The purpose of this series is to present advanced principles of grant preparation based on National Institutes of Health (NIH) standards. Sessions will be comprised of presentations followed by hands-on grant preparation activities. The following topics will be addressed: how to succinctly state overall and specific hypothesis and specific aims; writing specific aims and bringing them to fruition and purpose; 12 page RO1 application; and other specific types of awards (i.e., mentored K awards, training grants, and programmatic initiatives). There are barriers to clinical investigators engaging in research and the number of clinical investigators nationally has declined, as has the capacity of clinical investigators to compete for federal grant funding. The decrease in successful clinical investigators has been the experience at the Medical College as well. Documented barriers to engaging in clinical research include lack of resources or  limited access to resources, limited opportunities to network and collaborate with investigators from diverse backgrounds, and a lack of direction about how to proceed (e.g., guidance in grant writing. There are also barriers to translating findings to clinical practice. NIH established the “NIH Roadmap” to address these barriers, enhance clinical research workforce training, and reengineer the clinical research enterprise. In 2015, the Medical College was awarded a Clinical & Translational Science Award (NIH UL1TR001436) to provide infrastructure supporting efforts to enhance the translation of research findings from bench to bedside and from beside into clinical practice. This grant supports the efforts of the MCW Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The expanded training of clinical investigators is a critical part of the CTSI’s mission. Continuing medical education (CME) is an important part of the CTSI mission.

ACCME Accreditation Statement:
The Medical College of Wisconsin is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement:
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Hours of Participation for Allied Health Care Professionals:
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this activity for up to 1.0 hours of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals.