TODAY’S GAME PLAN
• Overview of grants and
sponsored research from a
“junior faculty” perspective.
• Research grant
opportunities for graduate
students (pre-doctoral).
WHAT’S A GRANT AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Definition of a grant: An assistance mechanism
awarded to an organization for the conduct of
research or other program to accomplish a public
purpose. The scope of work and details are
defined by the Principal Investigator (PI), the
sponsor is not involved in the conduct of the
project, and particular results are not
guaranteed.
Why should I care? If you want to become a
faculty member at a research institution, then
your employers will!
KEY TERMS
PI: Principal Investigator, the primary grant recipient who is
responsible for the scientific conduct of the sponsored project.
Sponsor: The federal agency, state department, or foundation who
provides the grant funding to the PI.
Award: The term used to describe the actual provision of grant funds
after grant funding decision is made.
Direct Costs: Expenditures on the grant that are required to conduct
the project for which the sponsor is directly billed.
Indirect or Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs: Collected by the
sponsored university based on direct costs at a set federally
negotiated rate.
WHAT GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE?
Investigator-initiated Proposals vs. Requests for Applications (RFA)
Federal sponsors of public health research (Grants.gov)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): www.nih.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): www.hrsa.gov
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): www.ahrq.gov
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): www.pcori.org
WHAT GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE? (CONT.)
State sponsors
• Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Foundation sponsors
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• American Cancer Society
• Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
• Pharmaceutical companies (GlaskoSmithKline, Pfizer)
• The Josiah Macy Foundation
TYPES OF NIH GRANTS
•
R01 Research Project Grants
•
R03 Small Research Project Grants
•
R21 Exploratory Research Grants
Electronic Application Components
•
•
Project Abstract
Protection of Human Subjects, Planned
Enrollment, Inclusion of
Women/Children/Minorities
•
Research Strategy (12 pages for
R01, 6 pages for R03/R21)
•
•
Specific Aims (1 page)
Biosketches
•
Letters of Support
•
References
•
•
Facilities and Resources
Budget and Justification
•
•
Leadership Plan
Contractual Arrangements
•
Appendices
•
Resource Sharing Plan
WHAT EXPENSES DO GRANTS COVER?
Typical grant-funded direct costs include:
• Support for PI and co-investigator effort on the
project (salary buy-out)
• Graduate research assistant tuition and
stipends
• Scientific meeting and programmatic travel
related to project
• Consultant costs
• Subcontracts to other institutions
• Materials and supplies, including participant
incentives
• Some equipment purchases
HOW ARE GRANTS REVIEWED?
NIH: Assigned to Institute/Center
Scientific Merit Review by Subject-Area Experts
Priority/Impact Scores, Percentile Rank, and
Summary Sheets
Funding Decision at Council: Paylines
THE “BIG 5” NIH REVIEW CRITERIA
1. Significance: Does the project address a critical barrier to progress in the field?
-- Assessed based on Significance Section of Research Strategy
2. Investigator: Are the PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well-suited to the project and have
an going record of accomplishments in the field?
-- Assessed based on biosketches and personal statements
3. Innovation: Does the project challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice
paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, or interventions?
-- Assessed based on Innovation Section of Research Strategy
4. Approach: Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well reasoned and appropriate to
accomplish the specific aims of the project?
-- Assess based on Approach Section of Research Strategy
5. Environment: Are the institutional support, equipment, and other physical resources available to
the investigators adequate for the project proposed?
-- Assessed based on Facilities and Resources Section
WHAT CAN I DO NOW TO MAKE MYSELF MORE
COMPETITIVE FOR GRANTS IN THE FUTURE?
Complete IRB training for human
subjects
Work with your committee members on
their sponsored research projects
Publish with your committee members
based on your work with them and
build your CV
Present and publish the results of your
own research
Consider applying for fellowships and
dissertation support grants
PUBLICATION
FUNDING
RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL
PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS (PARENT F31)
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-111.html
Key Considerations:
• Am I at the dissertation stage of my terminal degree program?
• Do I have committee members and other research-oriented faculty who will
write me distinct letters of reference?
• Who will serve as my sponsor/mentor?
• What kinds of training will I need to support my career development? Can I
develop a training plan that clearly supports my dissertation research?
RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL
PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS (PARENT F31)
Requirements Unique to F Awards:
Research Training Plan, Selection of Sponsor and Institution, Responsible Conduct of Research,
Career Goals, Research Experience. 172-page manual specific to fellowship applications
Participating NIH Institutes: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
AHRQ GRANTS FOR HEALTH SERVICES
RESEARCH DISSERTATION PROGRAM (R36)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/par-09-212.html
Applications for dissertation research grants must be responsive to AHRQ’s
mission, which is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and
effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ has particular interest
in supporting dissertation projects in the following areas: comparative
effectiveness, health information technology (health IT), patient safety,
prevention and care management, value, and healthcare innovations.
Letters of support are required, but responding to this PAR is less involved
than the NIH F awards.
QUESTIONS OR WANT TO APPLY?
Contact Me!
Margaret McGladrey, MA
Assistant Dean for Research
College of Public Health
111 Washington Avenue Suite 104E
Lexington, KY 40536
859.218.2023
margaret.mcgladrey@uky.edu