Grant Writing
An Overview
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
What is a grant?
• “A grant is a mechanism by which an agency
awards money to fund a research study or other
activity, such as an educational program, service
program, demonstration, or research project.”
Gitlin, Laura N., Kevin J. Lyons. Successful Grant Writing: Strategies for Health and
Human Service Professionals. 2nd ed. (2004).p.xi
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Why apply for a grant?
• Advance scientific knowledge in your field AND advance your
professional career
• A grant means that experts in the field acknowledge your idea as
important and worthy of public or private support.
• A grant means an enhanced prestige of your institution.
• A grant means a contribution to the financial health of your
department, school or agency
• A grant means new opportunities for your research assistants.
• A grant means a new program that otherwise can be too expensive for
your institution to support and implement
(Gitlin & Lyons, 2004)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Why start now?
Grant writing is an important part of your
professional growth strategy. It should become a
long-range plan for your professional growth and
development:
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Build individual credentials
Build a track record of funding
Work on teams with more experienced researchers
Develop a plan for long-range, personal development
(Gitlin & Lyons, 2004)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
How do I get a grant?
Getting Financial Support
Federal Agency
Private Foundation
Corporation
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Funding = your interest + the interests of a funding
agency
Photo by Anne Hornyak
• “No matter how good
your idea and how wellwritten your proposal, if
the agency to which you
are applying is not
interested in your
project, you will not be
funded!”
Rief-Lehrer, Liane. Grant Application Writer’s Handbook.
4th ed. (2005)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Federal Government
• The majority of grants are
received through the federal
agencies.
• The Public Health Service
within the Department of
Health and Human Services
and the U.S.Department of
Education have a variety of
programs of potential
interest to the health
professionals.
• National Institutes of Health
(NIH) is an agency of DHHS.
photo by Shubert
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Private Foundations
• 700,000+ U.S.
foundations offer grants
to individuals,
institutions, or other
non-profit groups.
• Generally only
independent
foundations and
community foundations
provide grants to
independent
investigators.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Corporations
• Large corporations are
interested in the testing
or evaluation of their
own products. The
private sector is a
potential source of
funding.
• Corporations provide
grants for research
projects that advance
the interests of the
company.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
In this tutorial, we’ll be
focusing on federal grants.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• The Federal focal point
for medical research in
the United States.
• NIH is comprised of 27
separate components
(Institutes and Centers)
• The majority of NIH funding
is distributed in the form of
grants.
• To fulfill its mission, NIH:
– Supports the research of
non-Federal scientists in
universities, medical
schools, hospitals, and
research institutions in the
United States and abroad
(Reif-Lehrer, 211)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Mission of NIH
• Understanding what research NIH funds and
why it does so can help you focus your
application.
• NIH's mission is to create fundamental
knowledge about living systems and apply
that knowledge to reduce human illness and
disability.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
NIH Agency’s Mission
• Your project should meet the mission of
the institute or agency likely to fund it.
– For example: As one of NIH's 27 semi-autonomous
institutes, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID) supports basic and applied research to
understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and
allergic diseases.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
NIH Institutes and Centers
• http://www.nih.gov/icd/index.html
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Glossary of NIH Terms
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IC - Institutes and Centers
PI - Principle Investigator (an individual, a recipient of the grant)
PA - Program Announcement
RFA - Request for Applications
FOA - Funding Opportunity Announcement (PA or RFA)
CSR - Center for Scientific Review
For a complete list of terms and
abbreviations click here
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
What are the types of projects that
receive funding?
• Projects of High
Scientific Caliber:
– NIH looks for grant
proposals of high
scientific caliber that are
relevant to public health
needs and are within NIH
Institute and Center (IC)
priorities. ICs highlight
their research priorities
on their Web sites.
• Investigator-Initiated
Research
– NIH strongly encourages
investigator-initiated
research across the
spectrum of their mission.
They issue hundred of
FOAs in the form of PAs
and RFAs to stimulate
research in particular areas
of science.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
What are Parent Announcements?
• Parent Announcements are requests for investigatorinitiated, unsolicited research grant applications that
do not fall within the scope of targeted
announcements.
• The majority of NIH applications are submitted in
response to parent announcements.
• Parent Announcements are also used for conference
and scientific meetings grants
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Uniqueness
• By law, NIH cannot
support a project
already funded or pay
for research that has
already been done.
Photo by
Knokton
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Types of NIH Grants
• NIH grants are grouped into “Series”, all of
which are grouped according to the type of
research being conducted.
– Research Grants (R series)
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Career Development Awards (K series)
Research Training and Fellowships (T & F series)
Program Project/Center Grants (P series)
Resource Grants (various series)
Trans-NIH Programs
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Understanding Grant Process
Step I (12-14 months)
Start here
Planning (10-12 months)
Start early, collect preliminary data,
establish internal deadlines.
Writing (1-2 months)
Begin writing several months prior to deadline.
Submitting
Submit application to NIH/Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR), Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
using Grants.gov and eRA Commons for electronic submission
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Understanding Grant Process
Step II (3 months)
You've submitted your application
Application Arrives at CSR
Application compliant with NIH policies are assigned for review and funding consideration.
CSR assigns application
to an NIH Institute/Center (IC) and a Scientific Review Group (SRG).
Scientific Review Officer (SRO) assigns application to reviewers and readers.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Understanding Grant Process
Step III (4 months)
Your Application is assigned to Peer Review
Initial Level of Review
Scientific Review Group (SRG) members review and evaluate application
for scientific merit.
Priority Score
Each reviewer marks a score sheet with a numerical score
Subsequently, the scores from all of the SRG members are averaged to produce a single score
Statement Summary
Within one or two months of the SRG meeting, a summary statement will be available to the Principal Investigator
Second Level of Review
The Advisory Council/Board of the potential awarding IC performs the second level of review.
NIH program staff members examine application priority scores and consider these against the ICХs needs.
Post Review
Congratulations!
A fundable score results in award
Not Funded
NIH has resources available to help applicants prepare a possible application revision and resubmission.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Priority Scores
The lowest scores
indicate the highest
level of merit.
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100-150: Outstanding
150-200: Excellent
200-250: Very Good
250-350: Good
350-500: Acceptable
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Competition
• The NIH receives
thousands of
applications for each
application receipt
round. Funding on the
first attempt is difficult,
but not impossible.
Photo by Marc Soller
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Planning
• Develop your ideas for funding
– An idea must fit with your long term career interests, as well
as the interests of a funding source
– Examine these seven sources:
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Clinical or professional experience
Professional literature
Communications with colleagues and funded investigators
Social trends
Legislative initiatives
Public documents
Goals and priorities of funding agencies
(Gitlin, 59)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
“Even the best idea will not be funded
unless it matches the interest of a funding
agency. Competitive ideas must reflect both
contemporary thought in a field and the
interests of an agency”
(Gitlin, 66)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
More Planning
• Learn about your institution
– Knowing your institution’s policies early in the
proposal development will help you expedite the
process, prepare a budget, and complete the
application.
– If your research proposal involves human
subjects, plan ahead for its approval by your
Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to
conducting any type of research.
(Gitlin, 69)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Searching for Grants
• Determine what type of grant you will be using and
which IC is most appropriate to fund this type of
research
• Search for the proper FOA through grants.gov
• Once you have identified the FOA, read the FOA in
detail, read the instructions carefully and follow the
instructions exactly
Finding and Applying for NIH Grants. SJM Family Foundation, Inc., 2008. p.21
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Search Exercise
Click here
Take 5 minutes to search for a grant on
the www.grants.gov web site.
Suggested topic: obesity and diabetes in
children
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Writing
• Be prepared to write, rewrite, and rewrite.
• Writing takes time; plan a working schedule.
• A well-written proposal should be clear,
focused and precise.
• A poorly written proposal has the potential to
limit the chances of having a competitive idea
funded.
(Gitlin, 149)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Tips for Grant Writing
• Follow an outline
• Prepare figures, tables, and
images before you write your
proposal
• Be accurate
• Be clear & consistent
• Use words correctly
• Use sentences of 17 to
23 words
• Start paragraphs with
clear, informative topic
sentences
• Think about style
• Know when to avoid
highly technical
language
(Reif-Lehrer ,137-145)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Submitting an Application
• Applications are submitted electronically.
• NIH expects applications to be submitted on-time.
• Electronic submission involves two separate systems
working together: Grants.gov and eRA Commons.
• Grants.gov requires a one-time registration by the
applicant organization. The applicant organization
and the Principle Investigator (PI) must also complete
a one-time registration in the eRA Commons.
(NIH Guide to Writing a Grant, 20.)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Strategies for Novice Grant Writers
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Identify a research area
Start a comprehensive literature review
Develop a presentation at the professional meeting
Write an article and submit to a smaller, local or state journal.
Contact a publisher in your field and offer to review books
Get experience in conducting research
Seek out funding for a small project first
Collaborate with experienced researches
(Gitlin, 17)
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Understanding the NIH Review
Process
• Evaluative Criteria:
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Significance
Approach
Innovation
Investigator
Environment
Click here to view a video on Peer Review at NIH
(39 minutes)
This video is recommended but not required for a completion of the
tutorial.
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Recommended Resources
•
“Grants and Funding” BU Medical Library subject guide
•
Gitlin, Laura N., Kevin J. Lyons. Successful Grant Writing: Strategies for Health and
Human Service Professionals. 2nd ed. (2004).
•
Rief-Lehrer, Liane. Grant Application Writer’s Handbook.
4th ed. (2005)
•
Finding and Applying for NIH Grants. SJM Family Foundation, Inc., 2008.
•
Grant Process Overview - from Office of Extramural Research, NIH
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information
Questions?
Please contact your section instructor
http://courseinfo.bu.edu/courses/09sprggmsms640_a1/
Thank you!
MS 640: Introduction to Biomedical Information