Apply for National Institutes of Health R01 writing workshop

From: the Office of Research and Innovation

Faculty who plan to be working on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 proposal in spring 2026 are encouraged to apply for a semester-long writing workshop. The highly interactive workshop is scheduled to begin Jan. 20, 2026. It will be jointly led by Kirsten Nielsen, a professor of microbiology and immunology in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and Karen Roberto, a University Distinguished Professor and director of the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, who both have significant experience writing and reviewing successful NIH grants. 

Over the workshop’s five sessions, participants will develop and refine each section of their proposal with guidance from faculty mentors, peers, and specialists in scientific writing. The final draft will be reviewed in a mock study section composed of Virginia Tech faculty with successful NIH proposal preparation experience. The workshop will be a reading- and writing-intensive effort; participants are expected to dedicate about ten hours a week, outside of the workshop sessions themselves, to preparing and reviewing materials. For reference, here is the syllabus for last year’s workshop.

To be considered for this program, faculty should fill out this application form by Oct.15, 2025.

Interested faculty are required to submit an abstract for the planned proposal as part of the application materials. Attendance at all workshop sessions is mandatory.

Workshop sessions (2:30–5 p.m.):

Jan. 20

Feb. 3

Mar 3

Apr. 7

May 19

The workshop is made possible by the Office of Research and Innovation, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, the Institute for Society, Culture, and Environment, and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. For questions, contact Kirsten Nielsen (kirstennielsen@vt.edu).