Developing a Plan of Action

Dr. Jan DormanUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Nursingjsd@pitt.edu

Why Write a Grant?

Grants provide you with resources needed to complete a major project that interests you

Grants allow you to set your own career goals and increase your autonomy

Grants help you achieve recognition and enhance your professional reputation

Grants generate resources for graduate students

Why Write a Grant? Grants offer salary support and

potentially release time

Grants fund personnel, equipment and travel

Grants can be used to support conferences

Grants may be required for tenure

Grants provide prestige to you and your school

What Type of Grants?

Project grants– Research– Conferences– Books

Career development grants– Fellowships– K awards– Institutional Training Grants

Need an Idea that FITS

Fills a gap in knowledge Important

– To you and long-term career path– To your institution– To the field– To the funding agency– To the reviewers

Tests a hypothesis Short-term investment leads to long-

term gain– Impact– Sustainability

Ideas May Come From

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’

Community-based participatory research Interdisciplinary initiatives Underserved populations Technology Translational research Biobehavioral science Genomics Patient safety

NINR Program Areas

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

Information on grants and programs funded by HHS

Search database to see what has been funded that relates to your topic

Can obtain copy of the proposal– Contact PI– Contact NIH Freedom of Information

Office Coordinator

Communicate Intent

To mentor/advisor/department chair

To Research Administration

To program staff from the funding agency– Do homework first!

Before You Start Writing 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

Identify Co-investigators and a statistician

Consider theoretical frameworks

Before You Start Writing

Draft your Specific Aims

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!)

Do you need pilot data?

Develop study design and methods– Identify study population– Determine

• 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

Before You Start Writing

Carefully read grant guidelines and review criteria

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.”

Additional qualifications depend on the funding agency and mechanism

Before You Start Writing

Talk with your colleagues and mentors – You will want them to review your

proposal – Include people who do and do not know

the area

Visit your University’s Office of Research Website

Make an appointment with your school’s research administrators

Before You Start Writing 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

Get Started Early!

Rule 1

Rule 1 Establish benchmarks and deadlines

– Start ~3 months before it’s due

Are internal reviews are needed?

Is the submission electronic?– Register with agency weeks in

advance– Need 10 extra days

Allow time for feedback– Don’t be defensive

Rule 2

Read the Instructions!

Rule 2

Follow instructions exactly!– If not, application may be returned

Use Appendices wisely– Don’t put anything in an Appendix

that the reviewer needs to read

Check key websites frequently

Make contact with agency as needed

Make It EasyFor the Reviewers

Rule 3

Rule 3

Write from the reviewer’s perspective– Assume that they are NOT experts

Make it EASY for the reviewers– Let there be white!

Clarity is key – avoid detours– Use subheadings, tables, figures

Rule 3

Keep it simple, focused and interesting to reviewers and funding agency

Identify potential problems /limitations– Address them in the proposal

Talk up strengths

Say it’s significant because …

Rule 4

Play It Straight!

Rule 4 Don’t pad biosketches

– Do not list conference presentations or book chapters if you’re applying to NIH

Don’t over- or under-estimate the budget– NIH has 2 tier review

Toot your horn – but don’t deafen the reviewers!

Grants are awarded to your institution, not you!

Rule 5

Don’t Work inA Vacuum!

Rule 5

Lot’s of resources on the web

Meet with collaborators early and often

Update internal and external staff frequently

Get feedback from colleagues– Senior investigators, non-experts

Additional Things to Consider Take additional grant writing courses

Read books– 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.

Take a course in accounting

Write (or help write) lots of grants!

Rule 6

Don’t Give Up!