Competing for Funding in the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from USDA

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Competing for Fundingin theAgricultural and
Environmental Sciencesfrom USDA Elsewhere

• December 12, 2008
• Jean Ann Bowman
• jbowman_at_tamu.edu
• Office of Proposal Development
• Texas AM University
• Texas AgriLife Research

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Funding Sources for Agricultural Environmental
Research

• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• National Science Foundation
• U.S. Department of Energy
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• National Aeronautics Space Admin.
• National Oceanic Atmospheric Admin.

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What Well Talk About Today

• Review of proposal basics
• Comparing and selecting funding programs
• Finding similar funding programs at different
  agencies
• Mapping the proposal to a different agency

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Funding Agencies for Agricultural Environmental
Research

• Most are mission agencies
• Government organizations with specific missions
• Employ scientists scholars who conduct research
  to address mission and needs of the agency
• Internal research vs. External research
• Annual research budget used primarily for
  internal research
• External research funds to supplement mission

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Funding Agencies for Agricultural Environmental
Research (continued)

• Funding priorities change with political
  landscape
• Stay informed through news, newsletters, agency
  web sites
• Research mission overlaps across agencies
• Examples of overlap ecosystem science and
  climate science
• Agencies approach same topics from varied
  perspectives
• Know those perspectives and where you fit best

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Your Research Interests Will Define Funding
Sources

• Your research interests should align with the
  Mission of the Agency
• Biological Sciences
• Natural Resources
• Biotechnology
• Nutrition Health
• Agricultural Development
• Agricultural Economics
• Interdisciplinary Studies

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Compare Your Research Approach With Agency
Priorities

• Basic Science
• Applied Science
• Education Outreach
• Solicited Unsolicited

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Compare Your Research Approach With Agency
Priorities

• Read abstracts of currently funded projects for
  all funding programs of interest
• Look for common threads
• Look for emphasis areas
• Look at funding levels
• Look at team members

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Know the Category of Funding that Fits Your Needs

• Research
• Training
• Instrumentation
• Student retention
• Student recruitment
• Diversity
• Curriculum
• International activities

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Agency Overview USDA

• Mission
• Expand and develop markets
• Address needs of rural America
• Food safety, nutrition, and health
• Manage, protect public private lands
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Cooperative State Research, Education, and
  Extension Service (CSREES)
• http//www.csrees.usda.gov/fundingsearch

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USDA (continued)

• National Research Initiative is now Agriculture
  and Food Research Initiative
• http//www.csrees.usda.gov/AFRI
• Formal announcement anticipated late November
  2008
• New Request for Applications anticipated
  mid-January 2009

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Example of a CSREESSearch
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Agency Overview NSF

• Mission
• Advance science
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Biological Sciences Directorate
• Geosciences Directorate
• Environmental Research Education

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NSF (continued)

• Biological Sciences Directorate
• Biological Infrastructure
• Environmental Biology
• Integrative Organismal Systems
• Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
• Emerging Frontiers
• http//www.nsf.gov/BIO

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NSF (continued)

• Geosciences Directorate
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Ocean Sciences
• http//www.nsf.gov/GEO

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NSF (continued)

• Environmental Research Education
• Examples
• Biocomplexity in the Environment
• Coupled Biological Physical Systems
• Coupled Human Natural Systems
• http//www.nsf.gov/ERE

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Agency Overview DOE

• Mission
• Advance national energy security
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Office of Science
• Advanced Computing, Biological Environmental
  research, Climate Change research
• Office of Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy
• Office of Environmental Management
• Office of Nuclear Energy
• http//scalerts.science.energy.gov

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Agency Overview EPA

• Mission
• Protect Human Health the Environment
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Environmental Education
• Environmental Justice
• Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program
• http//www.epa.gov/ncer/grants

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Agency Overview NOAA

• Mission
• Research Global Oceans Atmosphere
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Atmospheric research (e.g., storms, air quality)
• Climate research (e.g., climate change, El Nino)
• Oceans and Coastal research (e.g., ocean
  circulation, coastal ecosystems)
• Monitoring
• http//www.noaa.gov/research

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Agency Overview NASA

• Mission
• Explore Universe Understand and Protect Earth
• Funding Programs Priorities
• Research Opportunities in Space Earth Sciences
  (ROSES)
• Single solicitation each year covering all
  programs
• Examples Physical biological oceanography
  land use and land cover change terrestrial
  ecology climate processes water cycle and
  hydrology
• http//nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations

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Using the OPD Web Page
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Grants.gov
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Grants.gov
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General Note on Funding Alerts

• Many agencies have programs that repeat every
  year
• They are often due at approximately the same time
  every year
• Its a good idea to get a head start by noting
  those programs and their general dates
• You can have a good start on your proposal by the
  time the funding alert is posted
• ALWAYS read the new funding alert to see if there
  have been changes in program priorities

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General Note on Mission Agencies

• Funding Cycles Vary
• Range from one-time only to 36 months
• Proposal Reviews
• Often 3-layer science review, panel review,
  agency review
• Performance Expectations
• Disseminate results
• Train students and postdocs
• Communicate societal relevance of the work

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Review of RFP Guidelines

• Use the RFP to make your outline
• Read the background material referenced
• Make sure your expertise fits
• ALWAYS read the whole RFP

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Introductory Writing TipsorProposals as Sales
Documents

• Scholarly and Scientific Merit
• How will your work add to the body of literature?
• Clarity
• Basic science question 1 sentence
• Hypothesis statement parallels science question
• Address Program Requirements
• Pay attention to details
• Experience Counts Resubmit!

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Introductory Writing TipsorProposals as Sales
Documents

• Summary (Abstract) and Introduction (Specific
  Aims) 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
• Dont be overly ambitious in what you propose,
  but convey credibility and capacity to perform

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Introductory Writing TipsorProposals as Sales
Documents

• 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

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Introductory Writing TipsorProposals as Sales
Documents

• Central science question and hypothesis
• What you will do to address the question
• Why this is needed
• How this is relevant
• To agency priorities
• To the general public
• What knowledge will be gained
• Why you are the best person to do the job
• All of this on Page 1

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Pay Attention to Formatting Requirements

• Read all the fine print to find formatting
  requirements
• Font
• What point size is acceptable
• What specific fonts are acceptable
• Page Margins
• Use one inch margins all around unless
  instructions say otherwise
• Page Limits
• Limits for entire document
• Limits for individual sections
• Limits on length of biographical sketch
• What about page numbers?
• It will all be in the RFP, but if anything is
  unclear, CALL the program manager

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Interpreting Reviews Planning to Resubmit

• Were certain issues mentioned consistently?
• Plan how to address those issues
• Did the reviewers misunderstand your proposal?
• Plan how to make your text more clear
• Was no clear issue mentioned?
• 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!

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Revise and Resubmit Your Application

• Respect the views of reviewers
• Read the reviews in detail
• Are there other funding programs that might be
  better suited?

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Finding Alternative Funding Programs

• Significant overlap in environmental funding
  programs
• There are no quick and easy ways to find
  alternatives
• Research the programs at every agency that might
  apply
• Find out where colleagues are getting funding
• BE OPEN MINDED about the possibilities

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Example Proposal summary from initial
submissionProposal summary after revisions for
resubmission
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Example Proposal idea that fits more than 1
funding program
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Example Proposal idea that fits more than 1
agency