GSSP Funding
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 14, 2025
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
The GSSP competitively awards funding to close the gap between existing funds and the students' expected cost of attendance. GSSP awards are intended as supplemental funds for graduate students working towards their PhD or Master’s degrees in veterinary affiliated research; any other funding should be identified at the time of application and/or award.
PLEASE NOTE REQUIREMENTS:
1) Mentor must assume financial responsibility for student's research costs, and any amount of support needed beyond the GSSP award.
2) Applicants must be in good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or greater at time of award).
3) Applications are considered from all qualified candidates. Priority will be given to those applicants who have not received GSSP support in the previous funding cycle.
4) Research projects whose objective directly or indirectly impact companion animal health are strongly encouraged, although all meritorious veterinary medicine affiliated research projects are appropriate.
5) Awards are to be utilized between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
GSSP Funding Categories
GSSP funds are made available annually on a competitive basis to eligible applicants in six different funding categories:
- Funding "packages" in support of individual MS or PhD programs, including VSTP
- Matching funds in support of extramurally-funded research training programs (T32 or F30/31)
- REACH Fellowship Program (Research and Education in Advanced Clinical Health)
- The Peter C. Kennedy Endowed Fellowship in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology
- The Ann T. Bowling Fellowship in Veterinary Genetics
- The Center for Equine Health Graduate Fellowship
Funding "Packages" in Support of Individual MS or PhD Programs
Traditional graduate degree programs utilize a variety of sources by which to support living stipends, including block grants, individual faculty research grant funds, Center funds, and others. Assembling a variety of funding sources is essential to meeting the salary expectations of students, particularly post-DVM students, so as to be competitive and thus attract and recruit the most outstanding individuals. Further, candidates in traditional PhD programs usually spend most of their first year(s) in classes rather than in conducting laboratory research which sometimes makes it difficult for faculty mentors to provide or justify financial support during this time. GSSP funds may be used to complete funding "packages" for individuals who are enrolled in a graduate group. GSSP funds will be awarded in the form of one quarter of full funding. The amount of GSSP funds requested will vary according to the graduate group and be dependent upon the level of contribution by the faculty mentor. GSSP awards are provided as supplemental funds for graduate students (they may not be "stacked" with other awards to achieve a level of funding that exceeds the compensation plan of the student's graduate group).
Matching Funds in Support of Extramurally-Funded Research Training Programs
Pre- and post-doctoral research training programs funded by extramural agencies (such as NIH T32 and F30) often require institutional matching funds as a condition of application and award. Applicants may request GSSP funds shall be made available as matching funds for research training program applications if funded positions have been targeted specifically to, and are intended to be occupied by, veterinary students and/or veterinarians. The amount of the match will vary depending on individual application requirements and fund availability. In all cases, extramurally-funded research training programs with a mandated institutional match will receive priority over programs without a required match. Special considerations shall be made for insuring funding for existing programs before allocating funds to new programs. Requests for matching funds must be clearly identified in the application.
REACH Fellowship Program
This program is intended to provide one year of stipend/salary support for post-graduated veterinarians who are completing (or have just completed) their clinical residency training program to conduct and/or participate in a translational research program. The REACH program can be used as a one year post-doctoral experience or as a step on the way to matriculation into a formalized PhD program.
The Peter C. Kennedy Endowed Fellowship in Veterinary Anatomic Pathology
The goal of the Peter C. Kennedy Fellowship is to support excellent post-DVM graduate trainees working towards the Ph.D. degree that are either board certified or eligible in the American College of Veterinary Pathologists [ACVP]. Applicants with a research emphasis in veterinary anatomic pathology are encouraged to apply, especially those whose research emphasizes the pathogenesis of naturally occurring diseases of animals that might not otherwise be supported by federal agencies focused on human health (e.g. by NIH).
The Kennedy Fellow for 2024 will receive a one year, $35,000 student support fellowship award. The student’s advisor is expected to fund the balance of the fellow’s stipend, tuition/fees and insurance, as well as the cost of research-related expenses.
Ann T. Bowling Fellowship in Veterinary Genetics
This fellowship is directed towards full-time graduate students in a UC Davis PhD program. Although the Graduate Group in which the student is enrolled is not specified, the student’s research project must be directed at identifying, understanding, and mitigating the genetic/genomic basis of heritable disorders afflicting veterinary species, including but not limited to equine, canine and feline. The fellow will perform an internship at the UCD Veterinary Genetics Laboratory for a minimum of 5 weeks with the possibility to extend to a quarter. They will learn basic and applied genetic/genomic methods relevant to their dissertation topic.
Any full-time PhD graduate student that is currently enrolled in graduate curriculum, or is enrolled in the DVM/PhD dual degree program is eligible to apply. The applicant’s dissertation research must have a genetic/genomic focus and approach aimed at identifying and understanding heritable veterinary diseases, molecular veterinary forensics, or molecular epidemiology. This fellowship will provide one-year of graduate student support (up to $32,000).
Questions?
Please contact the SVM Graduate Student Support Program at svmgssp@ucdavis.edu with any questions or concerns.