What you need to know about NIH when applying for Research Grant SupportMay 6, 2015

Franziska B. Grieder, DVM, PhDDirector, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) National Institutes of HealthBethesda, Maryland

Securing Research Funding

• Why?

• When?

• With whom?

• From where?• NIH• Other Federal organizations• Private and local groups

• How? …oh yes, if we all could answer this one!Wait for the second talk for some tips and advice.

• Did you know that NIH stands for National Institutes of Health?

• Does the NIH conduct research or fund others to conduct research?

• Who provides the funding for the NIH?• Who directs the NIH? • How can you get information about the NIH?

What is the NIH?

• Did you know that NIH stands for National Institutes of Health?

• Does the NIH conduct research or fund others to conduct research?

• Who provides the funding for the NIH?• Who directs the NIH? • How can you get information about the NIH?

What is the NIH?

27 Institutes and CentersODNCINEINHLBINHGRINIANIAAANIAIDNIAMSNIBIBNICHDNIDCDNIDCRNIDDK

NIDANIEHSNIGMSNIMHNINDSNINRNLMCITCSRFICNCCIHNIMHDNCATSCC

What is the NIH?

• Did you know that NIH stands for National Institutes of Health?

• Does the NIH conduct research or fund others to conduct research?

• Who provides the funding for the NIH?• Who directs the NIH? • How can you get information about the NIH?

What is the NIH?

http://www.nih.gov

8

http://grants.nih.gov

NIH grant applications 101

Challenges of getting stared• What do you need to know?• Where do you start?• Who do you talk to? What do you read?• How do you make contact?• How do you effectively communicate?• What are your next steps?

NIH grant applications 101

• What funding agency should you target?• Small or large• Federal or private• Local or national

• What are your research interests? What questions do you address with your research? What type of investigations do you conduct and who are your mentors or collaborators?

Grant applications – Funding agencies

• DoD, DHHS, USDA, DOE• NIH, CDC, FDA, NSF• Specific interest groups (e.g., cancer support

groups, JDRF, Rett syndrome)• Pharma (large and small)• Private foundations (e.g., Gates)

NIH grant applications 101

• What funding agency should you target?• Small or large• Federal or private• Local or national

• What are your research interests? • What questions do you address with your research?

• What type of investigations do you conduct and

who are your collaborators?

NIH grant applications - Experience

Past or current training, Research goals and interests, Collaborations• Research – clinical, translational, basic• Past training – PhD and post-doctoral/first award,

Masters research experience looking for training support, practical post-doctoral experience

• Setting – Research team with you in the lead, Collaboration with colleagues, Interdisciplinary collaboration, Mentored training experience

• Future goals – Long-term support as tenured faculty, long- to mid-term support to establish research lab, mid- to short-term support to gain experience

NIH grant applications - Planning

• Time – 9 to 12 months under the best of circumstances• Success rate – the better you plan… (good ideas

and well written applications are very important as well!)• Two-phase plan – gather information and contact NIH program officials

…followed by writing…

NIH – Program vs. Review

• Program Officials are managing grants, interact with and advise applicants, communicate with grantees, organize workshops, write program announcements and requests for program announcements• Scientific Review Officials organize the peer-review

group, assign applications to reviewers, edit summary statements

Contacting the NIH Program Official

• Identify the most appropriate individual• Review the FOA or NIH/Institute’s web pages• Talk to your (senior) colleagues• Contact individuals you know personally…

• Make contact by sending an e-mail• Write a brief summary (one paragraph) • Provide a couple sentences about your-self and your goals• Ask one or two questions

• Follow-up with a phone call• After 2-3 days, call…• Refer back to your e-mail…

Contacting the NIH Program Official (2)

• Identify different institutes/programs that may fit• Ask for Program officers’ names• Explore the general match of your ideas/goals with

the specific program goals• Ask specific questions• Avoid appearing aggressive (e.g., if you are told that the goal

of your research does not fall within the Institutes’ program goals, don’t insist that it is a match)

• Carefully listen to the advice!

Contacting the NIH Program Official (3)

• If you feel that you did not receive sufficient, satisfactory, complete advice… your next conversation with a subsequent program official may be more productive• Remember, the program official will likely attend

the review meeting of your application • The program official is the individual who you will

talk to after your application is review! • The program official may know about programs you

are not familiar with or about new announcements

NIH grant applications – Additional Advice!

• Be persistent!• Work with a team/Seek advice from senior colleagues• Start early and have experienced grant writers review your drafts…• Follow all instructions• Make sure all tables & figures are legible• Avoid unnecessary mistakes (e.g., missing information,

misspellings, errors based on the recycling of an application, running out of time)

• Seek advice from your institution (e.g., office of sponsored projects)

• Participate in a grant writing course

Anatomy of Grant Process - SummaryAnatomy of Grant Process - Summary

Program StaffProgram Staff ProgramAnnouncementor RFA

ProgramAnnouncementor RFA

Grant Application(R01, R03, R21,K01, K08, T32/35)

Grant Application(R01, R03, R21,K01, K08, T32/35)

NationalAdvisoryCouncil

NationalAdvisoryCouncil

Program Staff Program Staff

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Revi

sion

Revi

sion

Researcher

IdeaInstitution

Researcher

IdeaInstitution

CSR &Referraland Review

CSR &Referraland Review

CollaboratorsCollaborators

Final Thoughts

• Funds are limited, but novel/innovative ideas get funded• Understand the rules (e.g., deadlines, requirements and

limitations, guidelines)

• Work in teams, with senior mentors• Always ask questions• Smart (young and experienced) scientists are needed to

address the continuing challenges encountered by emerging and existing diseases. • Changing needs require scientists to constantly adapt• Accept the challenge!

Application Review

• Overall impact – likelihood for project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved

• Scored review criteria• Significance

• Does project address key problem or barrier to progress in the field?• If aims achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical

practice be improved?• How will completion of aims change concepts, methods, technologies, treatments,

services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?• Investigator(s)• Innovation• Approach

• Are overall strategy, methods, analyses appropriate?• Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks presented?• If project in early stages, will strategy establish feasibility and will risky aspects be

managed?

• Environment