Trainee T32 AA025606 Obligations and Commitments Agreement
Both the trainee and mentor will be emailed the T32 AA025606 obligations and commitments agreement at the time of the trainee’s appointment. It is requested that both the trainee and the mentor(s) email Dawn Figura acknowledging agreement with the obligations listed and notification of the commitments involved with this T32 within the first week of (re)appointment. In addition to being an active participant in the training program (e.g., attending the writing club and trainee workshop, retreat, practice sessions, etc.), the mentor has the responsibility of assisting the training program to ensure that his/her trainee meets trainee program obligations as outlined below.
- The trainee’s appointment is full-time. All guidelines and policies detailed in the NIH Grants Policy Statement section 11.3 must be followed, including those governing stipend supplementation, compensation and other income. A written request to the T32 Director for approval of support beyond that offered by the T32 is required before any such support commences.
- Trainee support from the T32 includes a monthly stipend, a health insurance contribution for plans offered by the T32, travel funds to attend an annual scientific meeting (conditions apply) and a tuition scholarship (predoctoral trainees only). Trainees are also strongly encouraged to attend one short-course during the period of their training for which most if not all funding will be provided by the training program, assuming that pre-attendance approval was obtained from the training program PI. Trainees and mentors should have a plan in place to cover any cost disparities.
- The trainee and mentor will ensure that all publications, abstracts and presentations of research accomplished by the T32 trainee acknowledge support of the T32 grant as required by the Notice of Grant Award and that all are in compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy. Notification of accepted publications. Abstracts must be emailed to Amy MacDonald within 30 days of acceptance. Acknowledgment example: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32 AA025606. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Of course, R01 and other research grants supporting the project should also be acknowledged.
- The trainee will keep his/her NIH eRA Commons profile and My NCBI Bibliography up-to-date. The trainee should access their My NCBI account by using their eRA Commons login. All mentors and trainees must create/maintain an updated biosketch (pre- and post-doctoral templates provided by NIH).
- The trainee and mentor must ensure the trainee meets the minimum requirements and maintains a detailed log of their NIH mandated Responsible Conduct of Research training (both online training's and other activities coordinated by the T32 program). RCR training must be reported to the DNAA program here: DNAA Trainee Responsible Conduct of Research Report.
- The trainee and mentor will complete the required annual evaluation forms and maintain and discuss the trainee’s Individual Development Plan. IDPs will be collected and reviewed by the T32 PI annually.
- The trainee will provide information on their progress and productivity to the T32 directors when it is requested so that it can be incorporated into the grant’s required annual progress report to NIH); annual evaluations from each trainee and their mentor(s) will also be sent to and reviewed by the T32 External Advisory Board, and should include submissions regarding progress of each trainee in meeting their training goals. These evaluations should include (but are not limited to) information regarding participation in program activities, engagement in collaborative research, publications submitted/accepted, submission of a T31/32 fellowship application, distinctions/awards received, courses completed, etc. Progress on these activities will be considered during decisions about possible reappointment.
- It is expected that all predoctoral trainees will formulate and eventually submit an NIH F31 grant and that second-year postdocs will submit a training or career development grant.
- The trainee is required to meet the coursework requirements of the training program by classes taken either prior to the beginning of the program or during the period of support. These courses include two courses in Statistics; a course on Ethics in Research, one course in either the Neurobiology of Development, Drugs and Neurodevelopment, or Human Development, a course in addictions (e.g., Psychopharmacology, Genetics of Addictions, etc.), and a course in Grant Writing and Review.
- The trainee is required to attend and present during monthly T32 Workshop and Writing Club meetings and participate in other activities of the training program (monthly DEARC meetings, annual T32 retreat, presentation rehearsal sessions, etc.).
- The trainee is required to attend annually the Research Society on Alcoholism annual meeting or another scientific conference that commensurates with the training goals of the T32. The trainee must submit an abstract, of which they are the presenting author, and apply for meeting/travel awards, if relevant and appropriate, which typically cover the cost of registration and sometimes provide a nominal travel stipend.
- Trainees must complete their official termination notice, including their T32 tenure training summary, prior to the end of their appointment.
