Writing a Successful (ARC) Research Grant Application

1
Writing a Successful (ARC)Research Grant
Application

• Prof Helena Nevalainen
• Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences
• Member of the ARC College of Experts
• Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (BSB)
• Contains material from the presentation by
  Jennifer Newton in 2010

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Overview

• Discovery applications, facts and ground rules
• Aims and Background
• Research Project
• Research Environment
• Budget and its Justification
• Researchers Track Record
• Linkage grant applications
• Some reasons for failure
• Useful websites

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Before you start, note that for the Discovery
applications

• ARC will allocate your grant application to two
  CoE members, Carriage 1 and Carriage 2
• Carriage 1 allocates at least 2 detailed and 2
  specialised assessors to your grant based on the
  abstract and key words you provide
• Make the abstract easy to understand and use
  appropriate keywords

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Before you start

• Familiarise yourself with the appropriate CoE and
  their expertise
• http//www.arc.gov.au/about_arc/CoE_BSB.htm
• http//www.arc.gov.au/about_arc/CoE_PCE.htm
• Be aware that membership and thus the expertise
  areas change from one year to another
• Check out National Priorities

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Before you start, note that

• Each CoE member assesses 100 plus discovery
  grants within 3.5 months (60-100 pages each)
  you have about 2 pages to impress
• Allocated assessors have 1-15 each to read
• Weighting of assessments has changed - all equal
• The assessment is according to A (10), B (15),
  C (20), D (35), E (20)
• Investigators 40, Project Quality 40, Research
  Environment 20

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Some facts

• About 20 of discovery applications receive
  funding and only the top 5 will receive
  full/near full funding
• One purpose/one person/one technology proposals
  do not fare very well unless brilliant
• Medically related non-clinical research proposals
  are increasing in number so you will be competing
  against stellar track records

• Understand the competition

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Before you start to write

• Ask yourself the following questions
• What do you intend to do? (aims)
• What work has already been done on the topic and
  how does my proposal advance the knowledge/fit
  into the current picture? (as part of the
  background)
• Why is your research important? What is unique
  about it? (significance and innovation as part of
  background)
• How do you intend to do your work? (Project
  Quality 40)
• How does my budget look like? (feasibility)
• Why should the research be carried in my
  university? (Research Environment 20)
• How do I market/present my/the teams track
  record? (Investigators 40)

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• Selection criteria
• All Discovery Projects Proposals will be assessed
  and ranked using the following selection
  criteria
• Investigator(s) 40
• research opportunity and performance evidence
  (ROPE) and
• capacity to undertake the proposed research.
• Project Quality 40  
• does the research address a significant problem?
• is the conceptual/theoretical framework
  innovative and original?
• will the aims, concepts, methods and results
  advance knowledge?
• are the project design and methods appropriate?
• will the proposed research provide economic,
  environmental and/or social benefit to Australia?
  
• does the project address National Research
  Priorities?

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•  
• Research Environment 20
• is there an existing, or developing, supportive
  and high quality research environment for this
  Project?
• are the necessary facilities to complete the
  project available?
• are there adequate strategies to encourage
  dissemination, commercialisation, if appropriate
  and promotion of research outcomes?

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Three ground rules

• Write the grant so that parts of it can be
  singled out for supporting, ie can be carried out
  successfully even though cuts to the funding may
  be made (modular structure)
• Be succinct but at the same time, excite the
  reader do not get bogged down with unnecessary
  details
• Make the application aesthetically pleasing do
  not cram text and think carefully about the
  figures and tables to be included

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Aims and Background

• Write these sections for a person who may not be
  expert in your particular field and at the same
  time, keep an expert happy
• Avoid discipline-specific jargon and unexplained
  acronyms especially in the first pages
• Aims and expected outcomes should be stated on
  the first page of your Background
• They should be attention-grabbing, especially
  where the science may have a tendency to be
  baffling

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Aims

• Formulate aims in terms of expected
  outcomes/hypothesis not in terms of the
  processes through which the outcomes will be
  achieved
• Write the aims first and check that your proposal
  is aligned with the aims after you have finished
  writing
• Keep aims simple and succinct

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Expected Outcomes

• Outcomes are more intangible than outputs
  for example, conceptual advances and/or
  discoveries, novel practical outcomes, economic,
  environmental, social or cultural benefits

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Background

• Write this section for the intelligent non-expert
• Use subheadings to make the reading easier
• Demonstrate that you have a thorough
  understanding of the pertinent literature, and
  that you have evaluated it in a critical and
  balanced way
• Background information should justify the
  necessity of your project and identify gaps in
  the current knowledge
• Preliminary research is often described in the
  Background section as a teaser - adds to the
  likelihood that the project will achieve its
  goals

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Significance and Innovation as a subheading in
the Aims and Background section

• Indicate how the results of your research will
• Fill identified gaps in existing knowledge
• Distinguish it from other work in the field
• Facilitate the development of new techniques,
  experimental models and/or lead to new
  conclusions of general value or practical
  significance
• Provide economic, environmental and/or social
  benefit to Australia
• Address National Research Priorities

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Research Project

• Write this section for the expert assessor
• Keep the plan focussed and in line with aims
• Use subheadings to describe different
  technologies or approaches
• Methodology should prove that you not only know
  what you intend to do, but how to actually do it

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Research Project

• In this section, cover the following
• conceptual framework
• experimental design
• innovations
• limitations
• anticipated difficulties
• alternative approaches
• time sequence (Gantt chart)
• role of personnel

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Research Environment

• ERA performance of your institution in the
  appropriate area
• Research Centres and other national facilities
  relevant for the proposed research
• Specialised instrumentation and other expertise/
  support relevant for the suggested research
• Key collaborators and their institutions,
  national and international

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Budget and Budget justification

• ARC allocates funds differently for different
  years committee budget is often front-loaded
• Do not inflate figures (but dont undercut
  yourself either)
• Make accurate calculations where applicable and
  include them in the budget justification
• Equipment requests should be at current prices
  obtain a formal quotation

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Budget and Budget justification

• Direct costs
• Salaries
• Equipment
• Maintenance (e.g. consumables, running costs)
• Travel national and international (rate per km,
  air fare, other fares, lodging, sustenance)
• Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award DORA
  (optional)
• International Collaboration Award

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Budget and Budget justification

• Indirect costs
• Cannot be easily identified as specific to a
  particular project but are nonetheless real
  costs, eg
• Utilities and facilities
• Maintenance of space and equipment
• Security
• Computer services
• Legal services
• Accounting services
• Payroll services
• Access to library facilities

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Budget justification

• Personnel
• Justify level of expertise and experience
  required including any PhD positions
• If you have a person in mind for the position,
  justify the position and fit it with the person
• Justify the time required

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Budget justification

• Equipment and maintenance
• Justify every item and running cost, do not
  merely repeat proposed expenditure
• Explain why particular items/services/consumables
  are essential in relation to the aims and
  methodology of the project
• Explain why they are essential in meeting the
  objectives of the proposal

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Budget Justification

• Travel
• Local travel (based on rate per kilometre)
• Airfares (economy)
• Lodging (realistic cost of modest accommodation,
  or conform to per diems)
• Sustenance (per diems see ATO at
  http//law.ato.gov.au/pdf/pbr/td2009-015.pdf)

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Investigators

• Details of your career and opportunities for
  research over the last 5 years
• Publications provide ERA ranking, journal impact
  factor and citations
• ARC grants and related publications
• 10 career best publications provide ERA ranking,
  journal impact factor, citations and a brief
  blurb on the impact of the paper (use same format
  for all participants!)
• Most significant contributions to the field of
  the proposal

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Investigators

• Further evidence in relation to research impact
  and contributions to the field in the last 10
  years including e.g.
• Patents
• Other professional reports
• Professional memberships
• H-index plus other stats
• Awards
• Invited presentations
• PhD supervision and mentoring
• Innovation of new technology
• Leadership of large national/international
  programs and facilities

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ARC Linkage projects Objectives

• Encourage and develop long-term strategic
  research alliances
• Enhance the scale and focus of research in
  National Research Priorities
• Foster opportunities for committed PG researchers
  to pursue internationally competitive research
  outside the higher education sector
• Provide outcome-oriented research training
• Produce a national pool of innovative researchers

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ARC Linkage projects

• Investigators (20)
• Proposed Project (25)
• Approach and Training (15)
• Research Environment (10)
• Nature of the alliance and commitment form the
  Partner Organisation (30)
• Success rate 45-50

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Some reasons for failure in relation to ARC
Discovery applications

• Lack of original ideas
• Objectives not realistic within a given timeframe
• Artificial adaptation of purpose and significance
  in order to meet funding bodys objectives
• Track record not developed enough
• Guidelines and instructions not adhered to
• Begs the so what? question

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Some reasons for failure in relation to ARC
Linkage projects

• Lack of evidence of genuine collaboration
• Weak Partner Organisation commitment
• Not related to core business of the Partner
  Organisation
• Involves little innovation and/or low risk
• Not suitable to research training (for APAIs)

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In Summary

• Be clear about what you are intending to do
• Be clear on how you are going to do it
• Provide evidence you can do it
• Point out the benefits of your proposed research
• Provide a future vision
• Seek feedback before submission
• Make reading of your application an enjoyable
  experience

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Useful Web Links

• Grant-Writing Tools for Non-Profit Organizations
• www.npguides.org/guide/index.html
• Grant Proposal Writing Tips
• US Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• www.cpb.org/grants/grantwriting.html
• Five Things to Know about Writing
• Better Grant Proposals
• www.hotwinds.com/Grant_Tips.html
• A Guide for Proposal Writing (NSF)
• www.nsf.gov/pubs/1998/nsf9891/nsf9891.htm

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Useful Web Links

• Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal
• www.learnerassociates.net/proposal/hintsone.htm
• NIH Grant Writing Tips Sheets
• grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
• Grant Writing Tips for Writing your First Grant
• lone-eagles.com/granthelp.htm
• Grant Writing Tips (including common pitfalls)
• http//www.ciwmb.ca.gov/grants/Tips.htm

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Research Office Location

• Research Hub, Building C5C
• East wing
• Level 3
• http//www.research.mq.edu.au/for/researchers
• Phone [phone] (Reception)
• Fax [phone]

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Research Grants Development Staff

• Jennifer Newton
• Manager, Research Grants jennifer.newton_at_mq.edu.a
  u, X8609.
• Georgina Chinchen
• Research Grants Development Officer
  georgina.chinchen_at_mq.edu.au, X4462.
• Amanda Levick
• Research Grants Development Assistant,
  amanda.levick_at_mq.edu.au, X4063.

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Acknowledgements

• Professor Peter Bergquist, former Deputy
  Vice-Chancellor (Research), Macquarie University
• Donald E Thackrey, University of Michigan
• Office of Community and Special Projects,
  University of Southern Colorado
• Professor Ellen Barrett, Dept of Physiology and
  Biophysics, University of Miami School of
  Medicine
• Katherine Arens, Germanic Languages, University
  of Texas at Austin