Writing grant proposals:
an overview
Doug Levey (Dept. Biology)
Take home messages
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Start small (but above all, start!)
Proposal writing is a skill, requiring practice
Don’t be afraid of failure
Seek mentoring
Follow directions
Keep objectives of funding agency in mind
Put yourself in the shoes of a reviewer
Why proposals are important
(and why you should be writing them)
• Fellowship support
• They empower you to do your own research
• They prove you:
– Have good ideas
– Can communicate those ideas
– Will be able to support your work
IMPORTANT: Size doesn’t matter
It’s not natural
• Proposal writing is hard – it requires practice
• Risk is required
• The successes are what matter
(Photos of baseball players removed from original presentation)
It’s not natural
• Proposal writing is hard – it requires practice
• Risk is required
• It’s the successes that count Photo of congratulatory
Remember this (quiz coming up…)
Doug’s batting average .260
• Doug’s successes: $5.4 million
• Doug’s “failures”: $15.1 million
mob at home plate
removed
The 2 Roadblocks
1. Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I can’t fail)
Flip this around:
What is the best predictor of success in writing
grant proposals ?
Number of times you submit
average = 2.7 for NSF
The 2 Roadblocks
1. Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I can’t fail)
ADVICE
– Start small
– Submit at least 1 proposal per semester
– Have a vision and build towards it
• “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably
end up somewhere else” (Yogi Berra)
– Find mentors (professors and peers). Don’t be shy!
• Get examples of successful proposals
– Web resources (at UF: i-cubed; UF library;
Graduate School)
Workshops
Subscribe
to funding
alerts
Master list
of grants &
Fellowships
UF Graduate School
Site – lots of
information!
The 2 Roadblocks
1. Fear of failure (If I don’t try, I can’t fail)
2. It’s too complicated & overwhelming
ADVICE
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” (Beverly Sills)
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Same as before: Start small; keep trying; find mentors and seek
feedback
Read directions (There’s a reason for the complexity; figure it out!)
Example: NSF’s two merit criteria, Scientific Merit and
Broader Impact
Plan in advance. (Make a list of proposal deadlines and requirements)
Reviewers are your best guides to a better proposal. Act on their
advice.
You’ve found your way around those
roadblocks. Now what?
(Miscellaneous advice)
Put yourself in the shoes of
reviewers and panel
members
How the process works
Bottom Line:
Reviewers are hurried but care.
Make their job as easy as possible.
How to make a reviewer’s job easier
• Assume the reviewer is a generalist in your field, who
knows little about your particular topic. Thus …
• Job #1 is to convince them your idea is worthwhile.
Paint the big picture first. Then, highlight how your
project fits into the big picture.
• Friendly formatting
–
–
–
–
Follow exactly the order of sections requested
Use different fonts to highlight important points
State hypotheses (or goals)
Explicitly link anticipated results to your hypotheses. Or,
how will goals be assessed?
– Make sure you’ve addressed merit criteria
We’ll return to this slide
Example of an NSF Graduate Research
Fellowship Proposal (J. Resasco)
A novel twist
The issue
Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species
Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in
the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to
extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of
habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches
of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement
between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual
effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because:
(1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of
studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3)
confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and
edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors
may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.
I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native
ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am
fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems
and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..
Example of an NSF Graduate Research
Fellowship Proposal (J. Resasco)
A novel twist
The issue
Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species
The Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in
solution the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to
extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of
habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches
of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement
between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual
effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because:
(1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions1, (2) the vast majority of
studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated2, (3)
confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and
edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors
may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.
I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native
ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am
fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems
and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..
Example of a successful NSF Graduate
Research Fellowship Proposal (J. Resasco)
The issue
Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species
The Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in
solution the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to
extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of
habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches
of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement
between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual
effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because:
The
1
contro- (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions , (2) the vast majority of
2
versy studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated , (3)
confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and
edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors
may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.
I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native
ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am
fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems
and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..
Example of an NSF Graduate Research
Fellowship Proposal (J. Resasco)
The issue
Testing an Ecological Cost of Habitat Corridors: Spread of Invasive Species
The Background: As extensive tracks of habitat become fragmented, populations in
solution the remaining habitat become isolated and increasingly vulnerable to
extinction. A frequently touted solution is the creation or maintenance of
habitat corridors – strips of habitat that connect otherwise isolated patches
of the same habitat and that presumably increase animal movement
between patches1-3. Although corridors make intuitive sense, their actual
effectiveness remains controversial4,5. The controversy has arisen because:
The
1
contro- (1) studies frequently reach opposite conclusions , (2) the vast majority of
2
versy studies are non-experimental, small-scale or poorly replicated , (3)
confounding factors are often overlooked (e.g., the additional area and
edge habitat that corridors inevitably bring with them)1, and (4) corridors
may facilitate the spread of invasive species6.
I will test the effectiveness of corridors in restoring communities of native
ants in a highly threatened ecosystem, longleaf pine savanna. I am
fortunate to be able to address or overcome many of the above problems
and constraints of previous studies. Specifically …..
Statement
of Purpose
Clearly articulated hypotheses
Hypotheses: I hypothesize that (H1) Corridors will increase
species richness of longleaf pine savanna ants. (H2)
Corridors will increase abundance of S. invicta. (H3) S.
invicta abundance will be negatively correlated with the
species richness and abundance of native ants. (H4)
Removal of S. invicta will increase the species richness and
abundance of native ants.
Methods: The experimental manipulation required for H 1-3
has already occurred. Testing these hypotheses now
requires data on spatial and temporal variation in ant
abundance. I will census ants…. To test H4, I will ….
Analyses: Tests of H1 and H2 will employ the same Mixed
Linear Model used in previous studies at this site1-3, with
landscape as a random effect and patch type and distance
to edge as fixed effects. Species richness will be
standardized via rarefaction. H3 will be tested via
regression. H4 will be tested as a Before–After-Control–
Impact (BACI) design.
Clearly articulated hypotheses
Hypotheses: I hypothesize that (H1) Corridors will increase
species richness of longleaf pine savanna ants. (H2)
Corridors will increase abundance of S. invicta. (H3) S.
invicta abundance will be negatively correlated with the
species richness and abundance of native ants. (H4)
Removal of S. invicta will increase the species richness
and abundance of native ants.
Methods: The experimental manipulation required for H 13 has already occurred. Testing these hypotheses now
requires data on spatial and temporal variation in ant
abundance. I will census ants…. To test H4, I will ….
Analyses: Tests of H1 and H2 will employ the a Mixed
Linear Model …. H3 will be tested via regression. H4 will
be tested as a Before–After-Control–Impact (BACI)
design.
Methods and Analyses
linked to Hypotheses
Integration of theory and
practice
How this study fills a
need in conservation
Broader Impacts: Many conservation plans simply assume that habitat
corridors are effective4. Data are sorely lacking. My project provides
an opportunity to integrate straightforward tests of corridor theory
with restoration of a highly threatened habitat. Likewise, invasive
Novel species are often blindly assumed to have detrimental effects on
biodiversity may not be as simple
twist native species, but restoring native
as removing non-native species10. My project will test the extent to
which this is the case. Finally, the U.S. Forest Service is keenly
interested in applying our results in their longleaf management
plans at SRS -- I am already collaborating with them, attempting to
bridge research and restoration. Apart from this project’s broader
impacts on conservation, I believe ecologists have a responsibility to
educate the general public about their work. Such outreach is
especially critical for children and youth from groups underrepresented in science. I will use this project to bring new material
to my current and future outreach activities (STEP and SPICE,
respectively; see Personal Statement).
Personal
statement of
conviction
Specific plan and
link to other part
of application
How to make a reviewer’s job easier
• Assume the reviewer is a generalist in your field, who
knows little about your particular topic. Thus …
• Job #1 is to convince them your idea is worthwhile.
Paint the big picture first. Then, highlight how your
project fits into the big picture.
• Friendly formatting
–
–
–
–
Follow exactly the order of sections requested
Use different fonts to highlight important points
State hypotheses (or goals)
Explicitly link anticipated results to your hypotheses. Or,
how will goals be assessed?
– Make sure you’ve addressed merit criteria
We’ll return to this slide
Take home messages
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Start small
Proposal writing is a skill, requiring practice
Don’t be afraid of failure
Seek mentoring
Follow directions
Keep objectives of funding agency in mind
Put yourself in the shoes of a reviewer