Writing Successful Grants: A Comprehensive Guide from Dr. Jan Dorman

1. Developing a Plan of Action Dr. Jan Dorman University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing jsd@pitt.edu

2. Why Write a Grant? • Grants provide you with resources needed to complete a major project that interests you • Grants allow you to set your own career goals and increase your autonomy • Grants help you achieve recognition and enhance your professional reputation • Grants generate resources for graduate students

3. Why Write a Grant? • Grants offer salary support and potentially release time • Grants fund personnel, equipment and travel • Grants can be used to support conferences • Grants may be required for tenure • Grants provide prestige to you and your school

4. What Type of Grants? • Project grants • Research • Conferences • Books • Career development grants • Fellowships • K awards • Institutional Training Grants

5. Need an Idea that FITS • Fills a gap in knowledge • Important • To you and long-term career path • To your institution • To the field • To the funding agency • To the reviewers • Tests a hypothesis • Short-term investment leads to long-term gain • Impact • Sustainability

6. Ideas May Come From • Clinical experience • Literature • Presentations at professional meetings • Discussions with colleagues • Funded investigators • Emerging health-related issues • Solicited reports (e.g. IOM) • Current agency priorities • NIH-sponsored conferences

7. Current Hot ‘Topics’ • Community-based participatory research • Interdisciplinary initiatives • Underserved populations • Technology • Translational research • Biobehavioral science • Genomics • Patient safety

8. NINR Program Areas • Health promotion and disease prevention • Managing symptoms in acute and chronic illness • Self-management in health and illness • Caregiving • Health disparities • End of life/palliative care

9. CRISP • Information on grants and programs funded by HHS • Search database to see what has been funded that relates to your topic • Can obtain copy of the proposal • Contact PI • Contact NIH Freedom of Information Office Coordinator

11. Communicate Intent • To mentor/advisor/department chair • To Research Administration • To program staff from the funding agency • Do homework first!

12. Before You Start Writing • Conduct comprehensive literature review • Your question should be based on gaps in the literature • Why is your research compelling, necessary, timely, significant? • What are your goals and outcomes? • Brainstorm with colleagues • Identify Co-investigators and a statistician • Consider theoretical frameworks

13. Before You Start Writing • Draft your Specific Aims • All proposals require a narrative • Read funded proposals • Develop an outline • Consider developing a presentation of your proposal • Consider publishing your narrative (after your grant is submitted!) • Do you need pilot data?

14. Before You Start Writing • Develop study design and methods • Identify study population • Determine • How your project will be conducted • Recruitment needs • Data to be collected to address your question • Resources will be required • If your environment is appropriate • Do you need community support? • Develop timeline • Talk with a statistician

15. Before You Start Writing • Carefully read grant guidelines and review criteria • Determine whether you are eligible to apply – NIH says: • “Any individual with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support.” • Additional qualifications depend on the funding agency and mechanism

16. Before You Start Writing • Talk with your colleagues and mentors • You will want them to review your proposal • Include people who do and do not know the area • Visit your University’s Office of Research Website • Make an appointment with your school’s research administrators

17. Before You Start Writing • Do you have institutional support? • Do you have the needed infrastructure? • When are applications due? • Can you apply later? • When are they reviewed? • Are there budgetary restrictions? • When do you need the money? • How much money do you anticipate needing? Key Question: GO/NO GO?

18. Rules to Follow If It’s a Go

19. Rule 1 Get Started Early!

20. Rule 1 • Establish benchmarks and deadlines • Start ~3 months before it’s due • Are internal reviews are needed? • Is the submission electronic? • Register with agency weeks in advance • Need 10 extra days • Allow time for feedback • Don’t be defensive

21. Rule 2 Read the Instructions!

22. Rule 2 • Follow instructions exactly! • If not, application may be returned • Use Appendices wisely • Don’t put anything in an Appendix that the reviewer needs to read • Check key websites frequently • Make contact with agency as needed

23. Rule 3 Make It Easy For the Reviewers

24. Rule 3 • Write from the reviewer’s perspective • Assume that they are NOT experts • Make it EASY for the reviewers • Let there be white! • Clarity is key – avoid detours • Use subheadings, tables, figures

25. Rule 3 • Keep it simple, focused and interesting to reviewers and funding agency • Identify potential problems /limitations • Address them in the proposal • Talk up strengths • Say it’s significant because …

26. Rule 4 Play It Straight!

27. Rule 4 • Don’t pad biosketches • Do not list conference presentations or book chapters if you’re applying to NIH • Don’t over- or under-estimate the budget • NIH has 2 tier review • Toot your horn – but don’t deafen the reviewers! • Grants are awarded to your institution, not you!

28. Rule 5 Don’t Work in A Vacuum!

29. Rule 5 • Lot’s of resources on the web • Meet with collaborators early and often • Update internal and external staff frequently • Get feedback from colleagues • Senior investigators, non-experts

35. Additional Things to Consider • Take additional grant writing courses • Read books • Gerin W. Writing the NIH Grant Proposal, Sage Publications, 2006 • Ogden TE and Goldberg IA. Research Proposals: A Guide to Success. Academic Press. 2002. • Reif-Lehrer L. Grant Application Writer’s Handbook. Jones and Bartlett, 2005. • Take a course in accounting • Write (or help write) lots of grants!

36. Rule 6 Don’t Give Up!