NIH Grant Application Writing W orkshop

1. NIH Grant Application Writing Workshop Significance and Innovation S.P. Sugrue Feb. 13 2013

3. General comments: • Propose something significant • Good ideas do not sell themselves • Make it exciting • Probe for mechanism and seek new paradigms (perhaps models) • Avoid proposing to collect more data • Be very clear • Do not assume much reviewer background • Do not ‘test the waters’

4. Death Critiques • “Low impact” research • “Incremental changes” –death knell for significance • “Confirmatory research, duplicative” • “Derivative”

5. Significance • Title • Abstract • Specific Aims • Significance • Innovation • Public Health Relevance Statement

6. Significance Section: • Although you will emphasize your project's significance throughout the application, the Significance section should give the most details.

7. Significance Section: • Take your time and tell them your story— • Needs to be crafted for perspective of the reviewers.

9. Significance should: • Convince your reviewers how the niche you've selected for this project can push forward the frontier of knowledge in your field.

10. Significance ≠ Illness • Don’t argue that a particular illness is significant. • Significance: What will you do to help cure the illness/lessen its consequences/prevent sequelae?

11. Two questions: • If 100% successful with the experiments proposed, where will we be? • If you and your lab team disappear, how will you be missed?

12. Don’t fall into traps • Just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean it needs to be done • This area is so important (or new) that any information will be significant

13. Significance need to: • Present the research proposed in the context of the state of your field and your long-term research plans.

14. Significance Section Suggested Layout • Paragraph one: Introduce the problem: • Paragraph two: Additional background as needed: • Paragraph three: Emphasize the significance of the idea (hypothesis) proposed- • Paragraph four: Emphasize the significance in a broader context-

15. Summary • describe the importance of your hypothesis to the field • describe the importance of your studies to human disease. • point out the project's significance throughout the application. • show awareness of the opportunities, gaps, roadblocks, and research underway in the field. • State how your project fills gap.

16. Think Broadly about Innovation • Anew MECHANISTIC hypothesis • A new combination of expertise (unusual multi-disciplinary team), leading to new perspective • A new combination of 2 previously used methods • A refinement of existing model, technology • Unique sample, opportunity provide • the novelty

17. How to Write about Innovation?Be Straightforward! • Note: NIH makes no recommendations re: length; suggested length ½ -¾ page • Does your research incorporate a new perspective on your subject? • Novel concepts, approaches or methods? • Are the aims original and innovative?   • Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

18. Remember: Innovation is Necessary, But Not Justification for Research • “This model has been tested in rabbits, mice, rats, drosophila, dogs, cats, chickens, zebrafish and hamsters, but no one has looked at it in a frog yet.”

19. Too much “innovation” • Be careful about arguing you’re “outside the mainstream” • Need to balance innovation with: • Feasibility (preliminary data, scope of research) • Credibility (training, publications)

20. Closing comments • Use readers • Do not be defensive • Be flexible and responsive • Good Luck!