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Early-Career Investigators Workshop

American Urological Association

The AUA’s Early-Career Investigators Workshop (ECIW) provides early-career physician-scientists and urologic researchers with an opportunity to learn and receive mentorship from established, well-funded investigators in urologic research. This collaborative workshop offers insights into the scientific review process, information about independent funding sources, and individualized grant writing guidance. By providing participants with a solid grant writing foundation, the next generation of urology researchers gain the skillset to successfully compete for their own research program funding to facilitate future urologic discovery.

The ECIW curriculum consists of the following elements:

Mentorship
Didactic Instruction (On-Demand and Live)
Virtual Specific Aims Workshop (Live Webinar)
Grant Funding Mechanisms Webinar (Live Webinar)
Individual and Small Group Proposal Reviews and Critiques with Senior Scientific Advisors
Mock Study Section
Grant Review/Revision

Mentorship Groups

This workshop’s dual-track training program will provide the most relevant training experience to participants. All applicants will be reviewed and, if selected to attend the Early-Career Investigators Workshop, will be assigned to one of the following grant development groups:

Early-Career Mentee Group: Early-career faculty and other eligible participants who will not submit a career development or independent research grant application within 12-months after the workshop.
- MD or equivalent: ACGME Residents, Clinical Fellows, trainees currently enrolled in fellowship programs (K12, T32, U2C/TL1), Faculty
- PhD: PhD Candidates, Research Scholars, Post-Doctoral Fellows, Faculty
Advanced-Career Mentee Group: Investigators in the process of preparing applications for K- or R-type research grants with submission deadlines in Spring or Summer 2027.

Application Process

All applicants must submit the following application documents as prompted in the Proposal Central “Letter of Intent” section:

Participant Agreement Form with all necessary signatures (document can be downloaded from the application in Proposal Central)
NIH-formatted biosketch or equivalent (five-page maximum) of the applicant, including a list and status of all extramural grant submissions for the past two years. For guidance, see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/biosketch.htm
A draft Specific Aims Page (one-page maximum) for the research project intended for a future grant application. Charts, photos, and/or figures are included in this one-page limit, please ensure it is not a crowded format. For guidance, see https://grants.nih.gov/grants-process/write-application/advice-on-application-sections#specific-aims
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Applicant's personal statement (one-page maximum) that states the career goals of the applicant.
Letter of Support (two-page maximum) from the applicant’s mentor detailing the research environment, institutional support, commitment to the applicant’s research and career development, and reasons why the applicant should be selected.
(Advanced Mentee Group only) A preliminary Research Proposal that contains, at minimum, a hypothesis and experimental plan outline. Other sections may include additional background information and supporting data. The Research Proposal must be at least four pages, not including references cited.
(Advanced Mentee Group only) A copy of grant review summary sheets and scores if the proposed research has been previously submitted for funding and was scored but not funded. Grants, summary sheets, and scores are treated as confidential documents and will not be shared externally to the Office of Research.

Selection Procedures

Approximately 30 participants will be accepted into the program, and all ECIW participants will be assigned to either the Early Career Mentee or Advanced Career Mentee group and will then be assigned their own faculty mentor. Group assignments are intended to ensure the participants’ current grant status aligns with programmatic content and intent of the workshop.

Key Dates

The following due dates should be considered when submitting your application to the 2026 Early Career Investigators Workshop. Failure to participate in workshop activities may result in removal from the program.

Virtual Specific Aims Workshop on Friday, September 4, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET
Grant Funding Mechanisms Webinar on Thursday, September 24, 2026, from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. ET
Early-Career Investigators Workshop (In-person) on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3, 2026

Application Deadline

Applications for the 2026 program will be accepted until Monday, June 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Application deadlines will not be granted. Late submissions will not be considered.

COST
Workshop participants must pay the registration fee by Friday, August 14, 2026:
• $480 registration fee for AUA members
• $625 registration fee for non-AUA members

AI Based Application Success Predictor

🧠 1. Strong Focus on Urologic Disease (Top Predictor)

Proposals must directly address:
- Urologic cancers (prostate, bladder, kidney, testicular)
- Benign urologic conditions (BPH, stones, incontinence, infertility)

👉 Weak or indirect relevance to urology is a common rejection reason

🔬 2. High Scientific Merit & Innovation

Successful proposals demonstrate:

Novel hypotheses or approaches
Clear advancement beyond current knowledge
Strong biological or clinical rationale

👉 AUA review panels emphasize rigorous, hypothesis-driven research

🔄 3. Translational & Clinical Impact (Critical)

Preference for research that:
- Improves diagnosis, treatment, or outcomes
- Has clear clinical applicability

👉 Projects with direct patient-care impact score higher

👩‍⚕️ 4. Early-Career Investigator Development (Major Priority)

Many AUA grants target:

Residents, fellows, and early faculty

Successful applications include:

Strong mentorship
Clear career development plan

👉 AUA funding is heavily focused on building future urology researchers

🧪 5. Feasible & Well-Designed Study

Clear:
- Specific aims
- Methodology
- Statistical plan
Realistic timeline and recruitment strategy

👉 Overly ambitious or poorly designed studies are frequently rejected

🤝 6. Strong Mentorship & Institutional Support

Mentor with:
- Proven funding track record
Access to:
- Clinical data
- Labs
- Patient populations

👉 Mentorship quality can significantly influence scores

📊 7. Potential for Future Funding (NIH Pathway)

AUA grants often act as:
- Seed funding for NIH or major grants

👉 Proposals that:

Generate preliminary data
Show scalability
→ have higher success rates

🦠 8. Alignment with Priority Research Areas

Higher success rates in topics such as:

Prostate cancer
Bladder cancer
Kidney disease
Men’s health and infertility
Minimally invasive and robotic surgery

🌍 9. Relevance to Patient Outcomes & Health Equity

Increasing emphasis on:

Improving access to care
Addressing disparities in urologic health

💰 10. Appropriate Scope & Budget

Typical funding is limited (pilot/early-stage)
Projects must be:
- Focused
- Achievable within funding period

👉 Over-scoped proposals are a common pitfall

📊 Summary: Key Predictors (Ranked)

Highest impact factors:

Strong urology focus
Scientific quality & innovation
Translational/clinical relevance

Moderate predictors:
4. Early-career development & mentorship
5. Study design & feasibility
6. Alignment with priority topics

Supporting factors:
7. Institutional support
8. Future funding potential
9. Budget clarity

💡 Insider Insight

Compared to NIH:

American Urological Association funding is:
👉 career-development oriented + pilot funding focused

👉 Key success question:
“Will this project advance urologic care and help develop a successful independent researcher?”

Strong clinical relevance ✔️
Feasible pilot study ✔️
Clear career trajectory ✔️
→ Highest success probability

Specialties

Urology

Eligibility Requirements

All applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria by the application submission deadline:

Be active in urologic research as evidenced by involvement in scientific or clinical urologic research projects.
Have not previously received extramural R01 or independent investigator funding as a Principal Investigator.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Urological Association

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1000 Corporate Boulevard Linthicum, MD 21090

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