Funding BioinformaticsFunding Bioinformatics

Chuong HuynhChuong Huynh

NIH/NLM/NCBI, Bethesda, MD USANIH/NLM/NCBI, Bethesda, MD USA

huynh@ncbi.nlm.nih.govhuynh@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

AcknowledgementAcknowledgement

• Beth Fischer and Michael Zigmond– University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

• Phelix Majiwa– International Livestock Research Institute

(ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya

Outline of PresentationOutline of Presentation

• General Funding Strategy

• Discussion: Case scenario

• Opinions on funding direction in Bioinformatics

General Funding StrategyGeneral Funding Strategy

What is Bioinformatics?What is Bioinformatics?

• What is Bioinformatics? - Research, development, or application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral or health data, including those to acquire, store, organize, archive, analyze, or visualize such data.

• What is Computational Biology? - The development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems.

(Working Definition of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology - July 17, 2000). http://www.grants2.nih.gov/grants/bistic/CompuBioDef.pdf

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept

• Identify sources of funding

• Present your idea effectively and comprehensively

• Understand the grant process

• Be persistent

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.

The idea does not necessarily have to be original.

• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and

comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent

Does the concept FIT?Does the concept FIT?

• Fill a gap in knowledge?

• Important to a field, funding agency, your group?

• Test a hypothesis (hypothesis-driven)

• Short term investment in long term goals (resource-driven)

Indequate concept = NO FUNDING

Audience Participation!!!Audience Participation!!!

What kind of bioinformatics concept is worth funding?

Examples ….

- Identify the problem (bigger perhaps more money)- What do you want to do about the problem- Know your field very well (or create a new field) before you begin

Focus questions: Why?, So What?, Who cares? Who will benefit and when?

Before You Grant WritingBefore You Grant Writing

• Identify your role in the project: primary, catalytic or facilitator

• Identify stakeholders and potential collaborators (i.e. the interested parties) in the project

• Identify (or devise) a strategy to get others interested in getting the project done.

• Get all the relevant parties talking electronically or through a meeting if possible.

• Have a draft of the project for this purpose • Endorsement of involved parties

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.

The idea does not necessarily have to be original.

• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and

comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent

Types of FundingTypes of Funding

• Grants – funds provided, but not required to be repaid (solicited and nonsolicited)

• Loan – funds provided, and REQUIRED to be REPAID

• Investment – funds provided, for a percentage of the future returns (VC)

• Siphoning – redirected funds previously allocated from other funds

Categories of GrantsCategories of Grants

• Solicited– Institute initiated research

• Program announcements – ongoing opportunity for research (Little or No programmatic funding involvement; funds may/may not be preallocated)

• Requests for application – invitation application in well defined scientific areas to stimulate activity (High programmatic involvement during performance of the work; funds preallocated)

• Nonsolicited– Investigator initiated research

Types of GrantsTypes of Grants

Objective• Research• Training/Career

– Fellowship– Career development

• Conference• Equipment• Infrastructure• Travel

Form• Contracts• Investigator-initiated• Groups• Individual

Availability of GrantsAvailability of Grants

• Governments– US National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation; Singapore

Ministry of Economics; South African Medical Research Council; Canadian Research Challenge Funds

• Non-government organizations– WHO/TDR;

• Philanthropic Foundations– Gates Foundation; Compaq Foundation; Wellcome Trust; Jack Kent

Cook Foundation

• Corporations– Intel; IBM; Genetic Savings and Clone, Inc.; Pharmaceutical companies;

biotechnology company; Venture capitalist

• Private Individuals– John Sperling

Targeted FundingTargeted Funding

Grant Size Target Agencies URLUS$30,000-US$100,000 University Departments,

Govt Departments, National Councils, WHO/TDR, IFS, Regional Offices of Foundations, i.e., Ford, Rockefeller, etc., various Academies, etc.

http://www.ifs.se/

http://www.fordfound.org/

http://www.rockfound.org/

http://www.foundations.org/

http://www.who.int

http://www.hfsp.org/

US$100,000-US$500,000 Wellcome Trust, Burroughs Wellcome, DFID, IFAD, etc.

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/

http://www.bwfund.org/

www.dfid.gov.uk/

http://www.ifad.org/

US$1,000,000 and above NIH, MRC, EU, etc http://www.nih.gov/

http://www.mrc.ac.uk/

http://europa.eu.int/

US Bioinformatics US Bioinformatics Funding OpportuntiesFunding Opportunties

• NIH Bioinformatics Funding Informationhttp://grants.nih.gov/grants/bistic/bistic_funding.cfm

- Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative (BISTI)

• DARPA Bio-Computation Announcement BAA #01-26 http://www.darpa.mil/ito/Solicitations/CBD_01-26.htmlhttp://www.darpa.mil/DSO/solicitations/00/index.htm

• Pharma Foundation Genomics & Informatics > Center for Excellence in Integration of Genomics & Informatics http://www.phrmafoundation.org/awards/genomics/excellence.phtml

Grant Search EnginesGrant Search Engines

• http://www.grantsnet.org/

• http://www.sciencewise.com/– Funding alert via email– Funding search of gov’t, NGO, corporate,

international sources

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.

The idea does not necessarily have to be original.

• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and

comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent

How much money do you need?How much money do you need?

• Scale?• Supplies – back up tapes• Equipment cost (minor and major equipment)• Salary for personnel• Administrative cost• Taxes/Duties/Custom• Technical Support• Training/Education Cost• Travel cost• Scientific meeting cost

Keep the money coming, I’ll tell you when to stop

GrantspersonshipGrantspersonshipPreparing

1. establish frame of mind

2. develop concept

3. identify funding source

4. inform your institution

5. refine concept

Writing

6. think like a reviewer

7. outline, write, edit

8. get feedback & revise

Submitting

9. get approvals

10. obtain assignment

11. submit application

12. provide add’l material

13. ensure receipt

Responding

14. await review

15. study report

16. respond to report

Think ahead and plan backwards.

Don’t Forget the Deadline.

Present Your Idea EffectivelyPresent Your Idea Effectively

• No grammatical mistakes, no misspelled word

• No vague words

• Active voice

• Organized

• Table of contents

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.

The idea does not necessarily have to be original.

• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and

comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent

Ask program staffAsk program staff

• is concept relevant• current instructions• who reviews• what are criteria• funding

– percentage– level (amount, years)

• characteristics– strong proposals– weak proposals

• appendix material– ok?– when, to whom?

• pre-review possible

National Institute of Allergy and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

• Richard Morris, Ph.D.NIAID6700-B Rockledge DriveBethesda, MD 20852TEL: 301-594-7670FAX: 301-402-2571Email: rm69e@nih.gov

• Linda ShawNIAID6700-B Rockledge DriveBethesda, MD 20892TEL: 301-402-6611FAX: 301-480-3780Email: ls15k@nih.gov

Forgarty International Center (FIC)Forgarty International Center (FIC)

• Joshua Rosenthal, Ph.D.FIC31 Center Drive - Room B2C39Bethesda, MD 20892-2220TEL: 301-496-1653FAX: 301-402-2056Email: Joshua_Rosenthal@nih.gov

• Silvia MandesFIC31 Center Drive - Room B2C39Bethesda, MD 20892TEL: 301-496-1653FAX: 301-402-0779Email: mandess@mail.nih.gov

Identify Past FundingIdentify Past Funding

• Search databases for previous funded projects to determine what has been funded in the past

• CRISP – A database of biomedical research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

https://www-commons.cit.nih.gov/crisp/

SuggestionsSuggestions

• Sources of Information: internet, reference books, colleagues, acknowledgements on papers, office of research at your institution, libraries

• Communicate with program staff• Make yourself known – market yourself/group and your

project• Network• Persistent• Involvement• WHY the project should be done is more important

WHAT should be done.• Most Call for Application has a short time line. Act

quickly.

General StrategyGeneral Strategy

• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.

The idea does not necessarily have to be original.

• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and

comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent

Why didn’t you get funded?Why didn’t you get funded?

• Inadequate rationale • Unoriginal concept• Poor presentation (diffuse or superficial)• Lack of knowledge• Poor reasoning• Uncertain future directions• Unrealistic workload• Uncritical approach• Poor understanding of the process• Lack of persistence• Not within scope (interest or mandate) of the funding

agency

SummarySummary

• There is money available• But getting the money:

– A good idea– A proper match– Good grants– Persistence

• It is hard work• It is worth it!!!!

Discussion: Case StudyDiscussion: Case Study

Case Study for FundingCase Study for Funding

• The director of the University of Paraguay ask you to organize a bioinformatics training course for biologist in your institution and other regional institution in South America, unfortunately the university has no money to fund the bioinformatics training course completely. So your task is to find funding for a bioinformatics training course.

• What would you do? What are the steps?