WRITING GRANTS FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

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WRITING GRANTS FOR CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

• Mary Whooley, MD
• Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology
  Biostatistics
• VA Medical Center
• University of California, San Francisco
• August 20, 2009

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Outline

• How faculty positions work
• Grant funding sources
• Tips for writing successful grant proposals
• Tales from the trenches

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Clinician/educator Clinician/investigator

• Comfort / competence
• Job security
• Immediate value

• Variety
• Flexibility
• Delayed gratification

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Faculty Handbook the Real Table 1
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Contents of promotion packets

• Chairs letter (drafted by Dept review committee)
• University-format CV (20 to 25 pubs R01)
• 1-page summary of research/creative work
• 5 reprints from recent years
• Teaching evaluations (turn them in!)
• Letters of recommendation
• 3 inside and 5 outside higher rank faculty
• Students/mentees

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Outline

• How faculty positions work
• Grant funding sources

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Types of grants

• Fellowship grants salary support for additional
  year(s) of fellowship
• Career Development Grants salary support for
  junior faculty position
• Research grants support for research expenses,
  may also include salary support

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Should I do an additional year of fellowship?

• Advantages
• complete projects
• find the right job
• educational experience
• Disadvantages
• salary at fellowship level
• may lose momentum
• can often obtain similar experience on faculty

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Fellowship funding opportunities

• NRSA (National Research Service Award - F32)
• Project director on mentors grant
• Foundation grants
• Pharmaceutical or biotech company grant

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Deadlines - NRSA Fellowship Grants
See F Kiosk for detailed information
http//grants.nih.gov/training/F_files_nrsa.htm
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Career Development Grants (Salary support for
junior faculty)

• CTSA KL2 Scholars Program (UCSF Roadmap K12)
  (www.epibiostat.ucsf.edu/courses/RoadmapK12.html)
• NIH K23
• VA Career Development Awards
• NIH Minority or R01 Supplement
• Foundations e.g., Robert Wood Johnson
  (www.rwjf.org)
• http//medschool.ucsf.edu/grants_awards/index.aspx
  

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NIH
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NIH Career Development Awards
See K Kiosk for detailed information
http//grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentaw
ards.htm
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VA Career Development Awards
http//www.research.va.gov/funding/CDP.cfm
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Intramural and other research grants

• Resource Allocation Program http//rap.ucsf.edu/
  
• CTSI Strategic Opportunities Support grants -
  http//ctsi.ucsf.edu/sos/index.php
• Academic Senate www.ucsf.edu/senate (click on
  funding opportunities)
• Hellman Family Awards
• Burroughs Welcome Awards
• Pew Searle Merck Keck Ellison grants
• http//www.research.ucsf.edu/admin/Grants.asp

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Extramural research grants

• NIH - small (R03, R21) or large (R01) grants
• NGOs Am Heart Assoc, Am Cancer Society, etc.
• Agency for Health-Care Research and Quality
  (AHRQ)
• Pharmaceutical and Biotech Companies
• Grants Net http//sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/
  funding
• Federal government opportunities www.grants.gov
• Foundations http//foundationcenter.org

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NIH Eligibility
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
U.S. or non-U.S. organization

• K23
• R01 minority supplement

• R01
• R21
• R03

http//www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/cycle/part01.h
tm
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Outline

• How faculty positions work
• Grant funding sources
• Tips for writing successful
• grant proposals

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Successful careers, papers, grants . . .

• . . . tell a story others want to hear.

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THE FUNNEL

• How I got interested in this area
• Importance of this area
• Questions answered so far
• Limitations in previous
• research
• Exciting questions
• I will answer

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Preparing the application

• Most reviewers will read only the abstract
  (60-100 applications reviewed at each study
  section meeting)
• Specific Aims 2 to 4 very clear, specific,
  concrete objectives that form the core of the
  proposal
• Budget (defining study objectives and coming up
  with budget is usually an iterative process) aim
  for max
• Get feedback early and often

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Supporting letters

• Select strong mentors
• well known in field
• expertise in your area
• Ask for letters at least 1 month before due date
• attach your CV and proposal outline
• offer to provide draft of letter
• let them know outcome of application

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The research plan

• Propose a secondary data analysis or ancillary
  study
• Review CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information
  on Scientific Projects) at http//crisp.cit.nih.g
  ov
• Use tables and figures whenever possible
• Identify potential problems, strategies to
  minimize them, and alternative approaches

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Tips for writing a successful proposal

• Read and re-read instructions
• Make a time-line
• Stats/power calculations http//ctsi.ucsf.edu/BRE
  AD
• Complete forms early (cover page, other support,
  etc.)
• Review other successful applications
• Find out who is on review committee
  http//www.csr.nih.gov/Committees/rosterindex.asp
• Contact project officer at target Institute

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Outline

• How faculty positions work
• Grant funding sources
• Tips for writing successful grant proposals
• Tales from the trenches

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Whooley Rejected Grants

• VA Advanced Career Development Award x 2
• Beeson Career Development Award x 1
• R01 x 1
• Ischemia Research Foundation x 1
• AHA Established Investigator Award x 3
• UCSF Dept Med Clinical Research RFA x 1
• Various smaller/intramural grants

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Tales from the trenches

• Expect 2 to 3 submissions for every funded
  proposal
• Politely respond to reviewers concerns
• Recycle unfunded proposals
• Remember its the numerator that counts

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Center for Scientific Review

• 30 Institutes
• and Centers

• 200 study sections

(title, abstract, specific aims determine study
section)
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How does the NIH review process work?

• Your application assigned to a study section (for
  scientific review) and to an Institute (for
  funding)
• About 50 of applications get reviewed
• 10 to 20 of applications get funded
• RFP Request for Proposals (Contracts)
• RFA Request for Applications (one-time, grants)
• PA Program Announcement (ongoing, grants)

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NIH rating scale (score x 10)
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NIH Criteria for Career Development Grants

• Candidate ? background and potential?
• Career Plan ? proposed training?
• Research Plan ? scientific merit?
• Mentorship ? experience and qualifications?
• Environment ? facilities and support?

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NIH Review Criteria for Research Grants

• Significance ? important problem?
• Approach ? framework and methods?
• Innovation ? novel concepts, methods?
• Investigator ? training and experience?
• Environment ? collaborators and support?

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Other Useful Information

• www.research.ucsf.edu/QG/orQgToc.asp
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/useful_links.htm
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/sitemap.htm
• www.csr.nih.gov/guidelines/guidelines.htm
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
• www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/default.htm
• www.nhlbi.nih.gov/crg/index.php
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionsch
  edule.htm