Tips and Tricks in Grant Applications Translational Research

1. Tips and Tricks in Grant ApplicationsTranslational Research Kenneth Cheung Clinical Professor Division of Spine Surgery

3. Messages from my experience • Start modest, don’t be too ambitious • Build up your track record before you ask for big money! • “Basic science” projects with clinical relevance are better supported?.....translational? • Look for money everywhere! • Local, regional or international

4. The 3 Nevers • Never give up • Never say “this grant is not for me” • Never put it off to next year You never know when you get lucky!

5. Key strategies • Ground work on what the granting agency wants • Novelty • Simple hypothesis • Pilot data • CRCG seed funding • Include info in background and/or appendix • Get appropriate co-I with track record • Realistic budgets • Methodologies that are really do-able

6. The process • Start early • Begin to think about your grant from April • Organize meetings with your collaborators • Brainstorming sessions to generate ideas • Background reading • More meetings to refine ideas • Avoid projects that are “fishing expeditions” • Find a good mentor • July-Aug • Start writing

7. The process • Do not be afraid to send it to others • Send it to whoever is willing to read it! • Be open to criticism • Aim to RE-WRITE your proposal AT LEAST 2-3 times • Put it away for 2 weeks and re-read it to check for logic and flow • (faculty reviewing process helpful)

8. Tips on writing GRF • Objectives (1 page) • One page summary of the whole proposal • Write this and abstract at the end • Background • Work done by others / work done by yourself • General introduction of the problem • Work leading to the hypothesis • Clearly indicate if this is yours or your collaborators/groups work vs work by others • Ensure that you are up to date with the literature • Ends with Hypothesis

9. Tips on writing GRF • Methodology • Summary of steps to address hypothesis • Sufficiently detailed to ensure that you can convince the reviewers - you know what you are doing (difficult balance) • ?how will you make use of the results obtained to address the hypothesis • Potential problems and ways that you can address them / alternate strategies

10. Tips on writing GRF • Do-ability • Avoid “fishing” exercise • Sample size – for human studies – can you collect enough of what you need in the required time? • Ethical? • Best to have existing samples to work on (demonstrates that you can collect) • Pilot information to demonstrate your methodology works • Do you have the right expertise to help you – both experimental setup and analysis? • Remember – reviewers are experts in the field

11. Tips on writing GRF • Must be a realistic budget • Most overseas reviewers cannot comment on budget • But if you are successful, you have to deliver!

12. Tips on writing GRF • Choosing the right reviewers • Nominate some • Point out competitors to avoid if the field is small • English editing – limited value in helping you get the message over

13. Summary • Start early • Keep it simple • Have pilot results • Have appropriate expertise • Be open to criticism and learn from others • A lot of luck!