Grants Workshop for Researchers

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Presented by
• Dr. George Stefano
• State University of New York
• at Old Westbury

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• The simplest way to significantly improve your
  chances of being awarded federal grant funding is
  to
• Read all of the instructions thoroughly prior to
  preparing your application.
• Follow the instructions carefully to avoid
  delays, misunderstandings and possible return of
  applications.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Funding organizations such as the National
  Institutes for Health have very specific
  instructions for submitting applications.
• The PHS 398 grant application (http//grants1.nih
  .gov/grants/ funding/phs398/phs398.html) is a
  good example.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Any deviations from the font size specifications
  and page limitations on the form are grounds for
  the PHS to reject and return the entire
  application without peer review.
• Some information contained in this presentation
  has been obtained from the PHS grant booklet.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Before you do anything, write down the hypothesis
  to be tested. Then make a call to an individual
  at the agenda, i.e., NIH Program Officer, and
  inquire if there is interest in your hypothesis.
• Once interest is established, proceed to write
  the aims and objectives of the proposal (see
  below). In general, also find a colleague that
  is willing to review the work and criticize its
  contents.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 1 Face page (http//grants1.nih.gov/gra
  nts/funding/phs398/fp1.pdf)

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• The first item is Title of Project.
• Do not exceed 56 characters, including the spaces
  between words and punctuation.
• Choose a title that is specifically descriptive,
  rather than general.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 2 Description, Performance Sites, and
  Key Personnel (http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/fundi
  ng/phs398/fp2.pdf)

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 2 Description, Performance Sites and
  Key Personnel
• Describe concisely the research design and
  methods.
• Avoid summaries of past accomplishments and use
  of the first person.
• Do not include proprietary, confidential
  information or trade secrets in the description
  section. If the application is funded, the
  project description will be entered into an NIH
  database (CRISP) and will become public
  information.
• Do not exceed the space provided.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 3 Research Grant Table of Contents
• Provide the page number for each category listed
  on the Table of Contents.
• Consecutively number pages throughout the
  application.
• Place page numbers at the bottom of each page. Do
  not include unnumbered pages and do not use
  suffixes, such as 5a, 5b.
• The name of the principal investigator must be
  printed at the top of each printed page and each
  continuation page.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• NOTE
• Do not exceed the space permitted.
• For example
• biographical sketches must be fewer than four
  pages
• the number of publications and manuscripts is not
  to exceed ten

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• The Research Plan should include sufficient
  information needed for evaluation of the project,
  independent of any other document. Be specific
  and informative, and avoid redundancies.
• Organize Items A-D of the Research Plan to
  answer these questions
• What do you intend to do?
• Why is the work important?
• What has already been done?
• How are you going to do the work?

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• The 25-page limit will be strictly enforced.
• Applications that exceed this limit or do not
  conform to the type size limitations will
  constitute grounds for the PHS to return the
  application without review.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• A. Aims
• (As an example well use a three year grant
  application for a RO-1 type award.)
• State the hypothesis to be examined.
• List the broad and long term objectives to be
  tested. Keep this simple, clear and concise.
  Try not to list more than 5 objectives.
• Include in the objectives what the research
  proposed is going to accomplish.
• Use these objectives to provide a working outline
  for the other grant sections.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• B. Background and Significance
• Sketch the background leading to the proposed
  grant. One does not have to evaluate the entire
  field covered by this hypothesis.
• Focus and evaluate the current knowledge leading
  to the hypothesis.
• Identify the gaps/voids in the current knowledge
  that your hypothesis is intended to fill.
• State the health relevance of the proposed work.
• Relate this section to the Aims you identified.
• Include your own work in this section,
  demonstrating your expertise and credibility.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• C. Preliminary Studies
• It is very important to have some studies
  performed that support your hypothesis. Do not
  add studies here that have nothing to do with the
  hypothesis.
• This section helps establish the experience,
  expertise and credibility of the proposed P.I.
• Complete references or in press reports can be
  noted here as long as they are DIRECTLY relevant
  to the proposed hypothesis.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• D. Research Design
• Structure this section within the information
  provided in the Aims and Objectives section.
  This serves as a logical guide that reviewers can
  follow.
• Describe the research and procedures to be used.
• How will the data be collected, analyzed and
  interpreted?
• Describe proposed new methodologies and how it
  will be better than the old method.
• Discuss potential difficulties/obstacles
  /limitations and how they will be overcome.
• Give a sequence and timetable for the work

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Research Design (continued)
• Describe any hazards/dangers to personnel and how
  this will be overcome.
• Describe the statistics that will be used for the
  project.
• Do you need consultants? If so document their
  expertise and describe their function as it
  relates to the aims. Have the consultant write a
  letter, stating their willingness to participate
  and that they have read the proposal.
• Make sure animal and human experimental issues
  are taken care of, supported by documentation
  accompanying the proposal.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• The Appendix should include five collated sets
  of all appendix material, in the same package
  with the application, following all copies of the
  application.
• Identify each item with the name of the
  principal investigator.
• Do not intermingle appendix materials with the
  application.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• NOTE
• Do not use the appendix to circumvent the page
  limitations of the research plan.
• Graphs, diagrams, tables, and charts that do not
  need to be in a glossy format to show detail must
  not be included in the appendix.
• An application that does not observe these
  limitations will be returned.

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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 4 Detailed Budget for Initial Budget
  Period
• Each item listed in the budget must be clearly
  justified on Form Page 5.
• All amounts must be in U.S. dollars.
• List only the direct costs requested in this
  application.

Helpful Hint Enter Other Personnel from
Continuation Page, if applicable.
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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Form Page 5 Budget for Entire Proposed Period
  of Support
• Enter the totals under each budget category for
  all additional years of support requested.
• Identify with an asterisk (), and justify any
  significant increases or decreases from the
  initial year budget.
• Justify budgets with more than a standard
  escalation from the initial to the future year(s)
  of support. Follow the budget justification
  instructions exactly.

Helpful Hint Some fields are set to auto
calculate. A zero will show until actual data
are entered. SBIR/STTR Phase 1 Additional
Years of Support Requested normally will not
apply.
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Grants Workshop for Researchers

• Personal Data
• Place this form at the end of the signed original
  form of the application.
• Do not attach copies of this form to the
  duplicated copies of the application.
• Information on other support beyond that required
  in the biographical sketch, should NOT be
  submitted with the application. Failure to comply
  with this requirement will be grounds for the PHS
  to return the application without peer review.