SUBJECT:

New NIH IDP Requirements and Campus Training

In an effort to better prepare graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for careers in the biomedical workforce, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that they are encouraging institutions with any NIH support, regardless of the type of NIH grant, to develop an institutional policy requiring an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for every graduate student and postdoctoral scholar on NIH funding.

Institutions are not required to submit completed IDPs to NIH but are requested to report on the trainees using IDPs on all progress reports submitted on/after October 1, 2014, using the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR). The NIH Notice is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-13-093.html

To assist and facilitate campus Principal Investigators in complying with this new NIH policy, UC San Diego's Office of Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholar Affairs (OPVSA), Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) and Career Services Center have developed a campus-wide standard for IDPs, including an IDP form. In addition, OPVSA will offer IDP workshops for postdocs. Schedule, form and resources are available at http://postdoc.ucsd.edu/education/index.html.

Although this policy only applies to those on NIH support, we encourage PIs to implement this tool for all postdocs, regardless of funding. It will be useful to the trainees to identify career goals, explore areas of training, mark their accomplishments, and facilitate mentor/mentee communication.

For additional information, contact Jennifer Oh, Director - Postdoctoral and Visiting Scholar Affairs (jenn@ucsd.edu; 858-534-6632) or Ginger Hazen, Postdoctoral Scholar Professional Development Coordinator (vhazen@ucsd.edu; 858-822-5915).

Sandra A. Brown Vice Chancellor for Research