Integrative Team Initiatives
RTS-Group
Research Training Support Group
The Research Training Support (RTS) Group is a collaboration between the Graduate School, Office of Institutional Diversity, and the Office of Research. The RTS Group supports faculty in securing and executing externally funded grants to support innovative training of a diverse research workforce.
If you are planning to submit a training grant of any sort, or even just considering it, please reach out to us — we’re here to help. Contact the RTS Group as early in your planning and development process as possible. Current training grants programs at NIH and NSF may be found here.
What support do we provide?
Training grants are integrative activities that require touch points across campus. Based on the type of training grant you are pursuing, the RTS Group will provide you a Coordinating Home Unit for your training grant – usually either the Graduate School or the Office of Institutional Diversity, depending on program type — that will help you with these touch points as you develop your proposal as well as support you through execution of the grant once awarded. The Coordinating Home Unit
- Provides a single administrative point of contact for PIs to address strategic decisions or crosscutting institutional issues that arise,
- Liaises with the RTS Group and others on campus to assist the PI with program-specific issues, and
- Facilitates communication when needed between the PI and academic programs, in order to help answer questions and address concerns from either.
What Institutional Support is Available?
We’ll work with you to align available institutional support to create the strongest program. Our menu of institutional support includes:
- Connection to a network of UGA PIs with training grant experience.
- Provision of examples of successful proposals when available.
- Engagement with UGA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and their networks.
- Support of additional trainees through reinvestment of Graduate Tuition Return Incentive Program (GTRIP) tuition return.
- Guidance on opportunities for alignment of existing complementary programs that can expand your trainee program numbers, reach, and impact.
- Access to an experienced Program Coordinator pool to support your training grant’s operation.
- Proposal development support including project management, budget development, grant writing, and editing.
- Red team review of your proposal draft by an experienced external panel.
Contact Us
Contact Alex Aspley, our Project Manager, at alexaspley1@uga.edu to get more information and begin partnering with the RTS Group in your training grant development.
“Students and postdoctoral fellows are key to the vibrancy of UGA’s research ecosystem and training grants play a critical role in attracting the very best scholars to join us in advancing UGA’s research and creative works. The Research Training Support Group is designed to help our faculty members successfully propose and execute these important grants.”
Karen J.L. Burg
Vice President for Research
“I am pleased to partner with the offices of Institutional Diversity and Research to provide this support to our faculty who are applying for and managing training grants. These programs provide world class training for graduate students while advancing cutting edge research at the University, and they are critical to our continued excellence.”
Ron R. Walcott
Vice Provost for Graduate Education & Dean of the Graduate School
“The Research Training Support Group provides a collaborative approach to the support and management of training grants at UGA. These grants are critical to our continued success in preparing scholars and promoting innovative research. The Office of Institutional Diversity is excited to partner in support of this important work.”
Michelle Cook
Senior Vice Provost, Diversity and Inclusion and Strategic University Initiatives