Networking is a critical component for establishing a supportive culture of inclusion, increasing shared productivity, and developing successful research teams within and outside the university. In addition to regular meetings with the FLORIDA-FIRST BRIGADE's investigators, internal and external mentors, center directors and the Vice President for Research described above, we ensure networking opportunities in the following ways:
- All FIRST faculty will have appointments in established departments at FSU. These will most likely be departments shared by their internal mentor, providing an immediate source of support and connection to department colleagues.
- To ensure tracking and evaluation of networking, there will be an explicit section in the faculty development plans for networking goals including number of early career faculty, senior investigators, and administrators as well as manuscripts and grant submissions that arise from these networking opportunities. The internal and external mentors are expected to facilitate these connections.
- By building on the FSU's CTSA K Scholars program, we integrate the FIRST Cohort with early-career health science investigators across the university.
- FSU's Collaborative Collision program provides multiple university-sponsored opportunities to network with FSU's scientific community relevant to the FIRST Cohort's research, and funding opportunities are provided for pilot projects from this initiative.
- We will collaborate with the Office of Research Development and the Office of Faculty Development and Advancement to promote monthly "think tank" sessions with departments across the university in the first year of hire to introduce faculty to R01 funded investigators to promote integration and collaboration.
- The UF-FSU CTSA consortia provides access to a network of UF researchers, one of the top public institutions in the country. Funding is available for pilot projects that require collaborations between the two institutions. Dr. Naar, as KL2 Director, facilitates the connections with UF investigators.
- We have budgeted for additional meeting travel for networking through conferences or meetings with investigators at other institutions, in addition to the start-up packages.
