Proposal Development: Steps, Services

1
Proposal Development Steps, Services
Supports

• Sponsored by
• The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI)
• In Collaboration with the Colleges of Health and
  Human Development, the Liberal Arts, Agricultural
  Sciences, Education, and Medicine

2
Workshop Goal

• Describe the services and supports available at
  Penn State to assist social and behavioral
  science faculty at each step of research proposal
  development, from idea generation to final grant
  submission, such as
• where to find financial support for proposal
  development and pilot studies how to access
  consultation in research design, statistical
  analyses, budgeting and management plans what
  research services exist on campus (e.g.,
  secondary data sets, computing services, data
  collection services, and geographic information
  analysis)

3
Agenda

• 1) Describe key research support units and roles
  college offices, research centers, and consortia
• 2) Review phases of proposal development
  supports available at each phase
• 3) Describe specific research supports and
  services in SSRI and its units
• 4) Q A
• 5) Additional resources future workshops

4
Key Research Support Units

• College Research Offices
• Information About Funding Agencies
• College Supports
• Budget and Management Planning
• Final Proposal Preparation Associated
  Technical Assistance
• Proposal Submission and Grants Management
• College-based Research Centers (See Handout)
• Programmatic Research Development in Theme Areas
• Interdisciplinary Partnerships Resources
• Information about Funding Opportunities within
  Theme Areas
• Social Science Research Institute
• Cross-College Partner and Information
  Clearinghouse
• Consortia (CYFC and SSRI) Support for Proposal
  Development
• Research Services available to all PSU social
  behavioral scientists

5
Phase One Developing the Ideas and Research Team
(6-12 months ahead of submission)

• Tasks
• Refining research questions and specific aims
• Conducting literature review
• Accessing idea consultation
• Developing investigative team and roles
• Identifying a funding mechanism
• Mapping the proposal development time-table
• Key Resources
• SSRI-CYFC cross-college networking seed
  funding for pilot work
• College Research Offices funding search seed
  support
• Research Centers networking idea development

6
Phase Two Refining the Research Plan (3-9
months ahead of submission)

• Tasks
• Consulting with funding program officers
• Specifying the research plan methodology
• Conducting preliminary analyses or pilot studies
• Recruiting community or cross-university partners
  (if needed)
• Identifying research services needed for plan
• Reviewing plan with department head and College
  research office
• Key Resources (see handout for list of contacts)
• SSRI- consultation for design budget
  estimations for sampling, data collection,
  secondary data access, computer programming,
  statistical analyses
• Various Research Centers, Library, Consultation
  Centers Consultation in specific areas

7
Phase Three Refining and submitting the proposal
(3 months ahead of submission)

• Tasks
• Finalizing the work plan and budget
• Internal review by colleagues or invited
  external consultants
• Gathering and finalizing support documents
  (biosketches, letters of support from consultants
  and school/community partners, internal budget
  matches)
• Format review to guarantee compliance with funder
  specifications
• Key Resources (see handout for list of contacts)
• College Research Offices Proposal formatting,
  budget finalization, proposal submission
• SSRI Initial consultation on work-plan and
  budget organization (if needed) seed funding to
  support reviews by invited consultants

8
Phase Four Review, revision, and
resubmission

• Tasks
• Analyzing the reviews discuss with colleagues
• Consulting with the funding project officer
• Responding to the reviews
• Resubmitting
• Key Resources
• Cycle back to any of the previously listed
  resources, as needed on the basis of reviews.

9
SSRI/CYFC Seed Funding

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Facilitated

10
SSRI Research Services

• Consult with our directors
• Are these services right for your project?
• Build proposal development costs into Level 1, 2
  proposals
• Build research support services into the proposal
  for external funding

11
Survey Research Center http//www.ssri.psu.edu/su
rvey

• Director Kurt D. Johnson, Ph.D
• Academic Director Eric Plutzer, Ph.D.
• Mission
• Survey Data Collection and Data Preparation
• Pre-award help with grants and survey methods
• Post-award services on fee-for-service basis
• Survey Research Training
• Focal Point for Research on Survey Methodology

12
Proposal Development SRC Pre-award and
Post-award Services

• Pre-award (Free)
• Help with study design decisions
• Prepare cost estimates for proposals related to
  SRC services
• Post-award (Fee for Service)
• Develop and produce samples
• Instrument development and evaluation
• Data collection and preparation
• Database preparation and some analysis services

13
Proposal Development SRC Data Collection and
Preparation

• Design and sampling
• Instrument design
• Telephone interviews (including CATI)
• Mail and self-administered (scannable surveys)
• Face-to-face interviews in Pennsylvania area
• Surveys administered in schools in PA
• Web-based surveys
• Focus group recruiting and facilitating
• Subject recruitment
• Data entry, coding, cleaning (machine coding of
  Teleform survey forms)
• Preparation of cost estimates for survey studies
• Create survey databases in common statistical
  packages

14
Computing Core

• Director Joseph Broniszewski
• http//www.ssri.psu.edu/comp-core
• Mission
• To provide to social scientists at Penn State
  with the
• most advanced, state-of-the-art, and cutting-edge
• computing services in a responsive,
  cost-effective
• manner.

15
Proposal Development Computing

• Access to Secondary Data Sets
• Data Archiving and Security
• Computer Programming and Data Management

16
Proposal Development ComputingAccess to
Secondary Data Population Research Institute
http//sodapop.pop.psu.edu

• Web-accessible data archive for exploratory
  analysis
• Extract specific variables in a SAS, Stata, or
  SPSS data set, or in comma- or tab-delimited
  format
• Population Research Institute Data Archive
• http//www.pop.psu.edu/data-archive/archive.htm
• Consultation finding and accessing
  population-related data

17
Proposal Development ComputingAccess to
Secondary Data PSU Libraries

• Penn State Social Sciences Library
• http//www.libraries.psu.edu/socialsciences/socsci
  stats/
• Secondary data for analysis
• Summary statistics
• ICPSR
• Consultation finding and accessing social
  science data

18
Proposal Development ComputingData Archiving
and Security

• Consultation and budgeting for data, software,
  and hardware
• Special server needs (i.e., restricted data)
• Secure data acquisition and contracts

19
Proposal Development ComputingComputer
Programming and Data Management

• Pilot data, programming consultation, and file
  construction
• Estimates for programmer time
• Full range of programming services
• Data management
• Statistical and applications programs
• Web programs
• Documentation
• Code books
• Data archiving

20
Geographic Information Analysis Core

• Director Stephen A. Matthews, Ph.D.
  matthews _at_ pop.psu.edu
• http//www.ssri.psu.edu/services/gis.htm
• Mission
• To develop a capacity for geographic
  (geospatial) information analysis, to encourage
  and facilitate the innovative use of geospatial
  data and methods, and to develop and maintain
  geographically referenced databases and tools.

21
Proposal Development GIA

• Background
• Within social science research there is a
  growing emphasis on the spatial patterns of
  social phenomena (e.g., the importance of context
  or neighborhood effects).
• Developments in GIS, and the ability to collect
  new or use existing geospatial data can
  facilitate the development of databases for more
  refined ecological
• studies and multi-level (hierarchical)
  investigations.

22
Proposal Development GIAGIA Core
Contributions to Research

• There are many opportunities to link GIS
• technology substantive social science
  research.
• We provide expert advice to help determine if and
• how geographic information may strengthen your
• research. We have used GIS to assist in
• sample design data collection
• data manipulation data validation
• data analysis data visualization

23
Proposal Development GIAGIA Core Research End
Products

• In addition to maps and images for publication
  and/or
• presentation, the GIA Core generates many other
• research end products
• New derived variables (e.g., based on measures of
  distance, density, contiguity, proximity, etc.)
• A contextual database (linking individuals within
  higher geographic levels school districts,
  census tracts, etc.)
• An integrated database (using geography as a
  management/organizing framework)
• Measures that lead to the refinement or
  re-specification of a model (e.g., spatial
  regression modeling).

24
Proposal Development GIA GIA Pre-Award
Support Services

• Pre-Award
• Advice and cost estimates for any GIS-related
  services (e.g., customized programming,
  contextual database construction, integration of
  qualitative, quantitative and geospatial data,
  geocoding services, data archiving/management,
  mapping, spatial modeling, and geostatistics)
• Programmer time, data acquisition, etc.
• Stephen A. Matthews, Ph.D. matthews _at_
  pop.psu.edu
• Ext 3-9721

25
HHD Methodology Consulting Center

• Mission
  The HHD Methodology
  Consulting Center provides consultation for
  faculty, staff and graduate students not only in
  the College of Health and Human Development but
  in all areas of social science
• Expertise available in statistics, research
  design, and measurement
• Particular strengths in longitudinal research

26
Center members

• Michael J. Rovine, Director
• Erik Loken, Assistant Director
• Frank Lawrence, Consultant
• David Wagstaff, Consultant
• Judi Jaus, Administrative Assistant,
  email jaj17_at_psu.edu Tele 865-1448

27
We like grants

• Although our consulting activities will not be
  limited to grant-related activities, we consider
  providing support for grant applications and
  consultation for funded research to be among our
  most important responsibilities.

28
Services provided

• Single-session consultations related to specific
  questions
• More intensive collaboration related to
  developing or ongoing research projects
• Statistical software
• Information about the newest and most innovative
  methods

29
Future plans

• Workshops
• Drop-in/call-in consultation
• Consultant training

30
Developing a relationship with a consultant

• Begin at the beginning
• Discuss questions related to the design of the
  study
• Discuss measures
• Discuss ways to analyze the data
• Include the consultant as a member of the
  research team

31
Consistency of the proposal

• Specific aims
• Research questions
• Statistical analysis

32
Other concerns

• Analyzing preliminary or pilot data
• Interpreting and including prior results
• Determining statistical power
• Reviewing proposal as a methodologist

33
Once the grant is funded

• Provide advice about selection of measures
• Supervise data analysis
• Assist with the preparation of reports,
  presentation, and papers
• Continue methodological support

34
Costs

• Charges for consultation
• Include the consultant as part of the research
  team

35
Sponsors

• Department of Human Development and Family
  Studies
• Social Science Research Institute

36
Next Steps

• Workshop 2 Locating Funding Sources for Your
  Research
• November 8, 2006, 400-530, 7 Life Science
  Bldg.
• Workshop 3 Grant-Writing and Review Process
  (NIH Focus)
• December 6, 2006, 1100-130, Ballroom AB NLI
• Lunch will be served!
• Workshop 4 Grant-Writing and Review Process
  (NSF Focus)
• Spring Semester TBA