| Milestone | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
| 1 | Participate in monthly COBRE networking meetings | x | x | x |
| 2 | Document monthly or more frequent interaction with mentor | x | x | x |
| 3 | Present research at national or international meeting | x | x | x |
| 4 | Present research at national or international meeting | x | | |
| 5 | Submit two manuscripts to a peer-reviewed journal of high impact | | x | x |
| 6 | Plan and write an NIH R01 with mentor review prior to submission | x | | |
| 7 | Submit R01 prior to end of first year | x | | |
| 8 | If R01 funding is obtained, graduate off COBRE funding | | | x |
| 9 | If unfunded, review with mentor, address reviewers comments and re-submit R01 | | | x |
| 10 | Re-package grant for submission to other agencies | | | x |
| 11 | Submit a non-competing renewal package to the Steering Committee | x | x | x |