Developing a Plan of
Action
Dr. Jan Dorman
University of Pittsburgh
School of Nursing
jsd@pitt.edu
Why Write a Grant?
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Grants provide you with resources needed
to complete a major project that interests
you
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Grants allow you to set your own career
goals and increase your autonomy
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Grants help you achieve recognition and
enhance your professional reputation
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Grants generate resources for graduate
students
Why Write a Grant?
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Grants offer salary support and
potentially release time
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Grants fund personnel, equipment and
travel
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Grants can be used to support conferences
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Grants may be required for tenure
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Grants provide prestige to you and your
school
What Type of Grants?
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Project grants
– Research
– Conferences
– Books
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Career development grants
– Fellowships
– K awards
– Institutional Training Grants
Need an Idea that FITS
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Fills a gap in knowledge
Important
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Tests a hypothesis
Short-term investment leads to long-term
gain
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To you and long-term career path
To your institution
To the field
To the funding agency
To the reviewers
– Impact
– Sustainability
Ideas May Come From
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Clinical experience
Literature
Presentations at professional meetings
Discussions with colleagues
Funded investigators
Emerging health-related issues
Solicited reports (e.g. IOM)
Current agency priorities
NIH-sponsored conferences
Current Hot ‘Topics’
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Community-based participatory research
Interdisciplinary initiatives
Underserved populations
Technology
Translational research
Biobehavioral science
Genomics
Patient safety
NINR Program Areas
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Health promotion and disease prevention
Managing symptoms in acute and chronic
illness
Self-management in health and illness
Caregiving
Health disparities
End of life/palliative care
CRISP
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Information on grants and programs
funded by HHS
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Search database to see what has been
funded that relates to your topic
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Can obtain copy of the proposal
– Contact PI
– Contact NIH Freedom of Information
Office Coordinator
Communicate Intent
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To mentor/advisor/department chair
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To Research Administration
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To program staff from the funding agency
– Do homework first!
Before You Start Writing
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Conduct comprehensive literature review
– Your question should be based on gaps in
the literature
– Why is your research compelling,
necessary, timely, significant?
– What are your goals and outcomes?
– Brainstorm with colleagues
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Identify Co-investigators and a statistician
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Consider theoretical frameworks
Before You Start Writing
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Draft your Specific Aims
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All proposals require a narrative
– Read funded proposals
– Develop an outline
– Consider developing a presentation of
your proposal
– Consider publishing your narrative (after
your grant is submitted!)
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Do you need pilot data?
Before You Start Writing
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Develop study design and methods
– Identify study population
– Determine
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How your project will be conducted
Recruitment needs
Data to be collected to address your question
Resources will be required
If your environment is appropriate
Do you need community support?
– Develop timeline
– Talk with a statistician
Before You Start Writing
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Carefully read grant guidelines and review
criteria
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Determine whether you are eligible to
apply – NIH says:
– “Any individual with the skills, knowledge and
resources necessary to carry out the proposed
research is invited to work with their
institution to develop an application for
support.”
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Additional qualifications depend on the
funding agency and mechanism
Before You Start Writing
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Talk with your colleagues and mentors
– You will want them to review your proposal
– Include people who do and do not know the
area
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Visit your University’s Office of Research
Website
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Make an appointment with your school’s
research administrators
Before You Start Writing
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Do you have institutional support?
Do you have the needed infrastructure?
When are applications due?
Can you apply later?
When are they reviewed?
Are there budgetary restrictions?
When do you need the money?
How much money do you anticipate needing?
Key Question: GO/NO GO?
Rules to Follow If It’s a Go
Rule 1
Get Started Early!
Rule 1
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Establish benchmarks and deadlines
– Start ~3 months before it’s due
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Are internal reviews are needed?
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Is the submission electronic?
– Register with agency weeks in advance
– Need 10 extra days
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Allow time for feedback
– Don’t be defensive
Rule 2
Read the
Instructions!
Rule 2
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Follow instructions exactly!
– If not, application may be returned
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Use Appendices wisely
– Don’t put anything in an Appendix that
the reviewer needs to read
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Check key websites frequently
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Make contact with agency as needed
Rule 3
Make It Easy
For the Reviewers
Rule 3
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Write from the reviewer’s perspective
– Assume that they are NOT experts
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Make it EASY for the reviewers
– Let there be white!
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Clarity is key – avoid detours
– Use subheadings, tables, figures
Rule 3
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Keep it simple, focused and interesting to
reviewers and funding agency
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Identify potential problems /limitations
– Address them in the proposal
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Talk up strengths
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Say it’s significant because …
Rule 4
Play It Straight!
Rule 4
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Don’t pad biosketches
– Do not list conference presentations or
book chapters if you’re applying to NIH
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Don’t over- or under-estimate the budget
– NIH has 2 tier review
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Toot your horn – but don’t deafen the
reviewers!
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Grants are awarded to your institution, not
you!
Rule 5
Don’t Work in
A Vacuum!
Rule 5
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Lot’s of resources on the web
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Meet with collaborators early and often
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Update internal and external staff
frequently
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Get feedback from colleagues
– Senior investigators, non-experts
Additional Things to Consider
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Take additional grant writing courses
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Read books
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Take a course in accounting
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Write (or help write) lots of grants!
– Gerin W. Writing the NIH Grant Proposal, Sage
Publications, 2006
– Ogden TE and Goldberg IA. Research
Proposals: A Guide to Success. Academic Press.
2002.
– Reif-Lehrer L. Grant Application Writer’s
Handbook. Jones and Bartlett, 2005.
Rule 6
Don’t Give Up!