Grant applications and how best to write them!

Dr Paul Colville-NashProgramme Manager, Medical Research Council

Scottish Infection Research Network10th January 2010

Content

• Application Process and Tips

• The Right Funder? About the MRC

• Funding opportunities

Application Process

• Choose the right funder and the right scheme

• Complete application form (MRC: EAA or Web based form)• Scientific case for support• Cost application (in conjunction with Research Organisation);• Obtain Head of Department approval.

• Own Research Organisation approval• Submit application to Research Organisation for final

costing/approval• They submit to MRC

• Funding Decision• Peer Review application• Decision

Elements of successful proposals

• Emphasis on potential for early career investigators

• A clear rationale for the research• Clarity & Succinctness key• Emphasize and re-emphasize important points and

arguments

• Methodology - Preliminary Data

• People, environment, training for fellowships

• Collaborations

Making a successful application - 1

Planning & Preparation

• Plan your application – don’t rush! Moratoria!

• Talk to people in the know – funders, senior colleagues, successful previous applicants etc.

• Know the specific Aims, rough costs and preliminary data needed

• Consider regulatory approval

• Read & follow instructions

• Can take a year from submission to starting of award

Making a successful application - 2

What and Why? The Hypothesis

• What is your hypothesis?

• Long-term “global” objective of project

• Why do you want to do this research? Review the relevant literature objectively. Why now?

• Background to problem, significance; Present knowledge gap to be addressed and show the uniqueness of approach.

Be Focused!: Specific Aims

• Well-defined objectives and/or criteria from which the rest of the project is derived and the level of success is determined.

•Not too many unrelated questions

•Relationship with experimental plan should be clear; methodology can be introduced.

•Presented in a readable, often outline, form so that readers can see the precise questions to be answered and the outcomes anticipated.

•Aims should be “SMART”

Making a successful application - 3

Methods: The “Killer experiment” •Prove hypothesis; conclusive approach, e.g. functional knockout•Statistics and power

•Present a detailed plan of attack for each specific aim

•Should support costs proposed in the budget

•Describe how you will evaluate success in achieving your aims

•Provide a flow of logic for each experiment’s results and the subsequent steps in the research plan

•Address sub-optimal methodologies and offer rationale for their use

•?Include timetable/ or timeline, often at the end of the section, to make organisation apparent

Making a successful application - 4

Preliminary Data

•Shows that the project is realistic and feasible

•Shows that you/your team can successfully do the proposed work

•Convinces the reviewers that your hypothesis should be tested

Case for support

Address all the relevant questionsTake account of what reviewers will be looking forWrite clearly and economically

Making a successful application - 5

Personnel & Collaboration

WHO proposes to do a project is just as important as WHAT is being proposed because a grant is an INVESTMENT not a contract. Evidence must be presented that the research team is capable of delivering a return on that investment

Evidence includes:

•Education and training•Scientific track record•Specific expertise•Appropriate time commitment•Use of appropriate collaboration

Making a successful application - 6

Making a successful application - 7

Resources• Is your research space adequate? Do you have the

necessary equipment? What shared/core resources are available?

• Fully justify resources requested. What is allowed? Travel? Publication costs? External contract costs? Training Fees?

• Justify why needed –don’t just list; you’ve already done this!

• Do not under/over fund! Remember it is hard to get supplements for grants once awarded

The Big Question:Are there “unwritten” limits to funding? Value for Money!

Appendices

•Often contain publications, manuscripts, surveys, questionnaires, data collection instruments, original glossy photographs or colour images of gels, micrographs etc

•NOT to be used to circumvent page limits elsewhere

•BUT CHECK THEY ARE ALLOWED! They maybe removed!!

Making a successful application - 8

The Abstract•Summary of the entire proposal – write it last!

•Understandable by researchers outside the field – don’t underestimate the importance of the lay abstract

either!

•Will be the first thing read by primary reviewers

•May be the ONLY thing read by other committee members; but not at MRC of course!!

•Will influence the way reviewers approach the rest of the proposal

Making a successful application - 9

Making a successful application - 10

Last but not least - REVIEW internally!

•Mentors for new applicants

•Get a second opinion

•Proof read & spell check – remember the little things count!

Making a successful application - 11

Response to reviewers comments - if you get past first base!

•A measured response that addresses important concerns can make all the difference

•Stick to the key issues

•Refer to parts of the application which may address concerns

•Use references

•Opportunity to add in extra data, publications to reassure

• Unfocused, overambitious project

• Unoriginal, pedestrian approach

• No clear hypothesis, or not hypothesis-driven

• Methodology not sufficiently detailed

• Project not intellectually challenging

• Centre has no international standing in research area

• Lack of infrastructure/facilities

• Training element incomplete/unclear; poor training environment

• Right person - wrong project! And vice versa!!

An application will fail because:

Content

• Application Process and Tips

• The Right Funder? About the MRC

• Funding opportunities

• Many opportunities

• Get to know likely sources in your field – what do they do?

• Keeping up to date is another skill for the researcher

• Sign up for information feeds

• Regularly visit key websites

• It’s good to talk!

The Right Funder?

• Encourage and support high-quality research with the aim of improving human health

• Produce skilled researchers

• Advance and disseminate knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness in the UK [and worldwide]

• Promote dialogue with the public about medical research

The Right Funder: MRC mission

MRC funding

MRC operating expenditure - £625.4m in 07/08• 300 new grants to researchers

£236 million on grants and training awards in universities and medical schools

• £343 million for over 500 programmes in our research units and institutes over 2000 publications in peer-reviewed journals

• Licensing income receipts of £85.4 million through MRCT £384 million total cash generated since 1998

People• Over 4000 people in our own units, institutes and centres• £72.2 million on training and career development

107 new fellowships, 450 new post-graduate students

A new Strategic Plan for the MRC

• Consultation with over 500 stakeholders

• A non-prescriptive agenda

Research changes lives

Strategic aim 1Picking research that delivers: Setting research priorities which are most likely to deliver improved health outcomes

Strategic aim 2Research to people: Bringing the benefits of excellent research to all sections of society

Strategic aim 3Going global: Securing progress in international medical research

Strategic aim 4Supporting our scientists: Supporting and sustaining a robust and flourishing environment for world-class medical research

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

Discovery Delivery

MRC Translational

MRC lead NIHR lead

Pharmacogenomics

Animal/human models

Regenerative medicine

Genetics/genomics

Structural biology

Imaging

Systems medicine

Global health

Ageing: lifecourse

Stem cells

Infections

Population science

Experimental medicine

Methodology

Global health

Public health

E-health

HTA Trials

EME Trials(Late stage III)

The Delivery Plan and major foci of MRC activity over CSR period

Content

• Application Process

• The Right Funder? About the MRC

• Funding opportunities

Our website www.mrc.ac.uk should be your first port of call to MRC

Thank you!

Contacts•General Enquiries

MRCgrants@ssc.rcuk.ac.uk

•Scientific queries via Programme Managers

Details on MRC web-site under each Research Board:

(http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/Boardpanelsgroups/index.htm)