Educational Innovations ABSTRACT Background: With the global shortage of doctor of philosophy-prepared nursing faculty and an aging nurs- ing professorate, the nursing profession is at risk of having fewer nurses doing research and fewer faculty to super- vise the next generation of nurse researchers. Method: A research training award for graduate nursing students was piloted with the intent of providing a research-intensive experiential learning opportunity that would contribute to graduate students’ future roles as nurse researchers. This article describes the program design, implementation, and evaluation. Findings: The Graduate Student Research Train- ing Awards afforded students an opportunity to develop research and methodologic skills and achieve student-cen- tered outcomes. These awards build their capacity as future researchers by both empowering them and increasing their confidence in research. The input and evaluation from grad- uate students was integral to the success of the program. Conclusion: Graduate student research training awards can be a valuable experiential learning opportunity in research intensive graduate programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(5):284- 287.] A research training award for graduate nursing students was piloted with the intent of providing a research- intensive experiential learning opportunity that would contribute to graduate students’ future roles as nurse researchers. The students worked collaboratively with a faculty mentor on a small research project that was based on student-identified goals and outcomes. The purpose of this article is to describe how the program was developed, implemented, and evaluated. Background The National League for Nursing (2013, p. 1) “believes that it is critical that doctoral programs in nursing, including both research and practice doctorates, prepare graduates with the knowledge and skills to teach, to provide leadership for trans- forming education and health care systems, and to conduct or translate research in nursing education.” However, since fewer than 1% of nurses in Canada and the United States have com- pleted a doctoral degree in nursing or a related field (U.S. De- partment of Health and Human Services, 2010), more doctorally prepared nurses are critically needed to sustain and promote the strides made to advance the knowledge and theory underlying nursing practice. Adding to this urgency, with an aging profes- Building Graduate Student Capacity as Future Researchers Through a Research and Training Award Program Diane Cepanec, MA; Amanda Humphries, BA; Kendra L. Rieger, BN; Shelley Marshall, BN; Yenly Londono, MNS; and Diana Clarke, PhD Received: October 15, 2015 Accepted: February 19, 2016 Ms. Cepanec is Senior Research Manager, College of Nursing and Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research, Ms. Humphries is Research Intern, and Ms. Rieger and Ms. Marshall are PhD candidates, College of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ms. Londono is a PhD candidate, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, and Dr. Clarke is Associate Professor, College of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba and Research Associate, Mental Health Program, Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Canada. The authors received funding from the Manitoba Centre for Nursing and Health Research for the Graduate Student Research Training Awards. The au- thors thank Dr. Diana McMillan, Dr. Benita Cohen, and Dr. Maureen Heaman for serving as faculty mentors for these awards. Funding was provided to the doctoral candidates in support of their education: Ms. Londono was awarded the Manitoba Health Research Council Doctoral Studentship and the Child Health Graduate Studentship in Nursing, Ms. Marshall was the recipient of a Manitoba Health Research Council Doctoral Studentship, and Ms. Rieger was the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Award. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise. Address correspondence to Diane Cepanec, MA, Senior Research Manager, College of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Win- nipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada; e-mail: Diane.Cepanec@umanitoba.ca. doi:10.3928/01484834-20160414-08 284 Copyright © SLACK Incorporated