Translational scientists trained in budget management at Community of Scholars workshop

Which costs are considered “direct” and which are “indirect” according to the most common federal grant programs? What are the reporting requirements for modular versus itemized budgets? Can you include allowances for travel, conferences, postage or publishing costs in your budget?

These are among the topics that were covered in the inaugural Professional Development Workshop Series sponsored by the Community of Scholars (COS) under the KL2 Mentored Career Development Program (linked to UB’s Clinical and Translational Science Award) in early November.

The COS brings together junior scientists and clinicians for professional development activities, visits to community centers, seminars by role models, and other activities to enhance career success.

“Our goal is to provide our scholars with opportunities for career advancement -- to complement and synergize mentoring activities and state-of-the-art clinical and translational research,” said Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement, and chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (JSMBS).

COS is co-chaired by Kim Griswold, MD, MPH, RN, associate professor in the JSMBS Department of Family Medicine; KL2 scholars Ellen Volpe, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, assistant professor in the school of nursing, and Nikhil Satchidanand, PhD, associate professor in Family Medicine; and Margarita L. Dubocovich, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor.

The COS Professional Development Workshop series supports postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty to become independent funded investigators in clinical and translational research, which is a fundamental goal of the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA).

Participants who attended the workshop received valuable information and advice from two experts on federal requirements, grant management and spending money wisely. Erin Bailey, MSM, CRA, who is chief financial officer of the CTSA, and Timothy Schailey, MS, director of the Office of Research Administration at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, presented “Managing Your Grant Budget” to a group of about 20 junior faculty and investigators who are engaged in, or hoping to start, clinical research projects.

“We want to help investigators create effective budget proposals that comply with sponsor and institutional guidelines before the award,” said Bailey, “and to manage that budget effectively once they receive the award.”

A recurring theme of the presentation was the importance of writing detailed budget justifications into a grant proposal up front to reflect, as accurately as possible, the actual funding needed to carry out the proposed research once those expenses are reported in the corresponding budget.

The next workshop in the series is scheduled for November 23. “How to Navigate Resources at Hand in the CTSA Clinical Research Office” will be presented by Sanjay Sethi, MD, professor and chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in the VA WNY Healthcare System and director of UB’s Clinical Research Office (CRO). Topics include clinical trial protocol development, IRB submission review, coverage analysis evaluation and CRO consultations. The workshop will be held in 339 Cary Hall on the south campus from 12 to 1 p.m. (Register on line by November 20.)