Anatomy of a Grant

1
Anatomy of a Grant

• Gail Schechter, Ph.D.
• BioIntelligence
• BioE2E Funding Fair
• April 20, 2002

2
Previous Experience

• Grants?
• Journal articles?
• Lessons learned?

3
Grants are Good News

• Times may be tough, but grants are really good
  news
• Unstable economy, no IPO, dont wait and see,
  with grants you can go

4
Grants are Good News (cont.)

• Funding
• Influx of cash
• Pays salaries, equipment and supplies,
  consultants,collaborators,overhead, profit
• Not diluted, no payback
• Scientific validationattract other investors
• Feedback--peer review, critical evaluation, catch
  mistakes early
• Forces you to get your act togetherresearch plan

5
Getting Started

• Search for optimal grant program (NIH, NIST,
  RFP)
• Review targeted research topics
• Write rough draft of specific aims
• Discuss proposal with grant program staff (find
  an advocate)

6
Focusing Your Thoughts

• Gather information about your topic from the
  literature, abstracts, etc.
• Organize your preliminary data to support project
• Start thinking about the details of each
  sectionflesh out aims, methods, etc.
• Allocate sufficient time, effort, and resources
  to preparing the proposal

7
Getting Down to Specifics SBIR Sample Grant
Proposal

• NIH SBIR
• Phase I
• Phase 2
• Core components
• Peripheral components
• Basic writing skills
• Silver platter
• Good luck

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Core Components Research Plan

• Specific Aims
• Background and Significance
• Relevant Experience of PI
• Preliminary Data
• Experimental Design and Methods

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Specific Aims

• List specific aims
• Use sub-aims if helpful
• Be concise and focus on main concept
• Define measurable outcomes
• Identify milestones
• Make aims meaningful
• Be realistic (time and money)
• Highlight technical innovation
• State commercial applications

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Significance

• Provide foundation/conceptual framework
• Describe unmet clinical need and importance
• Provide epidemiology
• Cite number of patients with disease
• Enumerate cost of treating disease
• Advance scientific knowledge
• Present longer-term objectives
• Identify ultimate commercial opportunity

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Experience of PI

• Describe research experience and education of PI
• Highlight relevant research skills pertinent to
  project
• Briefly describe experience of colleagues and
  collaborators
• Present previous successes (eg, new product
  development)

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Preliminary Data

• Pull together previous research
• Present data using tables and figures
• Use previous experiments to set stage
• Build a foundation

13
Experimental Design Methods

• Present overall experimental plan
• Describe rationale for each experiment
• Present logical experimental design
• Describe methods in sufficient, not overwhelming,
  detail
• Provide statistical analysis plan

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Experimental Design Methods (cont.)

• Identify quantitative outcomes
• Suggest endpoints leading to
• next phase
• State potential problems, propose solutions
• Summarize benefits of technology

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Peripheral Components

• Title
• Abstract
• References
• Consultants
• Collaborators
• Sub-contracts
• Animal welfare
• Human welfare

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Tips for Successful Grants

• Tell a story
• Engage the reviewer
• Anticipate questions
• Present balanced view
• Dont take things for granted
• Deliver grant on silver platter
• Go from molecules to medicines
• Identify pathway to commercialization
• Provide a clear, concise take-home message

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Getting from Here to There

• Dont go from A to C
• Give relevant details
• Put related information together (name, address,
  directions)
• Make it easywe are busy60MPH
• Silver platter (again)

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Tips for Good Writing

• Say what youre going to say!
• Say it!
• Summarize what you said!
• Write powerful introduction
• Be crystal clear at all times
• Use short sentences
• Provide transitions
• Deliver take-home message

19
Good Luck

• Gail Schechter, Ph.D.
• Shauna Farr-Jones, Ph.D.
• BioIntelligence
• 415-921-8541
• Brains_at_BioIntelligence.com