC; Hamilton, MT; Framingham, MA; and Detroit, MI.
To be eligible to apply for this program, candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, must have graduated from an accredited U.S. college or university with a bachelor’s degree, and must begin training within two years of receipt of the undergraduate degree. In addition, during their tenure in the program Postbaccalaureate IRTAs are expected to initiate the application process for graduate or medical school. (The program is also open to individuals who have been accepted into graduate or medical degree programs and who have written permission from the school to defer matriculation for up to one year.) The duration of the program is normally one year; it can be extended for one additional year depending on satisfactory trainee performance and continued availability of funds.
Applications are reviewed and selections are made by scientists in the Institutes and Centers of the NIH on an on-going basis. Candidates will be informed of their selection by the hiring Institute.
Award Amount: Annual stipend (amount adjusted annually, varies depending on experience), health insurance, career development and social activities.
National Deadline: Applications are accepted year round. The program encourages applications 3-6 months prior to desired start date.
