Keys to Writing a Successful Grant Application

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Keys to Writing a Successful Grant Application

• Paula Pietromonaco
• University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• The Summer Institute on Social/Personality
  Psychology and Health
• July 23, 2009

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Overview

• Before you write
• Background research
• Review criteria
• Multiple audiences
• General grant writing tips
• Specific Aims The foundation
• Tips for the other sections

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Stage 1 Before You Write

• Start with a novel idea
• Do background research on mission of institute
  and specific programs
• http//cancercontrol.cancer.gov/bbrb/about.html

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Stage 1 Before You Write

• What research is funded by institute and program
  of interest?
• CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on
  Scientific Projects)
• http//crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_query.generat
  e_screen

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Stage 1 Before You Write

• Get to know the review criteria
• Significance Scientific practical importance
  Impact
• Investigators Expertise, training,
  accomplishments
• Innovation Challenge/shift current
  research/practice
• Approach Soundness of overall strategy, methods,
  analyses. anticipate problems, address risks
• Environment Institutional resources, equipment,
  access to special populations
• See Veronica Chollettes presentation for more
  details.

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Know your (multiple) audiences
Know your (multiple) audiences

• Reviewers
• Who are they?
• Rosters of study section members are available
  online
• Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal
  Processes Study Section SPIP

• Reviewers
• Who are they?
• Rosters of study section members are available
  online
• Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal
  Processes Study Section SPIP

http//cms.csr.nih.gov/PeerReviewMeetings/CSRIRGDe
scriptionNew/RPHBIRG/SPIP.htm
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Know your (multiple) audiences

• Advisory board/council members program
  officials
• Is work relevant to their institute and programs
  mission?
• http//deainfo.nci.nih.gov/Advisory/ncab.htm

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Reaching the Reviewers

• Primary reviewer
• Will present overview of the application and
  discuss strengths and weaknesses (also writes a
  critique)
• Secondary reviewer
• Writes a critique and may add points not
  mentioned by primary reviewer

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Reaching the Reviewers
Reaching the Reviewers

• Other Study Section Reviewers
• What will they read?
• All study group members give your application a
  score

• Other Study Section Reviewers
• What will they read?
• All study group members give your application a
  score

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Reaching the Reviewers

• Clarity, connection, and logic required to
• Convince reviewers that work is exciting
  important method is solid and free of major
  flaws and you (and your research team) can
  successfully carry out the work
• Address each of review criteria in Specific Aims
• Revisit and expand in full application for those
  who read complete version

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Advisory Board/Council
Advisory Board/Council

• Will take into account scientific merit but also
  want to know that your work fits with the mission
  of the institute and program.

• Will take into account scientific merit but also
  want to know that your work fits with the mission
  of the institute and program.

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General Advice about Grant Writing
General Advice about Grant Writing

• Much of grant writing is simply good writing
• CLEAR
• CONNECTED
• CONCISE
• CORRECT
• Same principles as in all writing but more so for
  grants. Why?

• Much of grant writing is simply good writing
• CLEAR
• CONNECTED
• CONCISE
• CORRECT
• Same principles as in all writing but more so for
  grants. Why?

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Clarity

• Use simple, direct language (avoid jargon)
• discrimination-experienced people
• People who have experienced discrimination

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Clarity
Clarity

• Be specific.
• This work will significantly move the field
  forward. How?
• This research is important for understanding how
  people make health-related decisions. because?

• Be specific.
• This work will significantly move the field
  forward. How?
• This research is important for understanding how
  people make health-related decisions. because?

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Be concise

• Omit needless words
• Recent research has shown that the enhancement of
  mindfulness through training facilitates a
  variety of well-being outcomes (e.g.,
  Kabat-Zinn). 17 words citation
• Enhancing mindfulness through training
  facilitates well-being (e.g.., Kabat-Zinn, 1990).
  6 words citation

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Specific Aims

• Aimed at primary and secondary reviewers, other
  study group members, and advisory board/council
  members, program staff.
• Diverse audience
• Needs to be clear, concise, and compelling!

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NIH Instructions Specific Aims

• List the broad, long-term objectives and the goal
  of the specific research proposed, for example,
  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. One page is recommended.

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SPECIFIC AIMS STEP BY STEP

• WHAT IS KNOWN
• GAP
• GOAL/PURPOSE
• GUIDING HYPOTHESIS
• SPECIFIC AIMS
• IMPACT/EXPECTED OUTCOMES

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Specific Aims I
Specific Aims I

• What is this proposal about and what is its
  relevance for health (cancer-related issues if
  NCI).
• What do we know about this issue?
• What is the important gap in knowledge that you
  need to fill?
• Why do you need to fill this gap?
• Why is it a significant problem worthy of funding
  to address? E.g., Why is it a barrier to progress
  in the field? )

• What is this proposal about and what is its
  relevance for health (cancer-related issues if
  NCI).
• What do we know about this issue?
• What is the important gap in knowledge that you
  need to fill?
• Why do you need to fill this gap?
• Why is it a significant problem worthy of funding
  to address? E.g., Why is it a barrier to progress
  in the field? )

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Specific Aims II
Specific Aims II

• Long-term goals
• Broader than specific goal of this project, where
  the work will take you.
• Connect to the gap you have identified.
• Shows program of research that ideally ? several
  future grant applications.
• What is the goal of this project Its to fill
  that gap you identified! Connect to long-term
  goals.

• Long-term goals
• Broader than specific goal of this project, where
  the work will take you.
• Connect to the gap you have identified.
• Shows program of research that ideally ? several
  future grant applications.
• What is the goal of this project Its to fill
  that gap you identified! Connect to long-term
  goals.

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Specific Aims II (cont.)
Specific Aims II (cont.)

• Main hypothesis
• What is it? Why? (Is it derived from preliminary
  findings? Is it the best fit given the
  literature?)
• Justification for the Proposed Research Why is
  it important to do this particular research? How
  will it allow you to move to the next step?

• Main hypothesis
• What is it? Why? (Is it derived from preliminary
  findings? Is it the best fit given the
  literature?)
• Justification for the Proposed Research Why is
  it important to do this particular research? How
  will it allow you to move to the next step?

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Specific Aims III
Specific Aims III

• Lay out each specific aim hypothesis for each.
• Should follow closely from your overarching
  hypothesis.
• Hypothesis-driven
• Mechanism/process-oriented rather than
  descriptive

• Lay out each specific aim hypothesis for each.
• Should follow closely from your overarching
  hypothesis.
• Hypothesis-driven
• Mechanism/process-oriented rather than
  descriptive

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Specific Aims IV
Specific Aims IV

• What will your work buy us?
• Innovation
• Expected outcomes
• What impact will your work have on the
  health-related problem and the field?

• What will your work buy us?
• Innovation
• Expected outcomes
• What impact will your work have on the
  health-related problem and the field?

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Solicit Comments

• Colleagues (2)
• Revise
• Program Director

idea.
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Other sections

• Use Specific Aims as foundation for rest of
  application
• Background and Significance
• Preliminary Studies/Progress Report
• Research Design and Methods

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Writing Timeline
Writing Timeline

• Create a writing timeline.
• Be realistic!
• Are you teaching? Editing? Mentoring grad
  students?
• 4-6 months (!!!)

• Create a writing timeline.
• Be realistic!
• Are you teaching? Editing? Mentoring grad
  students?
• 4-6 months (!!!)

Ill finish all of this today and then write the
whole grant proposal tomorrow.
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Background Significance

• Significance Expand on importance and impact
  mentioned in Specific Aims
• Why is work significant? Specific benefits of the
  knowledge to be obtained?
• How will these benefits
• fit with NCIs mission?
• advance the field?
• Primary reviewer can draw on this section.

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Background Significance

• Selective review
• Critical evaluation of literature as it relates
  to proposed work and gap to be filled.
• Cite key articles, update
• Discuss any relevant controversies and how
  project will resolve
• Provides rationale for the gap(s) you have
  identified, leads into your main hypothesis
  preliminary studies

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Preliminary Studies/Progress Report

• Establish your (and your teams) competence
  expertise
• Present your relevant data explicitly state
  your conclusions
• Clearly connect by stating relevance for the
  proposed work
• Include figures (and/or tables)

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Research Design Methods

• Describe how you will carry out the research
• Must relate closely to your specific aims
• Include details for specific methodology and why
  the chosen method is the best to accomplish your
  goals.
• Organize by aim.
• Troubleshoot How will you avoid or handle
  potential problems? Alternatives?

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Breakdown the Task

• Research Design Methods
• Specific Aim 1
• Introduction
• Experimental Design
• Study 1
• Study 2
• Etc.
• Expected Outcomes
• Anticipated problems/alternative strategies

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Example How will we handle?

• Managing attrition retention
• Problem Attrition at Time 2 and Time 3 because
• may not be able to recontact
• may choose not to continue
• may get divorced

• Compensate increase
• Contact info for 3 friends or relatives
• Give PI contact info
• and more.

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Research Design Methods

• Statistical strategy (justify use of specific
  analytic techniques, power analysis)
• Remember to include timetable for project
• Key point Justify everything!

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Solicit colleagues comments

• Early Specific Aims
• Later Full proposal
• Anticipate reviewers comments
• Only 2 chances

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Be Correct (in content details)

• Instructions (formatting, page limits, font,
  margins)
• Sections in prescribed order
• Proofread eliminate typos, grammatical errors,
  etc.
• Proofread againand again

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Grant Writing Tip Sheets/Guidebooks

• NIH Office of Extramural Research
• http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm
• Http//grants.nih.gov/grants/writing_application.h
  tm
• Grant Writers Seminars and Workshops LLC (but
  )
• Http//www.grantcentral.com/workbooks.html

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Thank you!
YOU HAVE A VERY LONG GENIUS GRANT LINE.
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