Postdoctoral Basic Research Fellowship FAQs
What is the deadline date?
The deadline for receipt of all application materials (including third-party letters) is midnight EST on January 15. If January 15 falls on a weekend, the deadline date will be the following work day (usually Monday).
When does the application open?
The application opens on September 1 of the preceding year. If September 1 falls on a weekend, the application will open on the following work day (usually Monday).
When do fellowships start?
Fellowships generally begin in May or June of the application year and run for 12 months. The exact start date depends on how long the grantee institution takes to obtain necessary institutional signatures agreeing to stipulations in the award letter and return the signed copy of the letter to the foundation.
Are institutions required to be in the U.S.?
Any nonprofit research institution, such as a university or medical research center, may apply. All institutions are required to submit proof of nonprofit status.
Must I be a U.S. citizen in order to apply?
Applicants do not need to be citizens of the United States.
How do reviewers/referees/mentors submit external letters of support?
The online application has designated spaces in which you must enter the email addresses of your chosen reviewers, reference, and sponsor/mentor. When you enter the email addresses and send an email using the “Compose Email” function, the system will automatically generate a separate email to those individuals with instructions for uploading their reviews.
Can an institution sponsor more than one applicant per year?
Yes. However, only one applicant per sponsor/mentor may apply.
Must I have my doctorate in hand before I can apply?
No, but you must be in your final year of doctoral study and must expect to receive your degree in the year that you apply. The trustees will not hold an award open for an extended period while you complete your studies. If the foundation funds your project, you must submit evidence of receiving the doctorate before the fellowship can begin.
How is my application reviewed?
A confidential scientific review committee reads all applications and makes funding recommendations to the foundation’s trustees. The committee comprises tenured university researchers who model their review process on NIH procedures.
How does the scientific review committee score applications?
The scientific committee equally weighs the quality of the proposed research, the quality of the applicant, and the quality of the host (mentor/sponsor). The committee provides the trustees with a ranking of the top 8-12 applications out of each year’s pool.
I applied last year, and the foundation did not fund my proposal. Can I receive feedback on my application from the scientific review committee?
Like many postdoctoral and other similar fellowships, the committee has not and will not provide feedback on an application unless it was incomplete or there was something else of note not related to the meritoriousness of the application. We encourage applicants to apply again if eligible, for when compared to a different pool of the applicants, their application may stand out more than before.
When will I hear whether my application has been funded?
The scientific review committee receives all of the applications at the end of January. The trustees receive the committee’s recommendations for ratification at their spring meeting, which is in March or April. Foundation staff will notify applicants of the trustee’s decision promptly, usually by mid-April.