Awards, Funding, and Fellowship Opportunities
Note: Due to the current financial uncertainty, the GPS Office has made the decision to cancel the Spring 2025 Cycle of the Research Grant.
Awards, Funding, and Fellowship Opportunities
The Medical School provides graduate students internal awards and supports external fellowship award opportunities.
Internal awards exist at the level of the University, Medical School and the graduate programs. The Associate Dean of Graduate Education oversees and distributes funding from the University and the Medical School to individual graduate programs or directly to graduate students.
External awards are available through institutions or organizations outside the University of Minnesota. The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies host workshops and seminars to assist with the application process for many of these extramural awards.
External Award Opportunities
- Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
The purpose of this National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein-National Research Service Award (NRSA) program is to enable promising predoctoral students with potential to develop into a productive, independent research scientists, to obtain mentored research training while conducting dissertation research. The F31 is also used to enhance workforce diversity though a separate program.
Eligibility: U.S. citizen or permanent resident, enrolled in a research doctoral degree program.
The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. GRFP seeks to broaden participation in science and engineering of underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000.
Other Award Opportunities
- Council of Graduate Student Advancement Awards
- 3 Minute Thesis®
- Beatrice Z. Milne and Theodore Brandenburg Award
The Medical School Council of Graduate Students offers Career Development and Advancement Awards. These awards are designed to support your professional development by providing financial assistance for activities that will enhance your career prospects. Total of $15,000 award is available this application cycle with $5,000 reserved for under-represented, minoritized students. (Up to $1,000 award per successful applicant)
Please contact [email protected] for more information on awards.
The 3-Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition that challenges PhD students to communicate the significance of their projects without the use of props or industry jargon, in just three minutes. The exercise develops academic, presentation, and research communication skills and supports the development of research students' capacity to quickly explain their research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience leaving them wanting to know more. 3MT competitions at the Medical School level are held yearly at Research Recognition Day in April/May.
The Beatrice Z. Milne and Theodore Brandenburg Award recognizes exceptional thesis research by graduate students in the basic biomedical sciences. The award reflects the thoughtfulness and generosity of Ms. Beatrice Z. Milne and serves as a lasting expression of her commitment to improving the health of the people of Minnesota, the nation, and the world. The award is given annually to up to six currently enrolled graduate students in one of the following graduate programs: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics (BMBB), Integrative Biology and Physiology (IBP), Microbiology, Immunology & Cancer Biology (MICaB), Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics (MCDB&G), Neuroscience, and Pharmacology.
The Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. Graduate Programs Council in the Medical School will coordinate the selection process. The award is presented in the spring at the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs Research Recognition Day and each award will include a $6,000 award.