Writing Effective Research
Grant Proposals
Office of Proposal Development
Presentation to WTAMU
Lucy Deckard
L-deckard@tamu.edu
October 26, 2005
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
1
Overview of Presentation
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Office of Proposal Development – who we are
Identifying Funding Opportunities
Understanding the Funding Agency and Program
Preparing to Write
The Craft of Writing a Competitive Proposal
Funding Opportunities for Junior Faculty
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Office of proposal development
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A unit of the Office of Vice President for
Research at Texas A&M University, partnered
with:
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Office of Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal
Relations,
Office of Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student
Affairs, and the
Health Science Center
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Office of proposal development
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Supports faculty in the development and writing of large
and small research grants to federal agencies and
foundations.
Focuses on support of center-level initiatives,
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research teams,
research affinity groups, new and junior faculty research,
diversity in the research enterprise, and long-term
proposal planning.
Helps develop partnership initiatives at Texas A&M,
across the A&M System universities, and HSC.
Supports proposal development activities and training
programs to help new faculty write more competitive
proposals.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Office of proposal development
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Jean Ann Bowman, Research Scientist
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Libby Childress, Administrative Assistant
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Handles scheduling, resources, and project coordination.
Mike Cronan, Director
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B.S., Journalism; B.S. and Ph.D., Hydrology and Physical Geography
Focuses on proposals dealing with earth, ecological, and environmental
sciences, as well as those dealing with agriculture.
B.S., Civil Engineering (Structures); B.A., Political Science; M.A.,
English;
Registered Professional Engineer, Texas (063512)
Helps develop partnerships. Leads center- and program-level
proposals. Establishes new initiatives and sets the direction of the
office.
Lucy Deckard, Associate Director
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B.S. and M.S., Materials Science and Engineering
Leads the new faculty initiatives. Focuses on proposals dealing with the
physical sciences, interdisciplinary materials group, and equipment and
instrumentation. Also leads training seminars on graduate and
postdoctoral fellowships, undergraduate research, and CAREER
awards.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Office of proposal development
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Susan Maier, Research Development Officer
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Phyllis McBride, Assistant Director
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B.A., M.A., and Ph.D., Psychology
Focuses on the Health Science Center’s NIH biomedical science
initiatives, as well as on the HSC’s University partnership initiatives.
Leads training seminars on NIH.
B.A., Journalism and English; M.A. and Ph.D., English
Leads the one-day Craft of Grant Writing Seminars and the fifteen-week
Craft of Grant Writing Workshops. Focuses on DHS and NIH initiatives,
and provides editing and rewriting.
Robyn Pearson, Research Development Officer
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B.A. and M.A., Anthropology
Focuses on proposals dealing with the humanities, liberal arts, and
social and behavioral sciences, and education. Provides support for the
development of interdisciplinary research groups and provides editing
and rewriting.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Looking For Funding Opportunities
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Types of Funding Agencies
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Basic research agencies
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Mission-oriented agencies
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(e.g, NSF, NIH)
(e.g., NASA, DoD, ED)
Foundations
Other
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(industry, professional organizations, etc.)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Unsolicited vs. Solicited Proposals
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Unsolicited
Investigator-initiated; no specific solicitation or
RFP
 Typically long-running program; relatively
general statement of research topics of
interest
 For NSF and NIH, recurring due dates or
target dates each year
 Common for foundations
 Rare for Mission Agencies (DOE, USDA)
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Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Example Program Description
(unsolicited)
“The Geography and Regional Science (GRS) Program
sponsors research on the geographic distributions and
interactions of human, physical, and biotic systems on the
Earth's surface. Investigations are encouraged into the
nature, causes, and consequences of human activity and
natural environmental processes across a range of scales.
Projects on a variety of topics (both domestic and
international) qualify for support if they offer promise of
contributing to scholarship by enhancing geographical
knowledge, concepts, theories, methods, and their
application to societal problems and concerns. Support also
is provided for projects that explicitly integrate
undergraduate and graduate education into the overall
research agenda.”
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Unsolicited vs. Solicited Proposals
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Solicited
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Terminology:
Request for Proposal (RFP)
 Program Solicitation
 Request for Application (RFA)
 For NIH, Program Announcement (PA)
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Tied to specific agency initiative
May only last a few funding cycles or may go on
for years
 Have specific additional evaluation criteria
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Often have specific formatting requirements
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Solicitation: Example
“This solicitation invites proposals for "information infrastructure testbeds",
each of which would include the development of the next generation of
cybertools applied to data from various sources collected in two areas of
research fundamental to social and behavioral scientists: organizations and
individuals. The tools that are developed on these platforms must not only
change ways in which social and behavioral scientists research the behavior of
organizations and individuals, but also serve sciences more broadly.
It is envisioned that proposals for the "organization information testbed" will
address three specific components:
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the development of tools that facilitate the integration of qualitative and quantitative information from heterogeneous sources, multiple media,
and/or multiple modes;
investment in basic research that addresses the protection of the confidentiality of respondents in computerized, widely accessible databases;
and
the development of incentives, standards and policies for collecting, storing, archiving, accessing, and publishing research results using
organization-relevant information.
It is envisioned that proposals for the "individual information testbed" should
concern cybertools that can be applied to both large scale and distributed datasets. Proposals should address cybertools that facilitate automatic collection,
integration, annotation, archiving, accessing, and analyzing of
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existing distributed data sets and/or
extensive audio and video recordings and details of physical artifacts, while paying special attention to
the protection of the confidentiality of participant identity in widely accessible, computerized databases. “
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Ways to Find Funding
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Talk to colleagues doing similar research
Look for funding sources credited in books
and journal articles describing similar
research
Use the web and other information
resources
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding opportunities search
criteria
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Define disciplinary domain of interest (e.g.,
science, social sciences, humanities, education,
health and biomedical sciences, engineering);
Characterize the nature of the research (basic,
applied, applications);
Identify a subset of funding agencies whose
mission, strategic plan, and investment priorities
are aligned with these specific research
interests.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Refining the funding search
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Identify research opportunities with regular grant
cycles within a particular agency (e.g., NIH and
NSF have regular grant cycles of specific
research programs that remain open for many
years;
Identify new research opportunities and
investment directions at funding agencies;
Expand the base of potential research funding
sources.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Information on the Internet
 Funding Agency websites
 Compilations of funding opportunities
 Automatic e-mail notifications services
 Database services
 Google is your best friend
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding Agencies Hotlinks Table
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Funding Agencies Hotlink Table.doc
Federal Grant Making Agencies.doc
Notes about agency web sites:
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First place funding opportunities will show up
Pages with funding opportunities can be buried; when
you find a good one, make a note of the url
Look for unsolicited proposal opportunities
Look for additional info on opportunities
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Compendia of Funding Opportunties
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All Federal Funding Opportunities
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Foundations
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http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/index.html
http://fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/index.jhtml
University grants office websites
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Iowa State
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http://www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/OSP/FundingOpportunitie
s.html
http://www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/OSP/Maillogs.html
Duke University http://www.ors.duke.edu/find
University of Iowa
http://research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/?get=fundingopps
&q=&action=
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Texas A&M University
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Fedgrants.gov
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One of the best portals to funding opportunities
Tabular listing current funding opportunities and
URLs for 45 research funding agencies (see
following slide)
FedGrants
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FedGrants Grants Synopsis Search
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http://www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/index.html
http://www.fedgrants.gov/grants/servlet/SearchServlet/
FedGrants Notification Service
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http://www.fedgrants.gov/ApplicantRegistration.html
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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FedGrants
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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University Grants Websites (cont’d)
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Cornell http://www.osp.cornell.edu/Funding/
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
http://www.umass.edu/research/ogca/funding/
University of Oregon
http://rfd.uoregon.edu/funding/government.htm
University of Vermont Research Funding
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http://www.uvm.edu/~ospuvm/?Page=Funding_Oppor
tunities/Funding_Highlights/fh.htm
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Email Alert Services
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Email Alert Services for Funding Opportunities.doc
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NSF
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NIH Guide LISTSERV_
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http://fedgrants.gov/ApplicantRegistration.html
Foundations
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http://listserv.ed.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A1=ind05&L=edinfo
http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edinfo/index.html
Federal Grants
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http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/listserv.htm
Dept. of Education
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http://www.nsf.gov/mynsf/
http://fdncenter.org/newsletters/
NASA
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http://research.hq.nasa.gov/subs.cfm
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Federal Grants Notification Service
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Grants.gov
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Home page: http://www.grants.gov
To receive automated funding alerts tailored to your
research interests, visit
http://www.grants.gov/Find#receive.
Select one of four automated funding alert options:
“Selected Notices Based on Funding Opportunity
Number,” “Selected Agencies and Categories of Funding
Activities,” “Selected Interest and Eligibility Groups,” or
“All Grants Notices.”
Click on the link for the option that best suits your needs,
enter the required information, and click on the “Submit
to Mailing List” button.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Grants.gov
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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MyNSF
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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NIH Guide LISTSERV
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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NEH Connect!
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Texas A&M University
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Google is Your Best Friend
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http://www.google.com/
http://www.yahoo.com/
Search for research opportunities
Backdoor/end run to subscription funding services
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E.g., IRIS
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http://carousel.lis.uiuc.edu/%7Eiris/deadlines/all/
Find funded programs, abstracts
Find workshops, conferences, seminars
Find reports, publications, project documents
To search within a site, type keywords site:url of site
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E.g., preservation languages site:www.nsf.gov
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Ways to Improve Your Success in
Finding Funding
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Get to know most likely funding agencies
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Mission, vision
Funding mechanisms
Recurring funding opportunities
More on this later
Check funding opportunities regularly
Fine-tune search parameters for subscription databases
Learn how to quickly evaluate a potential funding
opportunity (more later)
Keep a list of funding agencies, funding opportunities
with urls (e.g., MS Word table with hotlinks)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Six major funders for TAMUSystem
Funding Agency
URL Hotlink to Funding Opportunities
National Science Foundation
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/
Health & Human Services &
NIH Grants & Funding
http://www.dhhs.gov/grants/index.shtml
http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/index.cfm
NASA Research Opportunities
http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/
Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/ogd/competition/open_awards.htm
Department of Defense
DARPA
Army Research Office
Naval Research Office
Air Force Research Office
http://www.darpa.mil/baa/
http://www.aro.ncren.net/research/index.htm
http://www.onr.navy.mil/default.asp
http://www.afosr.af.mil/oppts/afrfund.htm#Research
USDA/CSREES
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/research.html
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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“Backgrounding” an agency and
evaluating a potential funding
opportunity
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Texas A&M University
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Backgrounding the Funding Agency:
Questions to Ask
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What are its mission and goals?
What are its investment priorities, strategic plan?
What time horizon are they aiming for?
How do they get their funding?
What procedures do they use to notify the
community of funding opportunities?
Who influences their planning and goals?
What language do they use?
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Texas A&M University
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Backgrounding Funding Agency
Questions to Ask
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What is their culture like?
What procedures do they use to review
proposals and make funding decisions?
What are their review criteria?
How are they organized?
Who are the personnel and what is their
background?
What have they funded in the past?
What is their budget?
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Backgrounding the Funding Agency
Sources of Information
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Web site
Solicitation
Organization Chart
Strategic Plan/ Roadmap
Bios of Program Officers
Reports, Publications
Contacts with Program
Officers (visits,
conferences, phone and
e-mail conversations)
Agency workshops and
seminars
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Leadership Speeches
Congressional Testimony
Current Funded Projects
Databases
Project Abstracts
Contacts with Funded
Researchers
Contacts with former
Program Officers
Contacts with former
Reviewers
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Texas A&M University
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Funding Agency Culture & Mission
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Agency reflects vision, mission, objectives, and
strategic goals of founding intent;
Operational components of agency reflect a
range of objectives, for example:
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Strategic research plan
Strategic investment plan
Research portfolio & investment time horizon
Technology transfer, patenting, licensing,
commercialization
Research priorities & characteristics
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding Agency Culture & Mission
Basic Research Agencies (NSF, NIH)
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Independent agency & management
Independent research vision, mission, & objectives
Award criteria based on intellectual and scientific excellence
Peer panel reviewed, ranked, and awarded by merit
Focus on fundamental or basic research at the “frontiers of
science,” innovation, and creation of new knowledge
Open ended, exploratory, long investment horizon;
Non-classified, non-proprietary
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding Agency Culture & Mission
Mission-oriented federal agency research &
development
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R&D serves agency goals and objectives, but reflect
Executive Branch policy directions, or congressional
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E.g., Agriculture, Energy, Education, Defense, Health
Scope of work tightly defines research tasks/deliverables
Predominately applied research for meeting near term
objectives, technology development & transfer, policy goals
Predominately internal review by program officers
Awards based on merit, but also on geographic distribution,
political distribution, long term relationship with agency,
Legislative & Executive branch policies
Classified and non-classified research
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding Agency Investment Priorities
Examples
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National Science Foundation
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Strategic Plan 2003-08
(http://www.nsf.gov/od/gpra/Strategic_Plan/FY20032008.pdf)
Office of the Director (http://www.nsf.gov/od/)
National Institutes of Health
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NIH Roadmap (http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/)
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni
(http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/plus/nihroadmap.pdf)
NIH Director’s Page (http://www.nih.gov/about/director/)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Funding Agency Priorities
Examples
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Department of Education
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Dept of Ed Strategic Plan
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http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/strat/plan2002-07/index.html
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
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Mission Statement, Strategic Plan and Goals
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/aboutus.html
Reports and resources
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/reports.html
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Texas A&M University
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Funded Projects Databases
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NSF Award Search Site (abstracts of awards available)
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/index.jsp
NIH Award Search Site (abstracts of awards available)
http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_query.generate_screenhttp://
crisp.cit.nih.gov/ DoD
SBIR/STTR Search http://www.dodsbir.net/Awards/Default.asp
NEH Awards Search
http://www.neh.gov/news/recentawards.html
USDA Awards information and Forms
http://cris.csrees.usda.gov/
US Dept. of Education – Awards Search (limited)
http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/grantaward/start.cfm
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Texas A&M University
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Sifting through RFPs
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What do they want to accomplish through this
program?
How much money is allocated and how many
awards are anticipated?
Who is eligible to apply?
What are the budget guidelines?
What, if any, partnerships are required?
Have other grants been made under this
program?
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Texas A&M University
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Request for Proposals, RFP
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Program Description
Mission Context
Eligibility Information
Award Information
Review Criteria
Program Officers
Reference Documents
Award Administration
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Proposal Guidelines
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Format
Document Order
Project Description
Scope of Work
Performance Goals
Management
Attachments
Budget Guidelines
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Texas A&M University
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Performance Expectations
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Publications
Curriculum
Commercialization
Patents
Degrees awarded
Technologies
Map to RFP & Evaluation Criteria
May require internal and/or external evaluation;
annual performance review
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Texas A&M University
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Researching a Specific Funding
Opportunity
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Reading the Solicitation
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Read and re-read the solicitation!
The solicitation is not a list of suggestions;
it is a list of requirements
It is a window into the thinking of the
funding agency
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Texas A&M University
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Things to Look for in the Solicitation
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Purpose of the program
Research topics of interest
Changes from previous programs
Inspiration for program and references
Program requirements
Proposal requirements
Budget guidelines
Review criteria
* If you are pursuing an unsolicited opportunity, you
will have to find these things out using other
available information sources
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Texas A&M University
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Purpose of the Program
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Commonly discussed in “background” section
Make sure the goals of your proposed project
mirror the program goals
Look for words that are repeated often
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e.g., “innovative”
You will want to use those words to describe your
project (and back up those claims)
The outcomes of your proposed project should
support program objectives
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Texas A&M University
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Research Topics of Interest
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Understand which topics are fundable under this
solicitation
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Read solicitation
Look at funding history (use databases, if available)
Talk to Program Officer
Note terminology and language used; you will
want to use similar terminology in your proposal
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Texas A&M University
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Inspiration for Program and References
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Program may be result of committee report (e.g.,
National Academies, National Science Board,
special study committees)
May be documented in Workshop presentations
and reports
May be documented in final reports and
publications of previously funded projects
May be outgrowth of agency roadmap, strategic
planning
Read and cite these reports in your proposal
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Texas A&M University
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Program Requirements
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Read carefully and make a checklist
Plan to explain how you will meet each program
requirement
Start work on setting up collaborations,
partnerships if needed
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Supporting letters may be needed for your proposal
To be competitive, you must meet all program
requirements
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Texas A&M University
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Explicit Proposal Requirements
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Note carefully formatting rules (page limits,
fonts, margins, etc.) – these may be in a
separate document
Look for suggested or required sections
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Make an outline that mirrors solicitation
Include checklist of everything that must be
addressed, divided by sections; keep this checklist
through early drafts
Note supplementary documents needed
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Bios, Lists of Current Funding, Letters of support,
Facilities and Equipment, etc.
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Texas A&M University
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Unspoken Expectations
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Qualifications and experience of PI(s)
Infrastructure provided by PI’s institution
Preliminary data
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Very important!
Varies greatly depending on agency, discipline, etc.
Info sources:
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Previous awardees
Previous reviewers
Program officers and previous program officers
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Texas A&M University
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Talking to the Program Officer
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Do your homework first
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Prepare a concise description of your project
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Read solicitation carefully
Read background documents
Investigate previously funded projects
Goals, objectives, outcomes
One short paragraph
Try e-mail and phone
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If possible, use e-mail to set up phone conversation
Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully
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Texas A&M University
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Talking to Previous Awardees
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Most previous awardees very generous (unless
they will be competing with you for renewal)
Ask about program reviews, feedback from
program officer
Be aware that programs may evolve and criteria
change
Previous awardees often also reviewers
May make sense to cite results of previous
awardee or forge a connection with previously
funded programs
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Review Criteria
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Most important part of solicitation!
Plan how you will meet each review criterion
Structure your proposal outline to reflect review
criteria
If you are weak in an area, plan how you will
address this
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Texas A&M University
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Review Process
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Could be:
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Standing review committee
Ad hoc panel
Ad hoc mail reviews
Internal review
Combination
Who will be your reviewers and what is their
background?
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
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Preparing to Write
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Research agency
Research program
Develop detailed outline
Research literature and previous work
Generate preliminary data, if needed
Develop collaborations, partnerships, support, if
needed
Line up institutional support, if needed
Line up colleagues to edit your outline and
proposal
Generate schedule for producing your proposal
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
58
Set up a Schedule to Produce Your
Proposal




Work back from deadline
Start budget early
E-mail your draft text and final budget to
proposal administrator for routing
Allow at least 4 days for routing; additional time
if multiple investigators




PI
Department Head
Dean
Office of Sponsored Projects
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
59
Collaborations/Partnerships



Work on these before you start writing
Be clear about roles of collaborators and
partners
Establish split of resources



For TAMU collaborators, agree on budget split
Be sure collaborators and partners get
something out of participating in the project
If you need a letter of collaboration, offer to write
a draft for your collaborator to edit


Include specifics on what they will do and support
they will provide
Explain who the collaborator is and their motivation
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
60
Preliminary Data

Understand the expectations of the agency and
program




How much preliminary data is expected?
Higher risk research will require more preliminary
data
Less experienced researchers will generally need
more preliminary data
Preliminary data should strengthen reviewers’
perception of your chance of success
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
61
Line up Editors




Look for colleagues who have been funded by
agency to which you are applying
Talk to them early
Ask colleagues to review your detailed outline
Look for someone who will be brutally honest
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
62
Institutional Support

Is cost sharing (matching) required?




Are other resources required?
Work to set these up early




What type? (Cash, in-kind?)
What rules apply?
Typically start with your Dept. Head and move up
If specific facilities required, work with facility provider
Determine supporting documentation needed
Research Foundation can help
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
63
Contact Your Proposal
Administrator





May need to “log in” proposal
Provide help with budgets
Oversee approval process (“routing”)
Officially submit proposal
Contact your proposal administrator early!
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
64
Writing the Proposal
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
65
Introductory writing tips

Summary and introduction are key




May be all reviewers read
Must excite and grab the attention
Reviewers will assume errors in language and
usage will translate into errors in the science
Don’t be overly ambitious in what you propose,
but convey credibility and capacity to perform
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
66
Introductory writing tips




Sell your proposal to a good scientist but not an
expert;
Some review panels may not have an expert in your
field, or panels may be blended for multidisciplinary
initiatives;
Agencies & reviewers fund compelling, exciting
research
Proposals are not journal articles—proposals must
be user-friendly and offer a narrative that tells a
story that is memorable to reviewers
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
67
Following agency guidelines

Read solicitation and/or proposal guide carefully
for formatting requirements and follow
scrupulously






Font and font size
Page limits
Biosketch formats
Citation format
Avoids disqualification of your proposal
Avoids irritating reviewers
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
68
Make your proposal easy to read



Reviewers often have 8 or 10 proposals to read
Use white space, underlining, bold, bullets,
figures, flowcharts to make main points easy to
find
Put main idea of sections and paragraphs up
front
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
69
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
70
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
71
Must Convince Reviewers…

Your proposed research should be funded




It’s important and supports the agency mission and
program goals
It’s exciting
It has a good chance of succeeding
You are the person who should conduct the
proposed research


You are knowledgeable and well-qualified
You have the support and resources required
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
72
Structure of Proposal

Often dictated by solicitation or other agency
document




NSF – Grant Proposal Guide
NIH – PHS 398
DoD – Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
Also guided by evaluation criteria

ED often assigns points for each criterion
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
73
Proposal Sections: Examples


Project Summary
Project Description/Research Narrative













Goals/Objectives/Specific Aims
Introduction/Overview
Background and Significance
Approach/Methodology
Research Plan
Preliminary Data
Broader Impacts (NSF)
Literature Cited
Budget
Budget Justification
Biosketches
Funded Projects
Equipment and Facilities
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
74
Summary



May be the only thing the reviewer reads
Must “grab” the reviewer
Should communicate concisely:






Intellectual framework of proposed project
The goals and signficance of the proposed project
Who will be conducting the project and, briefly, their qualifications
Project outcomes
Must communicate excitement
Check for additional requirements


E.g., intellectual merit and broader impacts in NSF proposals
Project name, category, etc.
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
75
Goals/Specific Aims




State specific, measurable goals of your
project
Tie to program/agency mission and goals
If hypothesis-based research, state your
hypothesis
Discuss expected outcomes
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
76
Introduction/Overview




Provides a framework for the reviewer
Remainder of proposal will flesh out this
framework
Opportunity to make important points up front
Communicate your excitement!
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
77
Background/Literature Review


Spend some time researching this
This section should tie closely to your proposed
research




What are the holes in current knowledge that your
work will fill?
How does your research extend and advance
knowledge in the field?
Do not be dismissive of previous research
Be thorough in citing important work but be
concise
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
78
Significance

Explain explicitly why proposed research is
important



Tie to agency and program goals
Relate to review criteria
Make this easy to find
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
79
Preliminary Data/Previous Work

Be aware of expectations regarding amount of
preliminary data





Varies by agency
Varies by program
Varies by discipline
Higher risk projects may require more preliminary
data
Discussion of preliminary data must connect
clearly to proposed project
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
80
Approach/Research Plan/Methodology


Be very clear about how you will accomplish
your stated goals and objectives
Include details





What, specifically, will you do when you get the
money?
Schedules and milestones may be helpful
This is especially important if you are a relatively new
researcher
Address any potential dead ends, roadblocks,
show-stoppers and how you will deal with them
Avoid ambiguous terminology – be very specific!
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
81
Connect narrative text to budget




Budget categories are defined by the funding
agency
Be sure activities discussed in narrative are
reflected in budget
Connect narrative text to the budget to ensure
appropriate balance and proportion,
If a budget justification section is requested, use
it to complement and deepen the narrative detail
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
82
Beware of Boiler Plate




Thinking of proposal narrative as “boiler plate” will
result in a mediocre, disjoint proposal
Begin each proposal as a new effort, not a copy &
paste
Be very cautious integrating text inserts
Strong proposals clearly reflect a coherent,
sustained, and integrated argument grounded on
good ideas
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
83
Outcomes or deliverables




Develop short, hard-hitting lists off-set by
bullets or other typographical formats
Relate outcomes to goals and objectives
Outcomes should be specific and
measurable
Timelines and schedules with milestones
can orient reviewers and provide a quick
overview of how program components fit
together
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
84
Project assessment and evaluation


How will you know if you were successful?
Describe what will be measured in order to
assess how well project met each of its
objectives




Who will conduct assessment?
Discuss logistics
Formative assessment: conducted throughout
project and results fed back to improve project
Summative assessment: final assessment at
end of project
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
85
Craft of grant writing web sites

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/research/writing.htm
http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/1999/08/27/1
http://grants.library.wisc.edu/index.html
http://www.research.umich.edu/proposals/PWG/pwgcomplete.html

http://www.asru.ilstu.edu/grantwritingseries.htm

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
http://www.epa.gov/seahome/grants/src/title.htm
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04016/start.htm
http://www.aecom.yu.edu/ogs/Guide/Guide.htm
http://www.awag.org/Grant%20Seekers%20Tool%20Kit/index.htm
http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/23947?fulltext=tr
ue&print=yes&print=yes
http://www.pitt.edu/~offres/proposal/propwriting/websites.html









Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
86
Interpreting Reviews

If you are funded…..

If not….




Put the reviews away for a few days
Then take them out and read carefully
Call the program officer for more feedback
Evaluate if you should resubmit
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
87
Interpreting Reviews – Planning to
Resubmit

Were certain issues mentioned consistently?


Did the reviewers misunderstand your proposal?


Plan how to make your text more clear
Was no clear issue mentioned?




Plan how to address those issues
May not have excited reviewers enough
May not be an area they wish to fund now
May not fit into their research portfolio
Many funded proposals were funded after multiple
submissions
intelligent perseverance is the key!
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
88
Early Career Programs for Faculty


NSF CAREER
DoD




Young Investigator (ONR, ARL)
Congressionally Mandated Directed Medical Research Programs
Young Investigator
NASA New Investigator Program in Earth-Sun Systems
NIH


Scientist Development Award for New Minority Faculty
Career Development Awards (K-awards)


Esp. Career Transition (K22) Award
NIAMS Small Grants Program for New Investigators
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
89
Early Career Programs for Faculty

Foundations





Professional organization “early career” or
“young investigator” programs


Burroughs Wellcome Fund
PhRMA Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Early Career Fellowship in
Economic Studies
Kellogg Forum Rising Stars, etc.
American Philosophical Society – Franklin Research Grants
Listing of Programs

http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/newfaculty.html
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
90
NSF CAREER Program



Duration: 5 years
Funding level: “minimum” $400K total (except min.
$500K total for BIO directorate)
Eligibility:







Have a PhD
Untenured, holding tenure-track Asst. Prof. position or equivalent
Have not competed in CAREER more than two times previously
Have not won a CAREER award
Due: July 19 – 21 depending on directorate
Typical 10 – 20% success rate
Solicitation:
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf05579
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
91
ONR Young Investigator Program
(Office of Naval Research)






$100,000 per year for three years
FY 05 proposal was due 13 January 2005.
FY06 announcement will be posted in September 2005
http://www.onr.navy.mil/02/baa/docs/fy2005yip.doc
U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents earned
PhD within last 5 years
Approx. 24 awards
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
92
ONR Young Investigator


“The objectives of this program are to attract
outstanding faculty members of Institutions of
Higher Education (hereafter also called
"universities") to the Department of the Navy's
research program, to support their research, and
to encourage their teaching and research
careers.”
“Proposals falling within the broad scope of
naval research interests will be considered.”
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
93
ONR Areas of Research Interest
http://www.onr.navy.mil/

Information, Electronics & Surveillance (Code 31)


Ocean, Atmosphere & Space (Code 32)


Physical Sciences; Materials; Mechanics and Energy
Conversion; Ship Hull, Mechanical & Electrical Systems; Navy
S&T Ship Office
Human Systems (Code 34)


Sensing and Systems; Processes and Prediction
Engineering, Materials & Physical Science (Code 33)


Electronics; Math, Computer and Information Sciences;
Surveillance, Communications, and Electronic Combat
Medical and Biological Division; Cognitive, Neural and Social
Division
Naval Expeditionary Warfare (Code 35)

Strike Technology; Expeditionary Warfare Operations
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
94
Army Research Lab Young Investigator


Up to $50K per year for 3 years
Eligibility


U.S. citizens holding tenure-track positions at U.S. universities
and colleges
have held their graduate degrees (Ph.D. or equivalent) for fewer
than five years at the time of application.

Broad Agency Announcement at
http://www.aro.army.mil/research/arl/fy06arlbaa.pdf

Research Areas

“Proposals are invited for research in areas described in PART I,
Research Areas 1-8 only of this BAA. Proposals may be
submitted at any time. As is the case for the regular research
programs, we strongly encourage informal discussions with the
cognizant ARO technical program manager before submission of
a formal proposal. “
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
95
NIH K programs for New Faculty

Series of very targeted programs




See K Kiosk at
http://grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm
Directed at retraining, professional development
Check CRISP data base on NIH web site for info on
funded programs
Recent TAMU winners:




Christopher Quick (Vet) K-25
Victor Ugaz (Chem E) K-22
Helene Andrews (HSC) K-08
Alberto Gallegos (Vet) K-25
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
96
Other Programs

NASA New Investigator Program in Earth and Sun
System Science

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId=
{8EF416B1-14FF-1C41-42CD-514C32F6A495}&stack=push

Notice of intent due June 30, 2005
Full due August 31, 2005


Carl Sagan Fellowship for Early Career Research

Varying submission times depending on topic

http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=i
nit&solId={8C5AB22A-061D-3D19-00B8-B37C7FBB7529}&stack=push
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
97
Other Programs

Foundations

Check their annual reports for goals, culture

Burroughs Wellcome Fund
PhRMA Foundation
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Early Career Fellowship in Economic
Studies
Kellogg Forum Rising Stars, etc.





Professional Organizations
Search on Google:


“early career”, “young investigator”, junior faculty”
Check
 http://www.unh.edu/osr/

http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/newfaculty.html
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
98
Young Investigator Programs

Do your homework!







Mission and culture of funding agency
Talk to program director
Find out what has been funded in the past
Talk to successful prior winners if possible
Follow the directions and read the solicitation carefully
Clearly describe your goals, your work plan and the
benefits of your work
Don’t give up!



Learn from reviews
Talk to program officer about how you might address short
comings
Apply again as long as you are eligible!
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
99
Questions and Discussion
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
100
National Science Foundation

Funds research in:









Biological Sciences (BIO)
Computer and Info Science and Eng (CISE)
Engineering (ENG)
Education and Human Resources (EHR)
Geosciences (GEO)
Math and Physical Sciences (MPS)
Polar Research (OPP)
Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
(SBE)
Cross-cutting Research
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
101
NSF

In addition to research grants, NSF funds:





Instrumentation
Conferences and Workshops
Doctoral Research in Selected Areas (Doctoral
Dissertation Improvement Grants)
International Travel
Graduate Fellowships
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
102
NSF mission
To support:




Basic scientific research and research fundamental to
the engineering process
Programs to strength scientific and engineering
research potential
Science and engineering education programs at all
levels and in all fields of science and engineering
An information base on science and engineering
appropriate for development of national and
international policy
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
103
NSF: Goals and mission

Agency goals are defined in terms of people,
ideas and tools



People: A diverse, competitive, and globally engaged
U.S. workforce of scientists, engineers, technologists
and well-prepared citizens;
Ideas: Discovery across the frontier of science and
engineering, connected to learning, innovation and
service to society;
Tools: Broadly accessible state-of-the-art science
and engineering facilities, tools, and other
infrastructure that enable discovery, learning and
innovation
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
104
NSF Organization
National Science Foundation
National Science
Board
Director
Deputy Director
Inspector
General
Biological
Sciences
Staff Offices
Computer &
Information
Science
& Engineering
Social, Behavioral
& Economic
Sciences
Engineering
Education
& Human
Resources
Geosciences
Budget,
Finance
& Award
Management
Mathematical
& Physical
Sciences
Information
Resource
Management
22
3/23/2005
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
105
Directorates divided into divisions

Example: Math and Physical Sciences (MPS)





Astronomical Sciences (ASI)
Chemistry (CHE)
Materials Research (DMR)
Physics (PHY)
Division Mathematical Sciences (DMS)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
106
Programs/clusters within
organization

Materials Research







Ceramics
Metals
Electronic Materials
Condensed Matter Physics
Materials Theory
Solid State Chemistry
Etc…….
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
107
Funding opportunities

see “Guide to Programs” at
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/browse_all_funding.jsp





Program Description or Program Announcement
(“unsolicited”)
Solicitations
Supplements
Dear Colleague Letter
SGER (Special Grants for Exploratory Research)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
108
Example funding opportunities

Grants Funding Equipment (web sites in handout)







Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities (EAR/IF)
Research Equipment for Chemical Transport System
Division
Chemical Research Instrumentation and Facilities
Multi-user Equipment and Instrumentation Resources
for Biological Sciences
Archaeometry Awards
Astronomical Sciences Advanced Technologies and
Instrumentation (ATI)
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
109
Example funding opportunities
CAREER
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5262&from=fund



Duration: 5 years
Funding level: “minimum” $400K total (except min. $500K total for
BIO directorate)
Eligibility:






Have a PhD
Untenured, holding tenure-track assistant prof. Position or equivalent
Have not competed in CAREER more than two times previously
Have not won a CAREER award
Due: July 20 – 22 depending on directorate
Typical 10 – 20% success rate
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
110
NSF Review Criteria

Intellectual Merit






How important is activity to advancing knowledge and
understanding in own field and across fields?
How well-qualified is proposer to conduct project?
How creative and original are ideas?
How well-conceived and organized is proposed activity?
Is there sufficient access to resources?
Broader Impacts




How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding
while promoting teaching, training and learning?
Will it enhance infrastructure for research and education such as
facilities, networks, partnerships?
Will results be disseminated broadly to enhance understanding
of science?
What are potential benefits
to society
of proposed research?
Office of Proposal
Development
Texas A&M University
111
NSF Review Criteria (cont’d)

Integration of Research and Education


How well does project foster integration of research
and education, infusing education with the excitement
of discovery?
Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs,
Projects and Activities

How well does project broaden opportunities and
enable the participation of all citizens, women and
men, underrepresented minorities and persons with
disabilities?
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
112
Review Process


May be ad hoc or panel review (at least three
reviewers)
Proposal rated:



Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, Poor
Comments included as feedback
NSF tries to return reviews within 6 months of
due date
Office of Proposal Development
Texas A&M University
113