Grant Writing Tips

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Grant Writing Tips

• S. Suresh Madhavan, MBA, PhD
• Professor and Chair
• Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy
• smadhavan_at_hsc.wvu.edu

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Agenda

• Basic precepts
• Grant funding need, mechanisms and sources
• Elements of a typical proposal
• Grant writing tips
• Preliminary Planning
• Writing the grant application
• Getting ready to submit
• Summary

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Basic precepts

• Demonstrated scholarship is required for
  success in academia
• Scholarship is demonstrated through
• through publication in peer-reviewed journals,
  and
• by obtaining monetary support from peer-reviewed
  external funding sources

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Basic Precepts Contd.

• Why write research grants?
• To do studies of appropriate size and scope
• To pay for investigator release times,
  technicians, patient participation, lab tests,
  fellows or graduate students, equipment, and
  supplies.
• To increase academic prestige
• To recover indirect costs

Important for faculty to develop a research
program rather than do a series of research
projects
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What activities are fundable?

• To support research to identify determinants of
  and potential solutions to a health problem
• To develop and evaluate a health education
  intervention
• To build facilities or buy expensive equipment
• To provide health care services to your community
• To obtain training in a specific area of interest
• To support a conference on a specific health issue

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Common funding mechanisms

• Grants research oriented funding agency is not
  too involved grantee has most freedom
• Contracts product or service delivery
  oriented grantee has little flexibility
• Cooperative agreements most involvement from
  funding agency

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Where do you find grant money?

• Your University or College
• Public
• State Government sources
• Federal Government sources
• Private
• Non-profit Associations/ Foundations
• Disease-focused non-profit Societies
• For-profit companies
• Community associations (Churches, civic
  associations)

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University Research Funds

• In house funds or start-up packages available to
  new graduate student, resident, or postdoctoral
  fellow or a new faculty member
• Many Universities and Colleges have internal
  grant programs for new investigators to get
  started

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State Government

• May be a source of contract dollars for services
  rendered, particularity in the area of health
  services research
• Provides support for research infrastructure, but
  contract dollars may be inappropriate for funding
  graduate students
• Low indirect cost recovery if you are a state
  supported school

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Federal Government

• Largest of all funding sources - CDC, HRSA, DOD,
  AHRQ, the VA, and of course the NIH are primary
  sources of federal funding of research
• NIH funding dwarfs all the other agencies
  combined (33 billion vs. 330 million AHRQ -
  2005)
• Most stable source for long term funding and with
  largest indirect cost recovery (University
  negotiated rates)

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Foundations/Associations

• 30,000 private foundations in the US, but 1/4th
  control 90 of the resources
• Private Kellogg, RWJ, KFF etc.
• Corporate Aetna, IBM, Merck, Lilly etc.
• Professional associations APhA, AMA, ANA, PhRMA
• Priorities determined internally
• Much easier process than federal grants
• Little or no indirect costs provided

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Disease-focused societies

• E.g., American Heart Association, American
  Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society
• Have very disease specific criteria for funding
• Many groups have Young-Investigator Awards
• Their requirements can be similar to an NIH-type
  proposal
• Low indirect cost recovery

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The pharmaceutical industry

• Provide support for research that the company is
  interested in having to support one of their drug
  products
• Publication and data rights have to be negotiated
  prior to starting the studies
• Can trap faculty into the research project cycle

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Elements of a Research Proposal

• Front matter Transmittal letter, title page,
  abstract, table of contents
• Budget and budget justification
• Bio-sketches
• Available resources
• Main study proposal
• Introduction Problem Statement or Significance
  of Research
• Research questions/goals/objectives/ hypotheses
• Background and literature review
• Research design/methods or work plan (Activities
  and timelines)
• Applicant qualifications and Capabilities
• Evaluation plan or Expected Outcomes
• Study Limitations
• Appendices (Institutional support letter,
  Participation/consultant letters, and
  everything else..)

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Getting started...

• What are you passionate about?
• Do you see a problem that is important to
  resolve?
• Is existing practice or knowledge in an area
  inadequate? How?
• Do you have a good idea to do something?
• Why is your idea better? How is it new, unique,
  or different?
• What will it contribute and who will benefit from
  it?

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Preliminary Planning

• Tip 1 Determine best fit between topic and
  agency
• identify potential funding source
• obtain application material
• study program goals and eligibility
• discuss plan with agency staff
• conduct thorough feasibility analysis

Dont bother pursuing a poor fit!!
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Preliminary Planning

• Tip 2 Prepare, prepare, prepare
• discuss your ideas with at least three experts
• arrange for collaborators/ consultants
• clarify roles/expectations of participants
• clarify academic credit sharing if grant gets
  funded
• arrange for internal reviews of draft
• conduct pilot studies, if possible
• look at other successful grant proposals (be a
  grant reviewer, whenever possible)

The better you prepare the greater will your
chances be!!
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Preliminary Planning

• Tip 3 Set aside plenty of time!
• develop timeline for grant writing
• allocate sufficient time for each task
• determine rate-limiting steps
• allow time for potential re-writes
• set an internal deadline earlier than required

Start early and do not rush!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 4 Write a grant that is friendly to your
  reader!
• use clear, accessible language
• stick with direct statements and active voice
• avoid insider jargon and acronyms

It has been demonstrated by research that
Research shows clearly that...
Following administration of the third dosage,
measurements will be taken...
After dosage 3, we will measure...
Assume an uninformed but intelligent reader!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 5 Build your case well!
• assemble proposal in distinct sections with
  sub-headings
• state your purpose and case for need up front
  build a compelling argument
• e.g., This proposal addresses the Healthy People
  2010 goal to increase the proportion of adults
  who are vaccinated annually against influenza and
  ever vaccinated against pneumococcal disease to
  90 by the year 2010.
• write good literature review

Reviewers are turned off by poor organization and
weak or exaggerated arguments!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 6 Pay attention to goals and objectives!
• goal General statement of the projects overall
  purpose(s)
• objective A specific, measurable outcome or
  milepost
• tie objectives to the program announcement

Better... To reduce A1C levels in at least 50 of
patients receiving a diabetes-related
pharmaceutical care service to under 7 after one
year
Good... To enhance patient outcomes by providing
a diabetes-related pharma- ceutical care service
A problem well defined is a problem half solved!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 7 Illustrate a detailed research plan!
• specify major tasks and timelines
• prepare tables and figures
• use flow charts, calendars, or organization
  charts

A picture can be worth a thousand words...!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 8 Pay attention to the scoring weights!
• read evaluation standards carefully then
  reference them in the project narrative
• touch all the bases not just the ones youre
  comfortable with

Be in sync with the review criteria!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 9 Have only one author with lots of
  helpers!
• get others to write sections that need knowledge/
  expertise you do not have
• rewrite to give the same look and feel
• avoid cut paste

Use several heads but only one hand!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 10 Write the abstract last!
• it is going to change through the process
• its the first impression about your application
• must convey
• What researcher intends to do
• Why its important
• Expected outcome(s)
• How work will be accomplished

A weak abstract hastens your exit!!
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Writing the grant application

• Tip 11 Have your proposal critically reviewed!
• ask qualified, seasoned colleagues for comments
  and suggestions
• check your ego at the door
• fight the evil Pride of Authorship
• allow time for rewrites!

Spend time now or spend time later!!
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Getting ready to submit

• Tip 12 Use the best proof reader available!
• find an eagle eyed perfectionist and learn to
  love what s/he will do for you
• must be someone who has no stake in the project
• proofreaders read for form, not content
• zero tolerance no error is too small to correct
• get rid of inconsistencies in format as well as
  typos, misspellings, grammar, etc.

Sloppiness makes you appear lazy!!
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Getting ready to submit

• Tip 13 Follow the instructions exactly!
• read and digest at the beginning
• revisit frequently through the process
• have a second person become an expert on the
  guidelines and requirements
• check, check and check again

Many applications never make the first cut!!
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Summary

• A good research or intervention idea that
  addresses real health problems
• A good fit between proposed project and funding
  agencys mission/ mandate
• Good preparation and timing
• Good collaborators
• A well-written, sound proposal
• Success begets success...
• Play the game that it is..(and enjoy)

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Questions/ Comments

• S. Suresh Madhavan, MBA, PhD
• Professor and Chair
• Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy
• smadhavan_at_hsc.wvu.edu