Funding and Sustaining a Research Network : 25 Years of WREN Experience

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Funding and Sustaining a Research Network 25
Years of WREN Experience

• Paul D. Smith, MD, Professor
• John Beasley, MD, Professor
• University of Wisconsin
• Department of Family Medicine
• Paul.Smith_at_fammed.wisc.edu

Supported by the University of Wisconsin
Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
(UW ICTR), funded through an NIH Clinical and
Translational Science Award (CTSA), grant number
1 UL1 RR025011
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Topics Today

• Basic principles
• Business models
• Grants

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Topics Today

• Building a budget
• Promoting your network
• Membership

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Basic Principles

• Collaboration is the key
• Think strategically
• With limited time and resources, where are you
  most likely to succeed?
• Who has similar interests/values?
• Future potential?

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Basic Principles

• The best time to be involved in a project is at
  the beginning.
• Make sure your network has the tools to
  accomplish the tasks
• Start budget discussions early
• Establish clear expectations

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Basic Principles

• My favorite phone call
• I have a grant idea that I want to talk about.
• A Maalox moment
• I have a funded project and I want to use your
  network.

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More Basic Principles

• You have to be paid for what you do.
• Do you work for free?

Little Joe never once gave it away,Everybody
had to pay and pay Lou Reed
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More Basic Principles

• Consider investing time in a project with
  potential for future fully funded projects.
• Too much investing is not a viable long term
  plan.

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More Basic Principles

• You have to know what it costs to do your work.
• Try to charge for it.
• Anyone spending time on project has to have a
  source of revenue to cover the time.

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Even More Basic Principles

• Establish a track record
• Start small
• Have success
• Build on previous successes

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Even More Basic Principles

• It always takes longer than you think it will
• Track actual time spent for future estimates
• PIs always want more
• Identify and avoid scope creep

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• Questions?

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Acknowledgements

• Walter L. Calmbach MD MPH
• Wilson Pace MD MPH
• L.J. Fagnan MD MPH,
• Richard Wasserman MD MPH

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Business Models

• What is a business model?
• Not a business plan an estimate of performance
  for a period of time
• Includes expected long term sources of revenue
• Focuses on sustainability and how revenue is
  secured and maintained to support core functions

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What are Core Functions?

• People
• Network Director- part time
• Network Manager/coordinator- part time
• Administrative assistant?

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What are Core Functions?

• Office space
• Telephone
• Computer/internet access
• Email access
• Webserver?
• Copying/scanning

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Types of Revenue

• Core funding
• Critical for long term success
• Project specific funding
• Can pay for some core expenses

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Assumptions for all Models

• Transparency with all partners
• Open process
• Share data (e.g., salary, effort)
• Negotiate using collaborative process
• Be willing to walk away
• Moneys not right, projects not right

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Its a Good Idea Model

• Leadership likes network idea
• Network leader willing to make it happen
• Ideally with dedicated salary support
• Organization has support/research staff
• Go make it happen

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Infrastructure Grant Model

• NIH
• Disease or Organ specific
• Works well for specialty networks
• Clinical Translational Science Award funding
• Foundations
• Local
• National

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Service Based Model

• Evaluation/ Development activities
• Fixed Price Models
• Support of someone elses mission/project

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Benefactor Model

• Endowment provides long term income
• State/University set aside
• Endowed Chairs
• Help but income small (50-70K)
• Endowed Network
• 6 - 10 Million?

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Key Considerations

• Find a reliable non-direct dollar income stream
• Develop carry over capabilities
• Can be very difficult in university environment
• Maintain control of dollars
• Develop capital for funding gaps and growth
• 4-6 months budget reserves?

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• Questions?

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Grants

• PIs
• Someone has to write the grant application and be
  in charge of the project
• WRENs biggest challenge
• Level of involvement
• Work toward long term relationships

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Grants

• Federal
• Typically a year or more from concept to funding
• Very time consuming to write (for most people)
• Need track record for larger grants
• NIH allows multiple PIs

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Federal Grants

• Other sources than NIH
• Department of Defense (DOD)
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
  (PCORI)
• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

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Foundation Grants

• Shorter application
• Less detail required
• Faster turn around
• Usually short project time 1-2 years
• Smaller budget maximum
• Multiple sources for one project?

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• Questions?

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Building a Budget

• Define the tasks each group will do
• Define who will do which tasks
• Match skill level to task
• Define other costs

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Building a Budget

• Funding source for every task/cost
• Talk about money early in the discussion
• Always have someone else review
• Task/cost list
• Numbers

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Building a Budget

• Time for everyone involved
• Insist on time for Director Program Manager
• No Director, no network, no project.
• FTE VS hourly rate method
• FTE- Estimate actual time, then double it.
• Use 45-48 week year for salary estimate

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Facilities and Administration (FA)

• Indirects
• Grant Receiving Agency Shares FA
• Universities mostly fail at this
• Off site rate?
• Prof. Assoc. / Private non-profitss better

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Facilities and Administration (FA)

• Network as grant receiving agency
• Join existing 501c3
• Form your own 501c3
• Hard to qualify for higher FA rates

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• Questions?

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Promoting Your Network

• Who do you want to know about your network?
• Potential members
• PIs
• Collaborators
• Funders

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Promoting Your Network

• Strong network identity, including mission
• Network operations
• Network experience/studies
• How do PIs/members connect with network?

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Promoting Your Network

• Low hanging fruit
• Organizations and people with similar interests
• Previous relationships
• Top down VS bottom up

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Promoting Your Network

• What do you bring to the table?
• Have something to leave with them
• Executive summary 1-2 pages
• Brochure
• Benefits summary

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Methods of Promoting Your Network

• Mass appeals
• Email
• Website
• Snail mail
• Personal contact
• Email
• Phone
• Face-to-face

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• Questions?

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Membership

• Define membership
• Who do you want as members?
• What are expectations of members?
• What are benefits of membership?

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Growing Membership

• Project related recruitment
• General recruitment
• Same as for promoting network in general

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Sustaining Membership

• Sustaining membership
• Variety of levels of engagement
• Enough to do, but not too much
• Feedback during and after projects

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Sustaining Membership

• Communication
• Email
• Newsletters
• Meetings
• Social Media

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• Questions?

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For More Information

• www.wren.wisc.edu
• paul.smith_at_fammed.wisc.edu

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