Grant Writing for Success

1. Madelon Halula, Ph.D.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesJune 2012 NIH Regional Seminar Washington, DC Grant Writing for Success

2. Points to Remember • Grant writing is a learned skill • Grant writing is a full time job • You will need help and advice • The more you learn the better

3. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/strategy/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/grant/strategy/Pages/default.aspx

4. Qualify for NIH Funding • NIH mission: to create fundamental knowledge about living systems and apply that knowledge to reduce human illness and disability. • 27 institutes and centers, each with its own research focus or function • Find funded projects. NIH RePORTER Community of Science

5. www.nih.gov

7. Identify NIH Funded Grants See what Research Projects the NIH or any Institute has funded Find Potential Collaborators for your Project

8. Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT) http://report.nih.gov/index.aspx A searchable database of federally supported biomedical research Access reports, data, analyses, expenditures, results of NIH supported research activities Identify, analyze IC research portfolios, funding patterns, funded investigators: Identify areas with many or few funded projects Identify NIH-funded investigators and their research Identify potential mentors/collaborators

9. Qualify for NIH Funding • Your Institution Most types of institutions—including universities, small and large businesses, state and local governments, and foreign institutions—qualify for most research grants. • Investigator qualifications R01 Parent Program Announcement under Eligible Individuals: Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the PD/PI is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support. • Special considerations for particular types of grants

10. Chose and Design a Project

11. Chose and Design a Project Propose research about which you are passionate and totally committed Now you just have to explain it ……

12. Chose and Design a Project • Be ready to apply electronically • Do a self-assessment • publications and experience • managed comparable efforts • Find your niche • scientific opportunities, skills, • will you be competitive?

13. Chose and Design a Project • Be ready to apply electronically • Do a self-assessment • publications and experience • managed comparable efforts • Find your niche • scientific opportunities, skills, • will you be competitive?

14. Chose and Design a Project • Plan a series of research goals for 7-10 years that address a significant problem • Draft Specific Aims and hypothesis • Outline experiments and feasibility • Decide grant type (R01, R21, etc.), review the requirements and target your application

15. Chose and Design a Project • Investigators-Initiated vs. Targeted Research • Program Announcements • Requests for Applications • Get advice from colleagues, NIH staff, other scientists

16. NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Official publication listing NIH funding opportunities and policy notices Request for Applications (RFA) Program Announcements (PA, PAR, PAS) Request for Proposals (RFP) Notices (NOT) Published weekly

18. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/council/concepts/pages/default.aspxhttp://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/council/concepts/pages/default.aspx

19. Team Science • Increased expertise and resources brought to the project • Being independent enough to lead a major award • Institutional recognition • Peer review of multidisciplinary project • Making a team work- communication, communication!

20. Write Your Application

21. Write Your Application • Follow application instructions • When in doubt – ask!

22. Write Your Application • Research Plan: Know your audience • Make it easy for reviewers to understand the significance, feasibility • Understand the likely composition of the review group and scoring

23. Write Specific Aims • Grab the reader immediately with significance and rationale • State long-term objectives AND expected impact • Explicitly state hypotheses and research question • List aims in a few sentences each

24. Write Research Strategy • Remember page limits • Address issues of significance and innovation • Show reviewers that your approach is feasible – resources, expertise, alternatives. • Make it easy to read

25. Developing a Strong Research Plan Preliminary Studies/Progress Report • How previous work -- by you, your team, and others -- leads to this study • Demonstrate your experience, competence and likelihood of continued success • Must flow logically from literature review and major themes of the problem area

26. Approach • For clinical studies be explicit and thorough in discussing • intervention or system to be studied • target population • inclusion and exclusion criteria • independent and dependent variables • all measures and instruments • power analyses

27. Write Research Strategy • Approach is important • Background and preliminary data to support the context and importance • Provide experiments to support each specific aim • Describe anticipated results and implications • Provide references –

28. Top Ten Weaknesses • Poorly formatted, typographical errors, grammatical errors, lack of proofreading, or unappealing presentation. • Insufficient preliminary data, or preliminary data do not support project's feasibility. • Overly ambitious • Lack of significance to the field or public health. • Lack of investigator expertise or team.

29. Top Ten Weaknesses • Lack of innovation or new ideas. • Lack of a strong, original hypothesis and Specific Aims. • Needed to identify potential pitfalls and alternative approaches. • Concern about knowledge of the field (didn’t cite relevant papers or account for alternative viewpoints). • Peer Review group not a good match

30. Submit Your Application • Cover Letter • Prepare to Submit • Passing Validations • Assess Application After You Submit

31. Assignment and Review • Check your application assignments – Institute and Review • Identify Your Program Officer • Identify your Scientific Review Officer

32. Align with Review Criteria

33. Core Review Criterion #1 SIGNIFICANCE • Does this study address an important problem? • If the aims are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? • What will be the effect on concepts or methods that drive this field?

34. Core Review Criterion #2 INVESTIGATOR Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers? Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated expertise to the project (if applicable)?

35. Core Review Criterion #3 INNOVATION Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

36. Core Review Criterion #4 APPROACH • Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? • Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternatives?

37. Core Review Criterion #5 ENVIRONMENT • Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? • Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? • Is there evidence of institutional support?

38. Other Review Considerations • Human subjects • Animal care and use • Select agents • Model organism sharing plan • Data sharing plan

39. Good Review Get to the right review group • Title, abstract, specific aims all point to the main goals of your project • Attach a cover letter for the Center for Scientific Review Division of Receipt and Referral • suggest IC and review group assignment* • outline areas of key expertise needed for appropriate review • do not name specific reviewers * Consult with Program Official

40. Good Review Understand the dynamics of peer review: • Reviewers will review many applications • Make your application easy to read and easy to understand • The impact and significance should be clear throughout the application • Convince them to be your advocate • Get them on your side!

41. How to Assure that your Grant Gets Funded? • Good ideas, well presented always win • Think clearly • Write clearly • Be complete but not verbose • Never lose sight of the significance • Point to the impact • Pay attention to details

42. Funding This part covers several aspects of funding, which include how we make funding decisions, what to expect when getting a grant, how to manage your award, and how you can increase your chances of staying funded and avoid a break in funding. As part of staying funded, we give you information and advice about preparing a renewal application. Here you can also read about how NIH calculates percentiles for R01 applications and how we set paylines. If your application misses the payline, go to Part 6. If Not Funded. Note: foreign grantees and investigators should use our Grants Policy and Management Training for Foreign Investigators for information on negotiating and managing their grants. Pages for Part 7 •Timing for Funding and Staying Funded •Strategy for Funding Decisions ◦Understand Paylines and Percentiles ◦How NIAID Makes Funding Decisions •Strategy for Your Grant ◦Getting a Grant Award ◦How to Manage Your Grant—(domestic grants only.) ◦Advice for Managing Your Grant •Strategy for Staying Funded ◦Approaches for Staying Funded ◦How to Renew Your Application Funding • Funding Decisions based on merit, program considerations, available funds • Understand Paylines and Percentiles • How NIAID Makes Funding Decisions • Getting and Managing Your Grant • Your Notice of Award

43. If Not Funded • You are in good company • Know your options • Get advice, Regroup • Try again

44. Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT) http://report.nih.gov/ A searchable database of federally supported biomedical research Access reports, data, analyses, expenditures, results of NIH supported research activities Identify, analyze IC research portfolios, funding patterns, funded investigators: Identify areas with many or few funded projects Identify NIH-funded investigators and their research Identify potential mentors/collaborators

45. http://report.nih.gov/

46. NIH staff: We are here to help- Call & email us!! Searching NIH web sites is a good start … but follow up with personal contact Contact NIH program staff early Ask what information would help them advise you about IC interest & “goodness of fit” Are there related FOAs?

47. Multiple Principal Investigators • Single PI model does not always work well for multi-disciplinary, collaborative research • Recognizes contributions of full team • In place for most submissions to Grants.gov • Implications for “New Investigator” status • A complex issue – Talk to NIH program staff if you are considering multiple PIs ! grants1.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi

48. Where Do I Get More Information? NIH homepage: http://www.nih.gov/ NIAID (or any Institute): http:/niaid/www.niaid .nih.gov/ CSR website: http://www.csr.nih.gov/

50. Sample Applications and Summary Statements