# Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP): Preparing the Next Generation of Neuroscience Leaders > **NIH NIH R25** · SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE · 2024 · $270,000 ## Abstract ABSTRACT The path forward to a more diversified neuroscience research workforce is one that addresses persistent challenges and emerging opportunities in a fundamentally changed, and continuously changing, professional environment. Challenges to the status quo are happening at the societal level, and increased digitization offers new opportunities to engage and encourage a diverse workforce to thrive in neuroscience and related fields. Building on the assets and expressed needs of neuroscience trainees, the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) will carry out a five-year continuation of the Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) to foster retention, persistence, and career success of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from diverse backgrounds, including from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. NSP’s extensive program experience and recent external evaluations show a timely opportunity for the next program cycle to focus on two overarching themes to meet needs of underrepresented neuroscience researchers (UNRs) in this ever- changing world: (a) to support UNRs as agile and nimble leaders, with resources to navigate with greater confidence, empowerment, and leadership in their professional environments, rather than simply “surviving” or adapting, and (b) to foster a sense of belonging for UNRs in a global community of NSP participants, alumni, and neuroscience leaders from multiple institutions that reinforces and supports thriving in the neuroscience field. To address these themes over the five-year project period, Aim 1 supports the retention of UNRs by providing at least 80 NSP Fellows with intensive in-person and online networking, mentoring, skills development, and enrichment funds for research experiences. Aim 2 supports broader persistence efforts by providing approximately 350 NSP Associates with career-building activities through online professional development programming supplemented by targeted in-person experiences. Aim 3 supports the continued career trajectory and long-term professional success of more than 1,200 NSP Alumni as leaders and mentors in the NSP and broader neuroscience community. The primary delivery methods of the program will be new courses for skills development including a focus on agile leadership and management skills, an update of NSP’s existing library of courses, ongoing facilitated access to hands-on research experiences, and an expanded mentoring program that includes a peer mentoring system. SfN anticipates this approach will effectively facilitate NSP Fellows and Associates to gain a greater sense of identity as neuroscientists, and along with Alumni, to experience greater confidence in their professional leadership abilities, facilitating increased retention, persistence, and career success of UNRs. In this vein, NSP will contribute to a more diverse research workforce that seeks answers to complex research questions relevant to diverse groups in the general population and trans... ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10933981 - **Project number:** 2R25NS089462-11 - **Recipient organization:** SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE - **Principal Investigator:** Karina Alvina - **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2024 - **Award amount:** $270,000 - **Award type:** 2 - **Project period:** 2014-09-30 → 2029-08-31 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10933981 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10933981, Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP): Preparing the Next Generation of Neuroscience Leaders (2R25NS089462-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10933981. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*