NIH Grants: Strategies to Get Funded

1. NIH Grants: Strategies to Get Funded Silvia da Costa, Ph.D. Director of Faculty Research Relations Office of Research

2. Research Grants Competing Applications and Awards

3. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness

4. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

5. The NIH Peer Review Process • Research to address the needs of the funding institute • Application received • Assignments made • Initial peer review Funding considerations • Scientific Review Group Institutes or Centers (ICs) • (Study section) (Duals possible) • Scientific Review Officer Program Officer • Second level of review • Council • Funding decision • IC Director • Award!

6. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Research to address the needs of the funding institute The NIH is not interested in funding good science The NIH is interested in funding good science that meets the needs of the of the funding institute “Small business” mentality

7. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Research to address the needs of the funding institute To which Institute should you submit your grant?

8. Awards by Institutesorted by average number • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

9. 2010 Funding Success Rate per NIH IC • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

10. NIH RePORT • Research to address the needs of the funding institute http://report.nih.gov/reports.aspx

11. Institute Strategic Plan • Research to address the needs of the funding institute http://report.nih.gov/reports.aspx

12. Institute Strategic Plan • Research to address the needs of the funding institute http://report.nih.gov/strategicplans/index.aspx

13. Institute Strategic Plan • Research to address the needs of the funding institute • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

14. Institute Strategic Plan • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

15. IC Area of Interest • Research to address the needs of the funding institute • http://www.nih.gov/icd/index.html

16. Any Questions • Research to address the needs of the funding institute

17. The NIH Peer Review Process • Application received • Assignments made • Initial peer review Funding considerations • Scientific Review Group Institutes or Centers (ICs) • (Study section) (Duals possible) • Scientific Review Officer Program Officer • Second level of review • Council • Funding decision • IC Director • Award!

18. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • CRISP RePORTER

19. CRISP RePORTER • CRISP RePORTER http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm

20. CRISP RePORTER Keyword “Cancer”, first few pages of search… NCI National Cancer Institute NIBIB National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering NIA National Institute on Aging NIGMS National Institute of General Medical Sciences NIMHD National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities NINR National Institute of Nursing Research NHGRI National Human Genome Research Institute NIAMS National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases NCCAM National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine NIEHS National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences NIAID National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases NCATS National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences OD Office of the Director • CRISP RePORTER http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm

21. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Choosing the right study section

22. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Choosing the right study section Who will be reviewing your grant? Identifying potential members of your Scientific Review Group

23. Center for Scientific Review (CSR) • Choosing the right study section http://public.csr.nih.gov/Pages/default.aspx/

24. Center for Scientific Review (CSR) • Choosing the right study section http://public.csr.nih.gov/StudySections/Pages/default.aspx

25. Center for Scientific Review (CSR) • Choosing the right study section

26. Center for Scientific Review (CSR) • Choosing the right study section

27. Any Questions • Choosing the right study section

28. Early Stage Investigator Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness

29. Early Stage Investigator NIH Priority: Continued Focuson New Investigators • New Investigator is an NIH research grant applicant who has not yet competed successfully for a substantial, NIH research grant. • Example:a PI who has previously received a competing NIH R01 research grant is no longer considered a New Investigator. However, a PD/PI who has received a small grant (R03) or an Exploratory, Developmental Research Grant Award (R21) retains his or her status as a New Investigator. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/investigator_policies_faqs.htm#2649

30. Early Stage Investigator NIH Priority: Continued Focuson New Investigators • Early Stage Investigators: ESIs are New Investigators who are within 10 years of completing their terminal research degree or within 10 years of completing their medical residency at the time they apply for R01 grants. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/investigator_policies_faqs.htm#2649

31. Early Stage Investigator Funding Policy for NIs & ESIs • Applications from ESIs, like those from all New Investigators, are given special consideration during peer review and at the time of funding. • Peer reviewers are instructed to focus more on the proposed approach than on the track record, and to expect less preliminary information than might be provided by an established investigator. • Applications will be clustered during initial peer review to the extent possible.

32. Early Stage Investigator Special Programs for NIs & ESIs • Pathway to Independence Award (K99-R00)provides support as a postdoctoral scholar transitions from a training position to a faculty position • Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2) provides support to highly innovative research approaches http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/investigator_policies_faqs.htm#2649

33. Early Stage Investigator How does the NIH Recognize NIs & ESIs? NI and ESI status is determined automatically by the functionality built into eRA Commons, based on the investigator’s record of receiving NIH grants and the date of their terminal degree and/or completion of medical residency. Make sure you are correctly designated as an ESI Verify your degree completion date in your NIH Commons Profile (eRA Commons) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/investigator_policies_faqs.htm#2649

34. Loss of ESI Status • Early Stage Investigator Status applies only to R01s If you are applying for an R01 with another non-ESI, the proposal will not be reviewed as an ESI application. If awarded, you will lose your ESI status. Need to balance use of experienced collaborator with loss of ESI status.

35. Strategies to Improve Your Competitiveness • Grant sections

36. Good Grantsmanship Grant writing is a learned skill! • Grant sections

37. Approach: Restructured Research Plan Previous Application New Application • Grant sections

38. Important to differentiate between the two! • Significance (1/2 page) • Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? • If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? • How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field? • Grant sections • Innovation (1/2 page) • Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? • Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? • Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?

39. Biographical Sketch • Personal Statement –what experience and qualifications make the applicant particularly well-suited for the project. • Limited to 4 pages (per person) • Publications limited to 15 • 5 most recent • 5 best • 5 most relevant to the application • Grant sections

40. Biosketch: Include the PMCID • Example • Varmus H, Klausner R, Zerhouni E, Acharya T, Daar A, Singer P. 2003. PUBLIC HEALTH: Grand Challenges in Global Health. Science 302(5644): 398–399. PMCID: PMC243493 • Grant sections http://publicaccess.nih.gov/citation_methods.htm

41. Specific Aims Page - Outline Background information Relevance (medical/clinical) Gap in knowledge/Current knowledge Long-term goal (of your lab) Objective of the proposal Hypothesis - Basis for hypothesis Rational for study Specific Aims Hypothesis How it will be tested Expected Results Why proposal is innovative Significance PI / Environment Positive Impact “Payoff” for the Institute/Foundation • Grant sections

42. Specific Aims Page – Target Audience • Grant sections

43. Diabetic conditions TGF Aim 1 Aim 2 YYY XXX abc WW WSWS CVCV Aim 3 Diabetic Neuropathy Hypothesis:text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text text Specific Aims – Diagrams • Grant sections

44. Specific Aims Page Your job is to make the reviewer’s work easier! Background information Relevance (medical/clinical) Gap in knowledge/Current knowledge Long-term goal (of your lab) Objective of the proposal Hypothesis - Basis for hypothesis Rational for study Specific Aims Hypothesis How it will be tested Expected Results Why proposal is innovative Significance PI / Environment Positive Impact “Payoff” for the Institute/Foundation What is not known is … It is relevant because… The objective of the proposal is.. The rational is based on the need to… This proposal is innovative because… The research is significant because.. It will have a positive impact due to… Our unique research environment specializing in XYZ will assure the success of the proposed project… It helps the XX institute fulfill it’s mission towards… or is in line with the goals of the institute in that… • Grant sections

45. Specific Aims Page Abstract • Grant sections

46. Experimental Design New format: Old format: • Hypothesis • Rationale • Experimental approach • Methods • Interpretation of results • Potential pitfalls • Alternatives • Hypothesis • Rationale • Preliminary Data • Experimental approach • Methods • Interpretation of results • Potential pitfalls • Alternatives Innovation Significance • Grant sections & Preliminary Data Significantly reduced Timeline Go/No-Go & Milestones

47. Alternatives & Pitfalls Preliminary data Quantitatable data Milestone (M1); Hypothesis Strengthened Hypothesis Milestone (M1) Go Assay 1 Expected Results Associated to M1, not necessarily to individual assays. Go/No-Go • Grant sections Assay 2 No-Go Assay 3 Alternatives & Pitfalls No need for extensive detail Assay 4 Alternative Assays

48. Alternatives & Pitfalls Demonstrate to the reviewer that you have thought of, and planned for, all possibilities. Alternatives & Pitfalls • Grant sections Anticipated Results and Alternative Approaches: “There are no perceived obstacles to completing this aim with results as predicted.” Alternative Assays

49. Summarize with the Timeline • Grant sections M1: text, text, text; M2, text, text text Go/No-Go identified in Alternatives & Pitfalls Milestones identified either in the main text or with the Table Your entire proposal summarized in one Table and one Figure

50. Grant Proposal Cover Letter • Application title • FOA # and title • Request: • Choosing the right study section • Place SRG & IC review requests on separate lines • Place positive & negative requests on separate lines • Include name of IC or SRG, followed by a dash and acronym • Provide explanations for each request in a separate paragraph • You can ask for a specific study section but it is not necessarily guaranteed… • Check eRA Commons regularly to see confirm to where it was assigned. • Contact the PO immediately if it was not assigned to the section you wanted - they usually will try to accommodate your request