The USAVRCN is initiating with multiple programs of member outreach and education.
Early Career Vaccinologist Program:
Annually, the USAVRCN will elect five recipients of its Early Career Vaccinologist component to the Network. These early career vaccinologists will be researchers who are within five years of receipt of their doctoral degree. The specific goal of this component will be to assist with the development of the careers of talented early stage vaccine researchers from academia, government, and industry. Candidates will be selected by a panel of Network members through a competitive process that weighs candidate’s experience, vision, accomplishments, and commitment to the field of vaccinology. USAVRCN will establish a sub-committee comprised of successful mid-career and senior researchers at several institutions, to provide guidance and training in the areas of grantsmanship and collaboration. Grantsmanship training will be tailored to vaccine research and will include strategies for obtaining funding from non-traditional funding sources. Training will also target requirements for developing and licensing vaccines, including regulatory affairs, manufacturing costs and distribution, and involve network from industry and academic members who have successfully brought a vaccine(s) to fruition. Training modules will involved online and in person contact. Mentoring members early in their career positions them for fruitful research careers and helps create a next generation of vaccinologists who will be responsible for advancing the field of vaccinology and assume leadership roles in the USAVRCN and research community.
Learn More About the ECV Program
Advanced Vaccines Fellowship Award:
To promote vaccine research that crosses disciplines in search of novel solutions, the Network will award supplemental stipend funds to the recipient of the annual ‘US Vaccinology Research Coordination Network Advanced Vaccines Fellowship Award’. Pre- or post-doctoral mentees of Network members will be eligible applicants, and award recipients will be selected based on perceived cross-discipline novelty and benefit to the vaccine research community as judged by the Network.
The impetus for such an award is to promote networking between Network members and with the scientific community at large, and support placement of postdoctoral candidates in laboratories focusing on aspects of vaccinology disparate from their doctoral work (i.e. Postdocs with novel technical background electing fellowships in clinical/trial labs, or with immunology background into chemical vaccinology labs). One-page (maximum) applications will be reviewed by the Network board, and the top five will be presented for silent voting by all network members on the Network website. Awards will comprise $2000 to a single recipient each year. The Network strives for creative solutions to vaccine problems, and the Advanced Vaccine Fellowship award will support early-phase study that cross-pollinates between disciplines in meaningful and novel ways.