Writing a successful grant

Nicholas O. Davidson, MDProfessor of Medicine,Director,Divison of Gastroenterology,Washington University School of Medicine

AGA, Academic Skills Workshop, March 2006

General Principles of Grant Writing

• Preparation

• Application

• Review process

• Tips for a successful grant

• My top ten lists

Find out which agencies are soliciting grant applications…and note due

dates!!http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/listserv.htm

www.ccfa.org

www.fdhn.org

www.asts.org

www.acg.gi.org

www.facs.org

Preparation: How long does it take?

• 9-12 MONTHS for investigator-initiated [RO-1 KO-8] applications

• 3 MONTHS for training/fellowship awards

• Timing is critical in relation to your intended publications (esp.KO-8, RO-1)

• Allows sufficient time to focus and refine a hypothesis driven question.

• Insure resources (Mentor and collaborators are key).

Anticipate what reviewers will ask

General questions:

• What is the central hypothesis? : validity, clarity.

• Is the question important and novel?: potential impact

• Is the question interesting?: biological/clinical relevance

• Are the specific aims logically arranged?: organization

More questions reviewers will ask

• Are the proposed experiments feasible and justified?

• Is there compelling preliminary data?

• Is there a predictable flow to the proposal?

• Are the investigators qualified ?

• Are the facilities, environment and resources adequate?

Specific questions:

The Hypothesis

• Driving force for a strong application.

• Emphasize in both abstract and specific aims.

• Must provide a strong rationale based on current information.

• Should further the field (biology, pathophysiology, treatment).

• Should be a recurring theme throughout the application

• The hypothesis must be intimately connected to the aims

The Application

ABSTRACT

DO THIS LAST..after completing your research plan.

Succinct, accurate description of the proposal (200 words). State hypothesis in one sentence.

Link hypothesis to your objectives and emphasize importance of goals. State plans and general methods to achieve these goals.

Needs to be well written, self-contained summary.

Will be the first piece read by reviewer.

The Application

Research Plan: Specific Aims START HERE (t-9mo)

• Self contained description of your objectives, in 1 page.

• Must provide an organizational framework. • Begin with a concise statement of the general purpose and hypothesis to be tested.

• Summarize your key preliminary or recently published data.

• Organize specific aims in sequential, numerical format.

• Restate these aims exactly in your experimental proposal.

The Application

Research Plan: Background and Significance

General Objectives

• Demonstrate balanced understanding of the field.

• Show how your research will increase knowledge.

• Convince reviewers that your questions are important and novel.

• Establish that your aims represent the next logical steps

for research in the field.

Specific Objectives

• Relate your preliminary findings to testable hypotheses

• Make direct connections between background, your findings and

your aims- Do this by use of strong “linkage statements”

• Convince the reviewers that your proposal is timely and that the

aims and objectives are irresistable

Research Plan: Background and Significance (contd).

The Application

The Application

Preliminary Studies/Progress report• Key component of the proposal

• Objective is to convince reviewer that

–(i) Hypotheses are reasonable

–(ii) Proposed methods are feasible (establish competence)

–(iii) Preliminary data are novel and related directly to proposal

–(iv) All the aims have at least some preliminary support

The Application

Preliminary Studies/Progress report

• Must support the hypothesis and feasibility of the project.

• Must interpret results critically.

• Must be your own work (published or not), not work of others.

• Must describe new methods in detail.

• Must have clear figures and diagrams supporting concepts.

• Must be seamless integration between text and figures

The Application

Research Plan: Experimental Design and Methods• Organize EXACTLY as worded in Specific Aims page. For each Specific Aim,you should detail• Rationale• Experimental approach• Anticipated results, potential caveats• Advantages of proposed new methods (include consultants).• Possible pitfalls with alternative approaches.• Possible future directions.• Time line (year 01, 02, etc by aim)

The Application

Research Plan: Experimental Design/Methods

• Blend into description of the experimental approach.

• Methods you have published; reference and describe briefly.

• Describe new methods in detail. Justify.

• Include consultants or collaborators for new methods.

…Don’t make the methods section the focus of your aims

…Don’t substitute methods for hypothesis

The Application

Other components: Research Plan (continued)

- Human Subjects

- Vertebrate Animals

- Literature Cited

- Consortium/Contracts

- Consultants

The Application (NIH)

Formatting suggestions for RO-1

• Page Length: Adhere to recommendations. Specific Aims 1 page

Background significance 2 - 3 pages

Preliminary studies 6 - 8 pages

Research design methods 10 - 13 pages

Other Agencies (FDHN, CCFA, etc)

Formatting

• Page Length: Generally 4-6 page limit Specific Aims 1/2 page

Background significance 1/2-1 page

Preliminary studies 1 page

Research design & methods 1-3 pages

The Application

Formatting

• Do not overcrowd pages.

• Observe type size limitations (6 lines/inch, 15 characters/inch).

• Observe margins (1/2 inch).

• Attractive layout.

• Do not squeeze into the allotted space (avoid dense text).

• Proposal should easily convey your ideas to a hurried reviewer*.

Reviewer Realities

Average time to review NIH (RO-1) grant: Range 6-10 hours (read, critique, prepare written review)

Average number of grants per reviewer, per study section: 8-10

Range of total time commitment: 50-100 hours

Which is Better ?

BETTER STILL….USE FIGURES TO ILLUSTRATEPATHWAYS AND SPECIFIC AIMS

Aim 1: Characterize nuclearprotein complex

Aim 2: TRA-1, TRA-2interaction

Aim 3: Nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking NXF-1 and TRA-2

Application cover letter

OK to request or suggest:

• Specific Institute (even OK to suggest more than one)

• Specific Study Section

• Indicate specific areas of expertise needed for your application

• Indicate any individual or group with a major conflict of interest

NEVER OK:

To name desired reviewers

Will experiments work?

And when they don’t?

Preliminary data

Productivity: CV, etc

Summary Review Criteria

Ks

60±%

40±%

PI quals:

Environment:

Approach:

Significance:

Innovation:

Space/resourcesCollaborators

Impact on field?

Technique/ReagentTopic/Perspective

30±%

70±%

R01

INV

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TIG

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SC

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Successful Grant

1. Hypothesis driven, solid foundation

2. Mechanistic, insightful, feasible

3. Clearly illustrated

4. Logical flow

5. Thoughtful contingency plans

6. Centered on strong preliminary findings

Top Ten Traps

10- traps to avoid:

10.Starting writing less than two months prior to deadline. Poor planning shows. It takes time to write a grant.

9. Asking a colleague or mentor to review proposal due Tuesday.

8. Rambling background review. It’s a grant, not a review article.Don’t try and educate the reviewer. Stay focused on your proposal.

7. Dangling anecdotes and oblique references to “interesting” findings.

6. Too much text, not enough figures and diagrams. But the figureshave to be clear, well illustrated and ideally stand alone.

Top Ten Traps

10- traps to avoid:

5. Overselling clinical relevance. If proposal only indirectly related to a disease, don’t hand wave over public health impact.

4. Proposing aims for which there is no preliminary data. Asking for trouble. Doesn’t need to be extensive, but something for all aims.

3. Trying to undertake too much in too many areas. Particularly for new investigators. Scope and focus are important disciplines.

2. Proposing experiments for which key reagents have to be developed or are not yet in hand.

1. Aims built around microarray, proteomic or other profiling methodology for which no a priori hypothesis exists.

Top Ten Habits of Highly Successful Investigators

10+ things to do to increase your chances of getting funded:

10. Plan ahead. Outline aims and sketch out what the ideal preliminary data setfor supporting studies would show. Do this ~9 months in advance. Tough to do.

9. Complete key experiments that will complement preliminary data sets.

8. At least 6 months prior to deadline, share your outline with mentor or senior colleague/ collaborator. Q: Is the project interesting and important?.

7. Finish and submit manuscripts 3 months prior to deadline. Get letters, animal care approvals, radiation safety forms and agreements into a file.

6. Refine specific aims in line with preliminary and published data.

Top Ten Habits (contd)

10+ things to do to increase your chances of getting funded:

5. Invest time in assembling figures and diagrams. Use color. This pays dividends.

4. Connect preliminary findings to current objectives. The goal is to fashion the proposal into an extension of your current work.

3. Generate a series of paragraphs for background and significance. Goal is to outlinecomprehensive overview of field, placing your objectives in context. The key is balance.

2. Challenge yourself to prioritize. What are the five MOST important things you want toknow about your area of work? Eliminate #4 and #5. Justify the top 3.

1. Stay on task. Details count. Leave time to correct typos, paginate application.

GOOD LUCK !!