Preparing and Submitting an External Grant Proposal: Tips for
Navigating the Intersection of Science, Schools and SPA
Moderator:Joanne Sobeck, Ph.D., School of Social Work
Panelists:James Barbret, OVPR/SPA
Andrew Feig, Ph.D., ChemistryJeffrey Loeb, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics
• Developing your idea for a grant proposal• Planning for a successful submission• Writing the proposal• Submitting the proposal• Critiquing the proposal, post-submission• Re-submitting • Overall comments and questions
Today’s TopicsToday’s TopicsToday’s TopicsToday’s Topics
• Develop an hypothesis• Get preliminary data/review the literature• Significance/Innovation• Write specific aims• Use your mentor(s)
Developing Your Ideas Developing Your Ideas Developing Your Ideas Developing Your Ideas
• Be ambitious but not too ambitious
• Be innovative but not too innovative
• Consider “expansion of concept” ideas
• Be flexible and open to suggestions for change
Best TipsBest TipsBest TipsBest Tips
Eating yellow snow and school performance among children
Hypothetical ProposalHypothetical ProposalHypothetical ProposalHypothetical Proposal
• A chemical compound in the yellow snow creates cognitive problems
HypothesisHypothesisHypothesisHypothesis
• Substantiate that children eating yellow snow have cognitive problems compared with children who do not eat the yellow snow
• Match on age, gender and SES• Isolate and identify the substance(s) in the
yellow snow• Develop remediation/intervention/education
to prevent children from eating yellow snow
Specific AimsSpecific AimsSpecific AimsSpecific Aims
PlanningPlanning
• Identify the agency and funding mechanism that fits your idea
• Periodically contact the Program Officers
• Identify what preliminary data are needed
• Identify deficiencies• Get collaborators/consultants for
those deficiencies• Modify the aims if necessary• Use your mentor(s)
• Make a commitment to find/make the time necessary to prepare and write a competitive proposal.
• Don’t assume you know what the funder wants. Download, read carefully and take to heart the funder’s mission and guidelines. Make sure your idea fits into their RFA.
• Be pro-active and make sure that your grant goes where it has the best chance of getting funded. Send an abstract with specific aims to see if this funder is appropriate.
• Write a stunning one-page specific aims page (NIH) and don’t send it until you run it by your mentor(s).
Best TipsBest Tips
Writing the ProposalWriting the Proposal
• Read and take to heart the instructions• Write clearly for a general audience; make no assumptions• Don’t make the reviewers guess on the significance,
innovation, and relevance to the funder---sell your idea!• Articulate the need in a maximally understandable way• Revise, revise, revise• Prepare your budget and revise more• Make a check list for all required components (compliance
human, animal, biosafety, facilities and equipment, WSU environment, biosketches)
• Be prepared to change your specific aims again• Use your mentor(s)
• Use OVPR’s review mechanism if you have sufficient time
• Align the budget with the aims. Grant administrators can provide accurate costs for salary figures, GRA tuition, participant recruitment, etc.
• Begin to meet with your departmental administrator/grants coordinator to plan for grant submission and required documents (subcontract letters, consultant letters of support)
• Continue to develop and refine the budget as you move the proposal forward
Best TipsBest Tips
• Inform your Sponsored Program Administration (SPA) officer that you are submitting a grant proposal. Provide your officer with the RFA, PA.
• Work with Sponsored Program Administration (SPA) in the Office of the VP for Research to submit the proposal.
Proposal SubmissionProposal SubmissionProposal SubmissionProposal Submission
• Anticipate some of the criticism you might receive from the reviewers – (e.g., should I have provided more data? )
• Expect rejection but don’t let it slow you down -- keep working in anticipation that you’ll re-submit.
Post-Proposal CritiquePost-Proposal CritiquePost-Proposal CritiquePost-Proposal Critique
• Read the reviews with an open mind and say ‘thank you for beating me up’
• Find out all you can about the review and discussion (read between the lines)
• Call the program officer to fill you in on the discussion of your proposal
• Consider delaying resubmission to truly respond to the reviewers
• Use your mentor(s)
Re-SubmittingRe-SubmittingRe-SubmittingRe-Submitting
• Mentoring/orienting new faculty
• What to do with the new NIH guidelines
• Communication with foundations, NIH and NSF regarding how your idea fits their mission
• Should you submit an R01 or R21 if you’re a new investigator?
Additional AdviceAdditional AdviceAdditional AdviceAdditional Advice
Joanne Sobeck Andrew FeigDirector for Research Associate ProfessorSchool of Social Work Department of [email protected] [email protected]
Jeffrey Loeb James BarbretAssociate Director, Center for Associate Vice PresidentMolecular Med and Genetics Office of the VP [email protected] [email protected]
Thank You! Thank You! Questions?Questions?Thank You! Thank You! Questions?Questions?