Finding Funding Opportunities:
Choosing the Best Grant for You
Maureen E. Goode, PhD, ELS
Administrative Director
Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences
Maureen.Goode@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-7924
Start thinking about grants NOW.
Learn the types of grants available, how
you can keep informed about funding
opportunities, and how to choose the kind
of grant most likely to be funded.
Plan a couple of steps ahead in your
career.
The choices seem endless….
NIH, NSF, DoD, AHA, MDA, ACS…?
NCI, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIBIB, NICHD,
NIDA, NIDCR, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR,
NIAMS, NIDCD, NIDDK, NIGMS…?
R01, R03, R21, T32, P01, P30, K08, K22,
K23, IDEA grant, young investigator grant…?
Investigator initiated or in response to an
FOA?
Learn the Language--investigators
New investigator = has no major (R01-type )
funding
Early stage investigator = new investigator
within 10 years of completing terminal
research degree or medical residency
Learn the Language—grants & applications
Grant mechanism = kind of grant (R01, K22,
P01, new investigator)
Investigator initiated (unsolicited) application=
your idea + a general grant mechanism
Application in response to an FOA = your
idea + an FOA
Learn the Language—information
FOA = funding opportunity announcement
RFA = request for applications
PA = program announcement
RFP = request for proposals
Notice = information about an FOA
Learn the Language—your new best friends
Funding agency = organization that awards
grants
IC = National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Institute or Center
Program officer = funding agency employee
managing an FOA
Study section = reviewers of your grant
application
Learn the Language—NIH-specific terms
NIH Glossary & Acronym List
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/glossary.htm#P7
To choose the best grant for you, ask
yourself:
•What do I want to do?
•How much will it cost? How long will it
take?
•Where am I in my career?
•Who might give me a grant?
What do you want to do?
•Conduct research
Individual and group research grants
•Get training
Training and career development awards
•Train others
Departmental & institutional training grants
•Hold a scientific or educational meeting
•Build new facilities
Individual Research Grants
One project
Examples
R = NIH research grants
R01—Research Project Grant
R03—Small Grant
R21—Exploratory/Developmental Grant
R41/R42—Small Business Technology
Transfer Research Grants
R43/R44—Small Business Innovation
Research Grants
Multiproject Grants
Several related projects, sometimes with supporting
cores and programs for career development and for
funding pilot projects (you could get a grant from a
multiproject grant)
Examples
P = NIH multiproject grants
P01—Research Program Project Grant
P30—Center Core Grant
P50—Specialized Center Grant
Career Development/Training Awards
•For the development of researchers
•Salary support and research funds
•Most are for students, fellows, and assistant
professors, but some are for more senior faculty
•Many are limited to certain career periods (e.g., first
3 years of assistant professorship) and to US
citizens or resident aliens
•Investigators with other career development awards
or R01-type funding are not eligible
Examples
K, F, and T = NIH career development/training
K01—Mentored Research Scientist Award
K08—Mentored Clinical Scientist Award
K12—Mentored Clinical Scientist Development
Award
K22 —NCI Transition Career Development Award
K23—Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career
Development Award
K24—Established Investigator Award
F32—Postdoctoral Individual National Research
Service Award
T32 —Kirschstein Institutional Research Training
Award
How much will it cost? How long will it take?
•All FOAs have time limits
•Almost all have budget limits or ranges
•For initial planning, an approximate cost is fine-$50,000? $200,000? Millions?
•Colleagues and your departmental grants
administrator can help you estimate the cost of the
research (direct funds)
•Indirect funds (which go to your institution) have
to be included
Where are you in your career?
•Graduate student
•Postdoctoral or clinical fellow
•New assistant professor just beginning a research
project
•Associate or full professor continuing an
established research program
•Any professor testing a new hypothesis
There are specific grants for all these stages in
your career.
Graduate Students
•NIH grants
http://grants1.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm
•GrantsNet (useful information for everyone)
•http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding
•GSBS announces grant opportunities for its
students
•Check large institutional and departmental
training and research grants too
Postdocs
•NIH grants
http://grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmenta
wards.htm
(has information for assistant professors too)
•GrantsNet
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding
•Check large institutional and departmental
training and research grants too
Who might give you a grant?
NIH
Other funding agencies—check eCivis
Don’t like the FOA but like the funding agency?
OR
Want to confirm that you’ve chosen the right grant
from that agency?
Check the agency’s web site for other FOAs
Here’s an example…
Department of Defense (DoD)
cdmrp.army.mil/funding/default.htm
Have been for a variety of diseases. FY11 list is
not out yet.
Mechanisms: postdoctoral, new investigator,
hypothesis-testing (Idea), clinical investigator, and
therapy-development awards (varies by disease
site)
Many emphasize innovative ideas
Not restricted to US citizens or resident aliens
AFTER READING THE FOA,
Get More Information from the Program Officer
•Is my project a good fit with the FOA?
•If not, are there other FOAs that would be better?
•This FOA is about to expire. Will it be reissued?
•Who is on the study section?
•Will a lot of people apply for this grant? (What are
my chances?)
•Can you suggest any ways to improve my
proposal?
Also, thank them—email their institute or
foundation directors
REMEMBER
Contact us to discuss what we can do for you
713-500-7900; CCTS@uth.tmc.edu
or Maureen Goode (713-500-7924)
Maureen.Goode@uth.tmc.edu
Use CCTS services and programs to leverage
your grant applications
Check our web site for information
http://ccts.uth.tmc.edu/
From the New Yorker, December 6, 2010