Finding Funding Opportunities: Choosing the Best Grant for You Maureen E. Goode, PhD, ELS

Finding Funding Opportunities:Choosing the Best Grant for You

Maureen E. Goode, PhD, ELSAdministrative DirectorCenter for Clinical and Translational SciencesMaureen.Goode@uth.tmc.edu713-500-7924

Start thinking about grants NOW.

Learn the types of grants available, how you can keep informed about funding opportunities, and how to choose the kind of grant most likely to be funded.

Plan a couple of steps ahead in your career.

The choices seem endless….

NIH, NSF, DoD, AHA, MDA, ACS…?

NCI, NEI, NIA, NIAAA, NIAID, NIBIB, NICHD, NIDA, NIDCR, NIEHS, NIMH, NINDS, NINR, NIAMS, NIDCD, NIDDK, NIGMS…?

R01, R03, R21, T32, P01, P30, K08, K22, K23, IDEA grant, young investigator grant…?

Investigator initiated or in response to an FOA?

Learn the Language--investigators

New investigator = has no major (R01-type ) funding

Early stage investigator = new investigator within 10 years of completing terminal research degree or medical residency

Learn the Language—grants & applications

Grant mechanism = kind of grant (R01, K22, P01, new investigator)

Investigator initiated (unsolicited) application= your idea + a general grant mechanism

Application in response to an FOA = your idea + an FOA

Learn the Language—information

FOA = funding opportunity announcement

RFA = request for applicationsPA = program announcementRFP = request for proposals

Notice = information about an FOA

Learn the Language—your new best friends

Funding agency = organization that awards grants

IC = National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institute or Center

Program officer = funding agency employee managing an FOA

Study section = reviewers of your grant application

Learn the Language—NIH-specific terms

NIH Glossary & Acronym Listhttp://grants.nih.gov/grants/glossary.htm#P7

To choose the best grant for you, ask yourself:•What do I want to do?

•How much will it cost? How long will it take?

•Where am I in my career?

•Who might give me a grant?

What do you want to do?

•Conduct research Individual and group research grants

•Get trainingTraining and career development

awards•Train others

Departmental & institutional training grants•Hold a scientific or educational meeting•Build new facilities

Individual Research Grants

One project

ExamplesR = NIH research grants

R01—Research Project GrantR03—Small GrantR21—Exploratory/Developmental

GrantR41/R42—Small Business

Technology Transfer Research Grants

R43/R44—Small Business Innovation Research Grants

Multiproject Grants

Several related projects, sometimes with supporting cores and programs for career development and for funding pilot projects (you could get a grant from a multiproject grant)

ExamplesP = NIH multiproject grants

P01—Research Program Project Grant

P30—Center Core GrantP50—Specialized Center Grant

Career Development/Training Awards•For the development of researchers

•Salary support and research funds

•Most are for students, fellows, and assistant professors, but some are for more senior faculty

•Many are limited to certain career periods (e.g., first 3 years of assistant professorship) and to US citizens or resident aliens

•Investigators with other career development awards or R01-type funding are not eligible

ExamplesK, F, and T = NIH career development/training

K01—Mentored Research Scientist AwardK08—Mentored Clinical Scientist AwardK12—Mentored Clinical Scientist Development AwardK22 —NCI Transition Career Development AwardK23—Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development AwardK24—Established Investigator AwardF32—Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award T32 —Kirschstein Institutional Research Training Award

How much will it cost? How long will it take?

•All FOAs have time limits•Almost all have budget limits or ranges

•For initial planning, an approximate cost is fine--$50,000? $200,000? Millions?

•Colleagues and your departmental grants administrator can help you estimate the cost of the research (direct funds)

•Indirect funds (which go to your institution) have to be included

Where are you in your career?•Graduate student

•Postdoctoral or clinical fellow

•New assistant professor just beginning a research project

•Associate or full professor continuing an established research program

•Any professor testing a new hypothesis

There are specific grants for all these stages in your career.

Graduate Students

•NIH grants http://grants1.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm

•GrantsNet (useful information for everyone)•http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding

•GSBS announces grant opportunities for its students

•Check large institutional and departmental training and research grants too

Postdocs

•NIH grants http://grants1.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm (has information for assistant professors too)

•GrantsNet http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/funding

•Check large institutional and departmental training and research grants too

Who might give you a grant?

NIH Other funding agencies—check eCivis

Don’t like the FOA but like the funding agency?

ORWant to confirm that you’ve chosen the right grant from that agency?

Check the agency’s web site for other FOAs

Here’s an example…

Department of Defense (DoD)cdmrp.army.mil/funding/default.htm

Have been for a variety of diseases. FY11 list is not out yet.

Mechanisms: postdoctoral, new investigator, hypothesis-testing (Idea), clinical investigator, and therapy-development awards (varies by disease site)

Many emphasize innovative ideas

Not restricted to US citizens or resident aliens

AFTER READING THE FOA, Get More Information from the Program Officer•Is my project a good fit with the FOA?•If not, are there other FOAs that would be better?•This FOA is about to expire. Will it be reissued?•Who is on the study section?•Will a lot of people apply for this grant? (What are my chances?)•Can you suggest any ways to improve my proposal?

Also, thank them—email their institute or foundation directors

REMEMBERREMEMBER

Contact us to discuss what we can do for youContact us to discuss what we can do for you713-500-7900; 713-500-7900; CCTS@uth.tmc.eduor Maureen Goode (713-500-7924) or Maureen Goode (713-500-7924)

Maureen.Goode@uth.tmc.eduMaureen.Goode@uth.tmc.edu

Use CCTS services and programs to leverage Use CCTS services and programs to leverage your grant applicationsyour grant applications

Check our web site for informationCheck our web site for informationhttp://ccts.uth.tmc.edu/

From the New Yorker, December 6, 2010