Mentor (Sponsor) Information

The applicant will not be able to submit the application without these documents; therefore, it is important to complete these documents prior to the application deadline. Send Word or pdf documents by e-mail to the applicant. The applicant will upload the documents into the proposal. Please note: The AHA uses the terms sponsor and mentor interchangeably.

Please refer to the list of required items for submissions to the research program you are supporting.

Format/Type Requirements for All Documents

Follow the format and type requirements below when creating your documents. No more than 15 characters per inch (cpi) or an average of no more than 15 cpi (cpi includes symbols, punctuation and spaces).

• No less than ¾" margins
• 50 lines per page are the maximum allowed.
• Arial font style, 12-point font size for Windows users; Helvetica font style, 12-point font size for Macintosh users.

The documents are required to be separate files. Please comply with ALL page limits.

Biographical Sketch of Mentor/Co-mentor
(five-page limit)

Mentors should use their NIH biosketch (non-Fellowship version), OMB No. 0925-0001 and 0925-0002 (Rev. 03/2020 approved through 02/28/2023). For instructions, please visit https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm.

Past and Current Trainees
(three-page limit per mentor)

You may use either portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) orientation. Using the following table format, list predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees under the mentor’s and co-mentor’s supervision (within past five years, current and pending).

Indicate the source of stipend support for all current and pending trainees. Indicate in parentheses under the trainee name where the training with the faculty member occurred, if at a different institution. Exclude medical interns and residents, unless they are heavily engaged in laboratory research. For each trainee indicate period of predoctoral or postdoctoral training and any degree received; previous institution, degree, and year awarded prior to entry into training; title of the research project; and for past students/trainees, their current positions; or for current students, their source of support.

The co-mentor is to send this document to the primary mentor to upload into the application.

Rationale: The data in this table permit an evaluation of the success of the proposed faculty in facilitating the progression of students in their research careers, the ability of the faculty to commit appropriate time to mentoring additional trainees, and the institutions from which their trainees are selected.

Mentor’s/Co-mentor’s Predoctoral Trainees

Mentor’s/Co-mentor’s Postdoctoral Trainees

Training Plan for the Fellow
(three-page limit)

**AHA requires one document from the primary mentor that includes information from the co-mentor, if one has been named.**

The primary mentor must provide a detailed plan for the proposed research training experience, which should also encompass that of the co-sponsor (if applicable). Describe funds available to applicant from mentor and any co-mentor. Provide the mentor’s and co-mentor’s assessment of the applicant. The document should include the following six items:

1. Describe research in progress in the mentor’s and co-mentor’s labs.
   
   
2. Describe the plan to develop the applicant's research capabilities, including a statement on the sequence in which the applicant will be given increasing personal responsibility for the conduct of research.
   
   
3. Indicate other related training or course work which will be required for specific technical skills or methods the applicant will be expected to master. Include the names, degrees and titles of other individuals who will be involved in training the applicant.
   
   
4. Title a separate section, “Instruction in responsible conduct of research and rigor and reproducibility”. Include the names, degrees and titles of all individuals who will be involved in training the applicant. Is there a plan for instruction in the responsible conduct of research, taking into account the specific characteristics of the training program, the level of trainee experience, and the particular circumstances of the trainees?
   
   The reviewers will evaluate the adequacy of the proposed training in relation to the following: A sufficiently broad selection of subject matter, such as conflict of interest, authorship, data management, human subjects and animal use, laboratory safety, research misconduct, research ethics. AHA does not require submission of the NIH RCR form.
   
   
5. Address the relationship of the research training plan to the applicant's career goals. Clarify the role the fellow played in the development of the research proposal.
   
   
6. Provide the mentor’s and co-mentor’s assessment of the applicant.
   Comment specifically on the following:
   
   
   • Why the applicant’s record and accomplishments merit AHA support;
   • Why you have taken a mentorship role for applicant;
   • How you will use your knowledge and professional influence to promote the applicant’s technical progress and career advancement.
     
     
   Please AVOID referring to personal circumstances or attributes of the applicant: Marital status, age or gender (e.g. young, woman, man), juggling of factors such as child care or illness, and roles of the applicant outside of the professional setting (e.g., mother, husband, father).
   
   
7. Describe the scope and source of all funds available to the applicant, including departmental and institutional funds. Because the fellow receives primarily stipend support from these awards, additional research support for the proposed project MUST come from the mentors’ labs. Adequate current funding to support the fellow's project is a factor in the peer review criteria.

Research Project Environment
(no page limit)

**AHA requires one document from the primary mentor that includes information from the co-mentor, if one has been named.**

Note: This page is similar in format to the NIH PHS SF424 (R&R) Facilities & Other Resources form. Information from the NIH Resources form may be copied and used to create this document.

This document should include the mentor’s and co-mentor’s (if applicable) facilities to be used for the conduct of the proposed research. Indicate the performance sites and describe capacities, pertinent capabilities, relative proximity, and extent of availability to this project. Use the following sub-headings:

• Laboratory
• Clinical
• Animal
• Computer
• Office
• Major Equipment (list the most important items already available for this project, noting the location and pertinent capabilities of each)
• Other (identify support services and specify the extent to which they will be available to the project)