1 Beverly Collins, PhD Preparing - PowerPoint Presentation

1. 1Beverly Collins, PhDPreparingfor Grant-writing

2. 2Who needs a grant?Anyone who wants to do research in the medical fieldsYour salary may well be contingent upon grants, as well as your positionEven if your salary is covered, you need to pay for research staff, scans, electronics, statistics, subject compensation, etc.You should all be thinking about writing grants in the next few years

3. 3Before you think about writing a grantHave some research experienceHave publicationsHave a mentorHave colleagues who will work with youHelp someone else put together a grant

4. Theme reveal4

5. Setting the StageHow does a lowly resident of radiologyeven if they know a lot of biology and etiology of diseasesDropped in the middle of a hot spot of Philadelphia by providence, but without a single research dollar,grow up to be a leader and a scholar?5

6. What’s your game, man?You’re Radiology ResidentsAnd there’s a million things you haven’t doneBut just don’t wait, just don’t wait…6

7. Alexander Hamilton didn’t become Secretary of the Treasury overnight!7

8. 8Start NOW toBuild your expertiseDo preliminary workGet publicationsDevelop working relationships with experienced researchersGet grant-writing experience by helping someone else with their grant

9. 9Why work on someone else’s grant?Get familiar with the componentsSee how the process works (or doesn’t!)Get to read someone else’s grantGet brownie points!Pick already-funded researcherAsk to see the reviews when they arrive

10. 10Plan AheadThe time between submitting a grant and having the money available to you is often 6 months to a yearThe time to put together a grant, esp. NIH, may be several monthsYou need to plan ahead, keep an eye to the future, keep the big picture in mind

11. 11NIH GrantsStart date For new research grants, the following schedule is used:Due date Earliest start date Feb 5 December 1 June 5 April 1 October 5 July 1

12. 12Ready to get started on your own grant?

13. 13Before you start to write The idea or topic of interest Seek a mentor Pilot data Produce peer-reviewed publications Read a funded proposal Be a part of grant-writing processes before you write your own grant*

14. Where to get money?14Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, proposed establishing a US dollar and minting coinsFirst Philadelphia Mint (1792, 7th & Filbert Sts.)

15. 15Fourth mint, 1969Independence MallAnnenberg designer1M coins in 30 mins

16. 16Common Funding SourcesPRIVATECorporationsFoundationsAlliance for Aging Research Alzheimer's Association American Association for Cancer Research American Brain Tumor Ass’n American Cancer Society American Diabetes AssociationAmerican Digestive Health Found’n American Epilepsy Society American Fed’n for Aging Research American Heart Association American Inst. for Cancer Research American Liver Foundation American Lung Association American Paralysis Association Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Ass’n AARP Andrus Foundation (aging) The Arc (retardation)Arthritis Foundation

17. 17What do we notice about these?Disease-oriented foundations are much more common—and often better-funded—than professional societies.Try to think in terms of what disease/condition applications your work has.

18. 18Common Funding SourcesIMAGING SOCIETIESRadiological Society of North America (RSNA)American College of Radiology (ACR)Association of University Radiologists (AUR)American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR)Society for Interventional Radiology (SIR)Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM)American Institute of Ultrasound In Medicine (AIUM)

19. 19Common Funding SourcesFEDERALFederalNSFDept of DefenseNASANat’l Library of MedicineNIHR01: basic research grantR03: small grants R21: Exploratory/ developmental SBIR/STTR: small businessesT32: National Research Service Award postdocsK awards: career dev’t

20. 20 Less $ More $What kind of grant?

21. Good grants for beginners: Beginner levelPenn-internal grantsITMAT (Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics) $20,000 for junior investigatorsOccasional others, e.g. cancer, McCabe, MSK, etc.21

22. Good grants for beginners: Beginner levelProfessional societies and foundations often gear more toward beginning investigators. Smaller applicant pool.22

23. Good grants for beginners: Beginner levelRSNA Resident/Fellow grants$30-50,000Recipients will devote a minimum of 50% of their time in the approved research project under the guidance of a scientific advisor/mentor. Deadline Date: January 16, 201823

24. Good grants for beginners: Beginner levelSociety for Interventional RadiologyRadiology Resident Research Grantdesigned to foster an interest in researchApplication Deadline: February 1, 2018Society for Thoracic RadiologyPreference will be given to Residents, Fellows, and Junior Faculty (within 5 years of completion of fellowship.)Deadline: September 1524

25. Good grants for beginners: Beginner levelAmerican Society of NeuroradiologyScholar Award in Neuroradiology Research ($60,000)Letter of intent due: November 6, 2017Grant due: January 15, 2018https://foundation.asnr.org/?page_id=159 25

26. Good grants for beginners: Intermediate levelFoundationsKomen—breast imagingAmerican Cancer SocietyAmerican Heart AssociationAmerican Lung Association26

27. Good grants for beginners: Intermediate levelNIHR21 Exploratory/Developmental (Pilot) AwardsThe R21 grant mechanism is intended to encourage exploratory/developmental research by providing support for the early and conceptual stages of project development.2 years27

28. Good grants for beginners: Advanced levelNIHK awards (career development)5-year awardInclude education, research, mentoringCan apply while traineeRequire 75% of your time devoted to programMust have strong support from institutionDP awards (Director’s Program)Early Independence AwardNew Innovator Award28

29. 29Resources for finding fundingSearch online Contact me Beverly Collins 215-615-0429, beverly.collins@uphs.upenn.eduAsk your mentor(s) Ask junior faculty in your area

30. Getting Started Many foundations require a preliminary letter* or short description of project, from which they will decide whether to ask for a full proposal. Plan ahead for this.30

31. Getting Started If not, it may be worthwhile to call or write with a description of your project to see whether they might be interested, before preparing a proposal. This also gives them some chance to learn of or about you and to get excited about your project.31

32. 32Learn about your Target AudienceRead about the funding agencyWeb pageRead grant guidelines carefullyPreviously-funded grantsReviewers, if availableLearn as much as you can about who will be making the decisions about your proposal, what they are interested in, etc.

33. 33The Review CommitteeTypically made up of experienced researchers in the field

34. 34NIH Review Criteriasee http://enhancing-peer-review.nih.gov/docs/application_changes.pdf Overall Impact. Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following five core review criteria, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).

35. 35NIH Review Criteria cont’dSignificance. 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?

36. 36Innovation. 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?

37. 37Approach. Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented?

38. Investigator(s). Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? 38

39. 39Environment. Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success?

40. 40Additional Review Criteria. As applicable for the project proposed, reviewers will evaluate the following additional items:Protections for Human SubjectsInclusion of Women, Minorities, and ChildrenVertebrate AnimalsBiohazards

41. NIH Success RatesFunding rates vary by instituteIn 2016/17, success rate for new research grants was overall 17%, and for renewals was 40%.For K awards (career development) 30% overall, for K23 34%41

42. Chances are….You’ll be back!42

43. 43Creating the proposal: PlanningOutline carefullyWhat are you trying to accomplish, and how?How can you sell it to the sponsor?Talk to others about your project.Focus on the big picturehow your project connects to bigger topicsSpend more time outlining and planning than writing.*

44. 442 different viewsRoadmapBig picture

45. 45The BIG PICTUREWHY?What is the point of your research?How does it relate to bigger topics?How can you “spin” it?The ROADMAPHOW?What are the turn-by-turn directions?Could someone else get there from your description? YOU NEED BOTH!*

46. ELEMENTS OF A GRANTAbstractResearch PlanCV/biosketchBudgetLetters of supportResources46

47. 47NIH Grant SectionsAbstract/Summary “State the application’s broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, making reference to the health relatedness of the project. Describe concisely the research design and methods for achieving these goals. *

48. 48NIH Grant SectionsAbstract/SummaryOne of most important parts of proposalWrite this last.Follow the instructions.“Movie review”

49. 49NIH Grant SectionsSpecific Aims[RSNA] List the broad, long-term objectives and the goal of the specific research proposed, e.g., to test a stated hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology.

50. 50NIH Grant SectionsSpecific AimsWrite this first. 3-4 aims is best Goals, not Methods.Try to have a CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS, and not only a collection of different hypotheses. Then put subhypotheses for the related parts. One page is allowed.

51. 51NIH Grant SectionsPilot/Preliminary work (For most grants) you must have some, and it is best if this is published. Discuss validation with a known standard

52. 52Pilot workRSNA: Preliminary Studies: For new applications, use this section to provide an account of the PI's preliminary studies pertinent to this application. This information will also help to establish the experience and competence of the investigator to pursue the proposed project. Preliminary data is welcome but not required for Resident, Fellow, Scholar and Seed Grant applications. If there is no preliminary data, provide supporting evidence in the existing literature.

53. 53 Research Strategy SignificanceInnovationApproachNIH Grant Sections

54. NIH grant sections54

55. RSNA elementsC. Priority Statement: Describe your area of professional/scientific interest(s) and long-term career goals and objectives. Briefly describe how the proposed plan relates to the applicant's priorities and how these priorities are served at the host institution. Not to exceed 1000 words. 55

56. RSNA elementsScientific Advisor: brief description of the advisor's role as mentor for the applicant; describe the role of the resident/fellow in the overall project and how their independence will be established from previous or existing efforts). Not to exceed 1000 words.56