Mentored Career Development Awards (MCDA)

About this program

KY INBRE offers Mentored Career Development Awards to support individualized, one-year biomedical research training for early-career scientists under the mentorship of NIH-funded faculty at eligible Kentucky institutions. Awards provide up to $30,000 for bachelor’s-level trainees, $35,000 for master’s-level trainees, and $40,000 for doctoral-level trainees, primarily for trainee salary and fringe support, with possible renewal based on progress and available funds. Eligible mentors are tenured or tenure-track faculty at Kentucky colleges and universities other than the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky, with NIH R15, R16, or comparable funding of no more than $125,000 in annual direct costs and at least one year remaining; eligible trainees must hold a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree and pursue a biomedical research career. Applications are accepted year-round on a rolling basis and must be submitted as a single PDF by email, with both mentor and trainee registered in NIH eRA Commons.