Title: Writing Effective Research Grant Proposals Office of Proposal Development Presentation to WTAMU Lucy
1Writing Effective Research Grant ProposalsOffice
of Proposal DevelopmentPresentation to WTAMU
Lucy DeckardL-deckard_at_tamu.edu October 26,
2005
2Overview of Presentation
- Office of Proposal Development who we are
- Identifying Funding Opportunities
- Understanding the Funding Agency and Program
- Preparing to Write
- The Craft of Writing a Competitive Proposal
- Funding Opportunities for Junior Faculty
3Office of proposal development
- A unit of the Office of Vice President for
Research at Texas AM University, partnered with - Office of Vice Chancellor for Research and
Federal Relations, - Office of Vice Chancellor for Academic and
Student Affairs, and the - Health Science Center
4Office of proposal development
- Supports faculty in the development and writing
of large and small research grants to federal
agencies and foundations. - Focuses on support of center-level initiatives,
multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
teams, research affinity groups, new and junior
faculty research, diversity in the research
enterprise, and long-term proposal planning. - Helps develop partnership initiatives at Texas
AM, across the AM System universities, and HSC. - Supports proposal development activities and
training programs to help new faculty write more
competitive proposals.
5Office of proposal development
- Jean Ann Bowman, Research Scientist
- B.S., Journalism B.S. and Ph.D., Hydrology and
Physical Geography - Focuses on proposals dealing with earth,
ecological, and environmental sciences, as well
as those dealing with agriculture. - Libby Childress, Administrative Assistant
- Handles scheduling, resources, and project
coordination. - Mike Cronan, Director
- B.S., Civil Engineering (Structures) B.A.,
Political Science M.A., English - Registered Professional Engineer, Texas (063512)
- Helps develop partnerships. Leads center- and
program-level proposals. Establishes new
initiatives and sets the direction of the office. - Lucy Deckard, Associate Director
- B.S. and M.S., Materials Science and Engineering
- Leads the new faculty initiatives. Focuses on
proposals dealing with the physical sciences,
interdisciplinary materials group, and equipment
and instrumentation. Also leads training
seminars on graduate and postdoctoral
fellowships, undergraduate research, and CAREER
awards.
6Office of proposal development
- Susan Maier, Research Development Officer
- B.A., M.A., and Ph.D., Psychology
- Focuses on the Health Science Centers NIH
biomedical science initiatives, as well as on the
HSCs University partnership initiatives. Leads
training seminars on NIH. - Phyllis McBride, Assistant Director
- B.A., Journalism and English M.A. and Ph.D.,
English - Leads the one-day Craft of Grant Writing Seminars
and the fifteen-week Craft of Grant Writing
Workshops. Focuses on DHS and NIH initiatives,
and provides editing and rewriting. - Robyn Pearson, Research Development Officer
- B.A. and M.A., Anthropology
- Focuses on proposals dealing with the humanities,
liberal arts, and social and behavioral sciences,
and education. Provides support for the
development of interdisciplinary research groups
and provides editing and rewriting.
7Looking For Funding Opportunities
8Types of Funding Agencies
- Basic research agencies
- (e.g, NSF, NIH)
- Mission-oriented agencies
- (e.g., NASA, DoD, ED)
- Foundations
- Other
- (industry, professional organizations, etc.)
9Unsolicited vs. Solicited Proposals
- Unsolicited
- Investigator-initiated no specific solicitation
or RFP - Typically long-running program relatively
general statement of research topics of interest - For NSF and NIH, recurring due dates or target
dates each year - Common for foundations
- Rare for Mission Agencies (DOE, USDA)
10Example Program Description(unsolicited)
- The Geography and Regional Science (GRS)
Program sponsors research on the geographic
distributions and interactions of human,
physical, and biotic systems on the Earth's
surface. Investigations are encouraged into the
nature, causes, and consequences of human
activity and natural environmental processes
across a range of scales. Projects on a variety
of topics (both domestic and international)
qualify for support if they offer promise of
contributing to scholarship by enhancing
geographical knowledge, concepts, theories,
methods, and their application to societal
problems and concerns. Support also is provided
for projects that explicitly integrate
undergraduate and graduate education into the
overall research agenda.
11Unsolicited vs. Solicited Proposals
- Solicited
- Terminology
- Request for Proposal (RFP)
- Program Solicitation
- Request for Application (RFA)
- For NIH, Program Announcement (PA)
- Tied to specific agency initiative
- May only last a few funding cycles or may go on
for years - Have specific additional evaluation criteria
- Often have specific formatting requirements
12Solicitation Example
- This solicitation invites proposals for
"information infrastructure testbeds", each of
which would include the development of the next
generation of cybertools applied to data from
various sources collected in two areas of
research fundamental to social and behavioral
scientists organizations and individuals. The
tools that are developed on these platforms must
not only change ways in which social and
behavioral scientists research the behavior of
organizations and individuals, but also serve
sciences more broadly. - It is envisioned that proposals for the
"organization information testbed" will address
three specific components - the development of tools that facilitate the
integration of qualitative and quantitative
information from heterogeneous sources, multiple
media, and/or multiple modes - investment in basic research that addresses the
protection of the confidentiality of respondents
in computerized, widely accessible databases and
- the development of incentives, standards and
policies for collecting, storing, archiving,
accessing, and publishing research results using
organization-relevant information. - It is envisioned that proposals for the
"individual information testbed" should concern
cybertools that can be applied to both large
scale and distributed data-sets. Proposals should
address cybertools that facilitate automatic
collection, integration, annotation, archiving,
accessing, and analyzing of - existing distributed data sets and/or
- extensive audio and video recordings and details
of physical artifacts, while paying special
attention to - the protection of the confidentiality of
participant identity in widely accessible,
computerized databases.
13Ways to Find Funding
- Talk to colleagues doing similar research
- Look for funding sources credited in books and
journal articles describing similar research - Use the web and other information resources
14Funding opportunities search criteria
- Define disciplinary domain of interest (e.g.,
science, social sciences, humanities, education,
health and biomedical sciences, engineering) - Characterize the nature of the research (basic,
applied, applications) - Identify a subset of funding agencies whose
mission, strategic plan, and investment
priorities are aligned with these specific
research interests.
15Refining the funding search
- Identify research opportunities with regular
grant cycles within a particular agency (e.g.,
NIH and NSF have regular grant cycles of specific
research programs that remain open for many
years - Identify new research opportunities and
investment directions at funding agencies - Expand the base of potential research funding
sources.
16Information on the Internet
- Funding Agency websites
- Compilations of funding opportunities
- Automatic e-mail notifications services
- Database services
- Google is your best friend
17Funding Agencies Hotlinks Table
- Funding Agencies Hotlink Table.doc
- Federal Grant Making Agencies.doc
- Notes about agency web sites
- First place funding opportunities will show up
- Pages with funding opportunities can be buried
when you find a good one, make a note of the url - Look for unsolicited proposal opportunities
- Look for additional info on opportunities
18Compendia of Funding Opportunties
- All Federal Funding Opportunities
- http//www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/index.html
- Foundations
- http//fdncenter.org/pnd/rfp/index.jhtml
- University grants office websites
- Iowa State
- http//www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/OSP/FundingOppor
tunities.html - http//www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/OSP/Maillogs.htm
l - Duke University http//www.ors.duke.edu/find
- University of Iowa http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/m
ain/?getfundingoppsqaction
19Fedgrants.gov
- One of the best portals to funding opportunities
- Tabular listing current funding opportunities and
URLs for 45 research funding agencies (see
following slide) - FedGrants
- http//www.fedgrants.gov/Applicants/index.html
- FedGrants Grants Synopsis Search
- http//www.fedgrants.gov/grants/servlet/SearchServ
let/ - FedGrants Notification Service
- http//www.fedgrants.gov/ApplicantRegistration.htm
l
20FedGrants
21University Grants Websites (contd)
- Cornell http//www.osp.cornell.edu/Funding/
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst
http//www.umass.edu/research/ogca/funding/ - University of Oregon http//rfd.uoregon.edu/fundin
g/government.htm - University of Vermont Research Funding
- http//www.uvm.edu/ospuvm/?PageFunding_Opportuni
ties/Funding_Highlights/fh.htm
22Email Alert Services
- Email Alert Services for Funding
Opportunities.doc - NSF
- http//www.nsf.gov/mynsf/
- NIH Guide LISTSERV_
- http//grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/listserv.htm
- Dept. of Education
- http//listserv.ed.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A1ind05Ledinf
o - http//www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/edinfo/index.ht
ml - Federal Grants
- http//fedgrants.gov/ApplicantRegistration.html
- Foundations
- http//fdncenter.org/newsletters/
- NASA
- http//research.hq.nasa.gov/subs.cfm
23Federal Grants Notification Service
24Grants.gov
- Home page http//www.grants.gov
- To receive automated funding alerts tailored to
your research interests, visit http//www.grants.g
ov/Findreceive. - Select one of four automated funding alert
options Selected Notices Based on Funding
Opportunity Number, Selected Agencies and
Categories of Funding Activities, Selected
Interest and Eligibility Groups, or All Grants
Notices. - Click on the link for the option that best suits
your needs, enter the required information, and
click on the Submit to Mailing List button.
25Grants.gov
26MyNSF
27NIH Guide LISTSERV
28NEH Connect!
29Google is Your Best Friend
- http//www.google.com/
- http//www.yahoo.com/
- Search for research opportunities
- Backdoor/end run to subscription funding services
- E.g., IRIS
- http//carousel.lis.uiuc.edu/7Eiris/deadlines/all
/ - Find funded programs, abstracts
- Find workshops, conferences, seminars
- Find reports, publications, project documents
- To search within a site, type keywords siteurl
of site - E.g., preservation languages sitewww.nsf.gov
30Ways to Improve Your Success in Finding Funding
- Get to know most likely funding agencies
- Mission, vision
- Funding mechanisms
- Recurring funding opportunities
- More on this later
- Check funding opportunities regularly
- Fine-tune search parameters for subscription
databases - Learn how to quickly evaluate a potential funding
opportunity (more later) - Keep a list of funding agencies, funding
opportunities with urls (e.g., MS Word table with
hotlinks)
31Six major funders for TAMU-System
32Backgrounding an agency and evaluating a
potential funding opportunity
33Backgrounding the Funding AgencyQuestions to Ask
- What are its mission and goals?
- What are its investment priorities, strategic
plan? - What time horizon are they aiming for?
- How do they get their funding?
- What procedures do they use to notify the
community of funding opportunities? - Who influences their planning and goals?
- What language do they use?
34Backgrounding Funding AgencyQuestions to Ask
- What is their culture like?
- What procedures do they use to review proposals
and make funding decisions? - What are their review criteria?
- How are they organized?
- Who are the personnel and what is their
background? - What have they funded in the past?
- What is their budget?
35Backgrounding the Funding AgencySources of
Information
- Web site
- Solicitation
- Organization Chart
- Strategic Plan/ Roadmap
- Bios of Program Officers
- Reports, Publications
- Contacts with Program Officers (visits,
conferences, phone and e-mail conversations) - Agency workshops and seminars
- Leadership Speeches
- Congressional Testimony
- Current Funded Projects Databases
- Project Abstracts
- Contacts with Funded Researchers
- Contacts with former Program Officers
- Contacts with former Reviewers
36Funding Agency Culture Mission
- Agency reflects vision, mission, objectives, and
strategic goals of founding intent - Operational components of agency reflect a range
of objectives, for example - Strategic research plan
- Strategic investment plan
- Research portfolio investment time horizon
- Technology transfer, patenting, licensing,
commercialization - Research priorities characteristics
37 Funding Agency Culture Mission Basic
Research Agencies (NSF, NIH)
- Independent agency management
- Independent research vision, mission,
objectives - Award criteria based on intellectual and
scientific excellence - Peer panel reviewed, ranked, and awarded by merit
- Focus on fundamental or basic research at the
frontiers of science, innovation, and creation
of new knowledge - Open ended, exploratory, long investment horizon
- Non-classified, non-proprietary
38Funding Agency Culture Mission
- Mission-oriented federal agency research
development - RD serves agency goals and objectives, but
reflect Executive Branch policy directions, or
congressional - E.g., Agriculture, Energy, Education, Defense,
Health - Scope of work tightly defines research
tasks/deliverables - Predominately applied research for meeting near
term objectives, technology development
transfer, policy goals - Predominately internal review by program officers
- Awards based on merit, but also on geographic
distribution, political distribution, long term
relationship with agency, Legislative Executive
branch policies - Classified and non-classified research
39Funding Agency Investment PrioritiesExamples
- National Science Foundation
- Strategic Plan 2003-08 (http//www.nsf.gov/od/gpra
/Strategic_Plan/FY2003-2008.pdf) - Office of the Director (http//www.nsf.gov/od/)
- National Institutes of Health
- NIH Roadmap (http//nihroadmap.nih.gov/)
- NIH Director Elias Zerhouni (http//www.sciencemag
.org/feature/plus/nihroadmap.pdf) - NIH Directors Page (http//www.nih.gov/about/dire
ctor/)
40Funding Agency PrioritiesExamples
- Department of Education
- Dept of Ed Strategic Plan http//www.ed.gov/about/
reports/strat/plan2002-07/index.html - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services - Mission Statement, Strategic Plan and Goals
http//www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/aboutus
.html - Reports and resources http//www.ed.gov/about/offi
ces/list/osers/reports.html
41Funded Projects Databases
- NSF Award Search Site (abstracts of awards
available) http//www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/index.js
p - NIH Award Search Site (abstracts of awards
available) http//crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_qu
ery.generate_screenhttp//crisp.cit.nih.gov/ DoD - SBIR/STTR Search http//www.dodsbir.net/Awards/Def
ault.asp - NEH Awards Search http//www.neh.gov/news/recentaw
ards.html - USDA Awards information and Forms
http//cris.csrees.usda.gov/ - US Dept. of Education Awards Search (limited)
http//wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/grantaward/start
.cfm
42Sifting through RFPs
- What do they want to accomplish through this
program? - How much money is allocated and how many awards
are anticipated? - Who is eligible to apply?
- What are the budget guidelines?
- What, if any, partnerships are required?
- Have other grants been made under this program?
43Request for Proposals, RFP
- Program Description
- Mission Context
- Eligibility Information
- Award Information
- Review Criteria
- Program Officers
- Reference Documents
- Award Administration
- Proposal Guidelines
- Format
- Document Order
- Project Description
- Scope of Work
- Performance Goals
- Management
- Attachments
- Budget Guidelines
44Performance Expectations
- Publications
- Curriculum
- Commercialization
- Patents
- Degrees awarded
- Technologies
- Map to RFP Evaluation Criteria
- May require internal and/or external evaluation
annual performance review
45Researching a Specific Funding Opportunity
46Reading the Solicitation
- Read and re-read the solicitation!
- The solicitation is not a list of suggestions it
is a list of requirements - It is a window into the thinking of the funding
agency
47Things to Look for in the Solicitation
- Purpose of the program
- Research topics of interest
- Changes from previous programs
- Inspiration for program and references
- Program requirements
- Proposal requirements
- Budget guidelines
- Review criteria
- If you are pursuing an unsolicited
opportunity, you will have to find these things
out using other available information sources
48Purpose of the Program
- Commonly discussed in background section
- Make sure the goals of your proposed project
mirror the program goals - Look for words that are repeated often
- e.g., innovative
- You will want to use those words to describe your
project (and back up those claims) - The outcomes of your proposed project should
support program objectives
49Research Topics of Interest
- Understand which topics are fundable under this
solicitation - Read solicitation
- Look at funding history (use databases, if
available) - Talk to Program Officer
- Note terminology and language used you will want
to use similar terminology in your proposal
50Inspiration for Program and References
- Program may be result of committee report (e.g.,
National Academies, National Science Board,
special study committees) - May be documented in Workshop presentations and
reports - May be documented in final reports and
publications of previously funded projects - May be outgrowth of agency roadmap, strategic
planning - Read and cite these reports in your proposal
51Program Requirements
- Read carefully and make a checklist
- Plan to explain how you will meet each program
requirement - Start work on setting up collaborations,
partnerships if needed - Supporting letters may be needed for your
proposal - To be competitive, you must meet all program
requirements
52Explicit Proposal Requirements
- Note carefully formatting rules (page limits,
fonts, margins, etc.) these may be in a
separate document - Look for suggested or required sections
- Make an outline that mirrors solicitation
- Include checklist of everything that must be
addressed, divided by sections keep this
checklist through early drafts - Note supplementary documents needed
- Bios, Lists of Current Funding, Letters of
support, Facilities and Equipment, etc.
53Unspoken Expectations
- Qualifications and experience of PI(s)
- Infrastructure provided by PIs institution
- Preliminary data
- Very important!
- Varies greatly depending on agency, discipline,
etc. - Info sources
- Previous awardees
- Previous reviewers
- Program officers and previous program officers
54Talking to the Program Officer
- Do your homework first
- Read solicitation carefully
- Read background documents
- Investigate previously funded projects
- Prepare a concise description of your project
- Goals, objectives, outcomes
- One short paragraph
- Try e-mail and phone
- If possible, use e-mail to set up phone
conversation - Ask open-ended questions and listen carefully
55Talking to Previous Awardees
- Most previous awardees very generous (unless they
will be competing with you for renewal) - Ask about program reviews, feedback from program
officer - Be aware that programs may evolve and criteria
change - Previous awardees often also reviewers
- May make sense to cite results of previous
awardee or forge a connection with previously
funded programs
56Review Criteria
- Most important part of solicitation!
- Plan how you will meet each review criterion
- Structure your proposal outline to reflect review
criteria - If you are weak in an area, plan how you will
address this
57Review Process
- Could be
- Standing review committee
- Ad hoc panel
- Ad hoc mail reviews
- Internal review
- Combination
- Who will be your reviewers and what is their
background?
58Preparing to Write
- Research agency
- Research program
- Develop detailed outline
- Research literature and previous work
- Generate preliminary data, if needed
- Develop collaborations, partnerships, support, if
needed - Line up institutional support, if needed
- Line up colleagues to edit your outline and
proposal - Generate schedule for producing your proposal
59Set up a Schedule to Produce Your Proposal
- Work back from deadline
- Start budget early
- E-mail your draft text and final budget to
proposal administrator for routing - Allow at least 4 days for routing additional
time if multiple investigators - PI
- Department Head
- Dean
- Office of Sponsored Projects
60Collaborations/Partnerships
- Work on these before you start writing
- Be clear about roles of collaborators and
partners - Establish split of resources
- For TAMU collaborators, agree on budget split
- Be sure collaborators and partners get something
out of participating in the project - If you need a letter of collaboration, offer to
write a draft for your collaborator to edit - Include specifics on what they will do and
support they will provide - Explain who the collaborator is and their
motivation
61Preliminary Data
- Understand the expectations of the agency and
program - How much preliminary data is expected?
- Higher risk research will require more
preliminary data - Less experienced researchers will generally need
more preliminary data - Preliminary data should strengthen reviewers
perception of your chance of success
62Line up Editors
- Look for colleagues who have been funded by
agency to which you are applying - Talk to them early
- Ask colleagues to review your detailed outline
- Look for someone who will be brutally honest
63Institutional Support
- Is cost sharing (matching) required?
- What type? (Cash, in-kind?)
- What rules apply?
- Are other resources required?
- Work to set these up early
- Typically start with your Dept. Head and move up
- If specific facilities required, work with
facility provider - Determine supporting documentation needed
- Research Foundation can help
64Contact Your Proposal Administrator
- May need to log in proposal
- Provide help with budgets
- Oversee approval process (routing)
- Officially submit proposal
- Contact your proposal administrator early!
65Writing the Proposal
66Introductory writing tips
- Summary and introduction 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
67Introductory writing tips
- 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 articlesproposals must
be user-friendly and offer a narrative that tells
a story that is memorable to reviewers
68Following agency guidelines
- Read solicitation and/or proposal guide carefully
for formatting requirements and follow
scrupulously - Font and font size
- Page limits
- Biosketch formats
- Citation format
- Avoids disqualification of your proposal
- Avoids irritating reviewers
69Make your proposal easy to read
- Reviewers often have 8 or 10 proposals to read
- Use white space, underlining, bold, bullets,
figures, flowcharts to make main points easy to
find - Put main idea of sections and paragraphs up front
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72Must Convince Reviewers
- Your proposed research should be funded
- Its important and supports the agency mission
and program goals - Its exciting
- It has a good chance of succeeding
- You are the person who should conduct the
proposed research - You are knowledgeable and well-qualified
- You have the support and resources required
73Structure of Proposal
- Often dictated by solicitation or other agency
document - NSF Grant Proposal Guide
- NIH PHS 398
- DoD Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)
- Also guided by evaluation criteria
- ED often assigns points for each criterion
74Proposal Sections Examples
- Project Summary
- Project Description/Research Narrative
- Goals/Objectives/Specific Aims
- Introduction/Overview
- Background and Significance
- Approach/Methodology
- Research Plan
- Preliminary Data
- Broader Impacts (NSF)
- Literature Cited
- Budget
- Budget Justification
- Biosketches
- Funded Projects
- Equipment and Facilities
75Summary
- May be the only thing the reviewer reads
- Must grab the reviewer
- Should communicate concisely
- Intellectual framework of proposed project
- The goals and signficance of the proposed project
- Who will be conducting the project and, briefly,
their qualifications - Project outcomes
- Must communicate excitement
- Check for additional requirements
- E.g., intellectual merit and broader impacts in
NSF proposals - Project name, category, etc.
76Goals/Specific Aims
- State specific, measurable goals of your project
- Tie to program/agency mission and goals
- If hypothesis-based research, state your
hypothesis - Discuss expected outcomes
77Introduction/Overview
- Provides a framework for the reviewer
- Remainder of proposal will flesh out this
framework - Opportunity to make important points up front
- Communicate your excitement!
78Background/Literature Review
- Spend some time researching this
- This section should tie closely to your proposed
research - What are the holes in current knowledge that your
work will fill? - How does your research extend and advance
knowledge in the field? - Do not be dismissive of previous research
- Be thorough in citing important work but be
concise
79Significance
- Explain explicitly why proposed research is
important - Tie to agency and program goals
- Relate to review criteria
- Make this easy to find
80Preliminary Data/Previous Work
- Be aware of expectations regarding amount of
preliminary data - Varies by agency
- Varies by program
- Varies by discipline
- Higher risk projects may require more preliminary
data - Discussion of preliminary data must connect
clearly to proposed project
81Approach/Research Plan/Methodology
- Be very clear about how you will accomplish your
stated goals and objectives - Include details
- What, specifically, will you do when you get the
money? - Schedules and milestones may be helpful
- This is especially important if you are a
relatively new researcher - Address any potential dead ends, roadblocks,
show-stoppers and how you will deal with them - Avoid ambiguous terminology be very specific!
82Connect narrative text to budget
- Budget categories are defined by the funding
agency - Be sure activities discussed in narrative are
reflected in budget - Connect narrative text to the budget to ensure
appropriate balance and proportion, - If a budget justification section is requested,
use it to complement and deepen the narrative
detail
83Beware of Boiler Plate
- Thinking of proposal narrative as boiler plate
will result in a mediocre, disjoint proposal - Begin each proposal as a new effort, not a copy
paste - Be very cautious integrating text inserts
- Strong proposals clearly reflect a coherent,
sustained, and integrated argument grounded on
good ideas
84Outcomes or deliverables
- Develop short, hard-hitting lists off-set by
bullets or other typographical formats - Relate outcomes to goals and objectives
- Outcomes should be specific and measurable
- Timelines and schedules with milestones can
orient reviewers and provide a quick overview of
how program components fit together
85Project assessment and evaluation
- How will you know if you were successful?
- Describe what will be measured in order to assess
how well project met each of its objectives - Who will conduct assessment?
- Discuss logistics
- Formative assessment conducted throughout
project and results fed back to improve project - Summative assessment final assessment at end of
project
86Craft of grant writing web sites
- http//cpmcnet.columbia.edu/research/writing.htm
- http//nextwave.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/19
99/08/27/1 - http//grants.library.wisc.edu/index.html
- http//www.research.umich.edu/proposals/PWG/pwgcom
plete.html - http//www.asru.ilstu.edu/grantwritingseries.htm
- http//grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
- http//www.epa.gov/seahome/grants/src/title.htm
- http//www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04016/start.htm
- http//www.aecom.yu.edu/ogs/Guide/Guide.htm
- http//www.awag.org/Grant20Seekers20Tool20Kit/i
ndex.htm - http//www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDet
ail/assetid/23947?fulltexttrueprintyesprintye
s - http//www.pitt.edu/offres/proposal/propwriting/w
ebsites.html
87Interpreting Reviews
- If you are funded..
- If not.
- Put the reviews away for a few days
- Then take them out and read carefully
- Call the program officer for more feedback
- Evaluate if you should resubmit
88Interpreting 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!
89Early Career Programs for Faculty
- NSF CAREER
- DoD
- Young Investigator (ONR, ARL)
- Congressionally Mandated Directed Medical
Research Programs Young Investigator - NASA New Investigator Program in Earth-Sun
Systems - NIH
- Scientist Development Award for New Minority
Faculty - Career Development Awards (K-awards)
- Esp. Career Transition (K22) Award
- NIAMS Small Grants Program for New Investigators
90Early Career Programs for Faculty
- Foundations
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund
- PhRMA Foundation
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Early Career
Fellowship in Economic Studies - Kellogg Forum Rising Stars, etc.
- Professional organization early career or
young investigator programs - American Philosophical Society Franklin
Research Grants - Listing of Programs
- http//www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/newfaculty.html
91NSF CAREER Program
- Duration 5 years
- Funding level minimum 400K total (except min.
500K total for BIO directorate) - Eligibility
- Have a PhD
- Untenured, holding tenure-track Asst. Prof.
position or equivalent - Have not competed in CAREER more than two times
previously - Have not won a CAREER award
- Due July 19 21 depending on directorate
- Typical 10 20 success rate
- Solicitation http//www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_
summ.jsp?ods_keynsf05579
92ONR Young Investigator Program (Office of Naval
Research)
- 100,000 per year for three years
- FY 05 proposal was due 13 January 2005.
- FY06 announcement will be posted in September
2005 - http//www.onr.navy.mil/02/baa/docs/fy2005yip.doc
- U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents
earned PhD within last 5 years - Approx. 24 awards
93ONR Young Investigator
- The objectives of this program are to attract
outstanding faculty members of Institutions of
Higher Education (hereafter also called
"universities") to the Department of the Navy's
research program, to support their research, and
to encourage their teaching and research
careers. - Proposals falling within the broad scope of
naval research interests will be considered.
94ONR Areas of Research Interesthttp//www.onr.navy
.mil/
- Information, Electronics Surveillance (Code 31)
- Electronics Math, Computer and Information
Sciences Surveillance, Communications, and
Electronic Combat - Ocean, Atmosphere Space (Code 32)
- Sensing and Systems Processes and Prediction
- Engineering, Materials Physical Science (Code
33) - Physical Sciences Materials Mechanics and
Energy Conversion Ship Hull, Mechanical
Electrical Systems Navy ST Ship Office - Human Systems (Code 34)
- Medical and Biological Division Cognitive,
Neural and Social Division - Naval Expeditionary Warfare (Code 35)
- Strike Technology Expeditionary Warfare
Operations -
95Army Research Lab Young Investigator
- Up to 50K per year for 3 years
- Eligibility
- U.S. citizens holding tenure-track positions at
U.S. universities and colleges - have held their graduate degrees (Ph.D. or
equivalent) for fewer than five years at the time
of application. - Broad Agency Announcement at http//www.aro.army.m
il/research/arl/fy06arlbaa.pdf - Research Areas
- Proposals are invited for research in areas
described in PART I, Research Areas 1-8 only of
this BAA. Proposals may be submitted at any time.
As is the case for the regular research programs,
we strongly encourage informal discussions with
the cognizant ARO technical program manager
before submission of a formal proposal.
96NIH K programs for New Faculty
- Series of very targeted programs
- See K Kiosk at http//grants.nih.gov/training/care
erdevelopmentawards.htm - Directed at retraining, professional development
- Check CRISP data base on NIH web site for info on
funded programs - Recent TAMU winners
- Christopher Quick (Vet) K-25
- Victor Ugaz (Chem E) K-22
- Helene Andrews (HSC) K-08
- Alberto Gallegos (Vet) K-25
97Other Programs
- NASA New Investigator Program in Earth and Sun
System Science - http//nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/
summary.do?methodinitsolId8EF416B1-14FF-1C41-4
2CD-514C32F6A495stackpush - Notice of intent due June 30, 2005
- Full due August 31, 2005
- Carl Sagan Fellowship for Early Career Research
- Varying submission times depending on topic
- http//nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/
summary.do?methodinitsolId8C5AB22A-061D-3D19-0
0B8-B37C7FBB7529stackpush
98Other Programs
- Foundations
- Check their annual reports for goals, culture
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund
- PhRMA Foundation
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Early Career
Fellowship in Economic Studies - Kellogg Forum Rising Stars, etc.
- Professional Organizations
- Search on Google
- early career, young investigator, junior
faculty - Check
- http//www.unh.edu/osr/
- http//www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/newfaculty.html
99Young Investigator Programs
- Do your homework!
- Mission and culture of funding agency
- Talk to program director
- Find out what has been funded in the past
- Talk to successful prior winners if possible
- Follow the directions and read the solicitation
carefully - Clearly describe your goals, your work plan and
the benefits of your work - Dont give up!
- Learn from reviews
- Talk to program officer about how you might
address short comings - Apply again as long as you are eligible!
100Questions and Discussion
101National Science Foundation
- Funds research in
- Biological Sciences (BIO)
- Computer and Info Science and Eng (CISE)
- Engineering (ENG)
- Education and Human Resources (EHR)
- Geosciences (GEO)
- Math and Physical Sciences (MPS)
- Polar Research (OPP)
- Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
- Cross-cutting Research
102NSF
- In addition to research grants, NSF funds
- Instrumentation
- Conferences and Workshops
- Doctoral Research in Selected Areas (Doctoral
Dissertation Improvement Grants) - International Travel
- Graduate Fellowships
103NSF mission
- To support
- Basic scientific research and research
fundamental to the engineering process - Programs to strength scientific and engineering
research potential - Science and engineering education programs at all
levels and in all fields of science and
engineering - An information base on science and engineering
appropriate for development of national and
international policy
104NSF Goals and mission
- Agency goals are defined in terms of people,
ideas and tools - People A diverse, competitive, and globally
engaged U.S. workforce of scientists, engineers,
technologists and well-prepared citizens - Ideas Discovery across the frontier of science
and engineering, connected to learning,
innovation and service to society - Tools Broadly accessible state-of-the-art
science and engineering facilities, tools, and
other infrastructure that enable discovery,
learning and innovation
105NSF Organization
106Directorates divided into divisions
- Example Math and Physical Sciences (MPS)
- Astronomical Sciences (ASI)
- Chemistry (CHE)
- Materials Research (DMR)
- Physics (PHY)
- Division Mathematical Sciences (DMS)
107Programs/clusters within organization
- Materials Research
- Ceramics
- Metals
- Electronic Materials
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Theory
- Solid State Chemistry
- Etc.
108Funding opportunities
- see Guide to Programs at http//www.nsf.gov/fund
ing/browse_all_funding.jsp - Program Description or Program Announcement
(unsolicited) - Solicitations
- Supplements
- Dear Colleague Letter
- SGER (Special Grants for Exploratory Research)
109Example funding opportunities
- Grants Funding Equipment (web sites in handout)
- Major Research Instrumentation (MRI)
- Earth Sciences Instrumentation and Facilities
(EAR/IF) - Research Equipment for Chemical Transport System
Division - Chemical Research Instrumentation and Facilities
- Multi-user Equipment and Instrumentation
Resources for Biological Sciences - Archaeometry Awards
- Astronomical Sciences Advanced Technologies and
Instrumentation (ATI)
110Example funding opportunitiesCAREER
- http//www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id52
62fromfund - Duration 5 years
- Funding level minimum 400K total (except min.
500K total for BIO directorate) - Eligibility
- Have a PhD
- Untenured, holding tenure-track assistant prof.
Position or equivalent - Have not competed in CAREER more than two times
previously - Have not won a CAREER award
- Due July 20 22 depending on directorate
- Typical 10 20 success rate
111NSF Review Criteria
- Intellectual Merit
- How important is activity to advancing knowledge
and understanding in own field and across fields? - How well-qualified is proposer to conduct
project? - How creative and original are ideas?
- How well-conceived and organized is proposed
activity? - Is there sufficient access to resources?
- Broader Impacts
- How well does the activity advance discovery and
understanding while promoting teaching, training
and learning? - Will it enhance infrastructure for research and
education such as facilities, networks,
partnerships? - Will results be disseminated broadly to enhance
understanding of science? - What are potential benefits to society of
proposed research?
112NSF Review Criteria (contd)
- Integration of Research and Education
- How well does project foster integration of
research and education, infusing education with
the excitement of discovery? - Integrating Diversity into NSF Programs, Projects
and Activities - How well does project broaden opportunities and
enable the participation of all citizens, women
and men, underrepresented minorities and persons
with disabilities?
113Review Process
- May be ad hoc or panel review (at least three
reviewers) - Proposal rated
- Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, Poor
- Comments included as feedback
- NSF tries to return reviews within 6 months of
due date