Career Development Program for Biomedical Laboratory and Clinical Science R&D Services

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The Career Development program is intended to attract, develop, and retain talented researchers working in areas of particular importance to improve the health and care of our nation's Veterans. The Biomedical Laboratory Research & Development Service (BLR&D) and the Clinical Science Research & Development Service (CSR&D) have a rich history of supporting investigators during their early research careers who have gone on to serve as long-standing, independently funded scientists, Center Directors, and research administrators such as ACOS/R, etc. The current Career Development program provides opportunities for clinician and non-clinician scientists, including biostatisticians and clinical trialists.

BLR&D and CSR&D are currently offering the following Career Development award types:

Career Development Award 1 (CDA-1): For applicants who are within two years of obtaining their terminal degree and have not been a PI or co-PI on a post-doctoral or peer-reviewed independent research project supported by a national, public, or private organization.  At this time, applicants must fall within one of the following categories to be eligible (see the RFAs and guidance documents linked below for more details):

• US military Veterans
• Applicants from Minority Serving Institutions
• Licensed psychiatrists (additional information on the research career pathway for psychiatrists is available here)

Career Development Award 2 (CDA-2): For early-career scientists who have not been a PI or co-PI on a post-doctoral or peer-reviewed independent research project supported by a national, public, or private organization. Eligibility depends on several factors; see the RFAs and guidance documents linked below for more details.

Career Development Enhancement Award (CDEA): For senior investigators seeking to obtain additional research training, acquire new knowledge or skills, and/or enhance their research programs.

Applications for all BLR&D and CSR&D Career Development Awards require an approved letter of intent. For details regarding the preparation and submission a Letter of Intent (LOI), please visit BLR&D/CSR&D Resources For the VA Research Community and/or refer to these documents:

• Presentation: Submitting a Career Development LOI to BLR&D and CSR&D
• Guidance on Submission of CDA-1 and CDA-2 LOI to BLRD and CSRD
• Instructions for Submitting a Career Development Clinical Trial LOI to CSRD
• Guidance on Submission of a CDEA LOI to BLRD and CSRD

RFAs may be found on the VA Research Intranet site, located at: https://vaww.research.va.gov/funding/rfa.cfm (copy and paste this link into your browser)

The VA Research Intranet site is not available to the public; VA research funding is available to VA investigators only.