Navigating the Grant Submission ProcessAnita L. HarrisonAssociate Director of AdministrationHollings Cancer CenterMarch 26, 2015

Presentation Outline

• Funding Opportunities

• NIH Grant Tools/Resources/Mechanics

• MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes

• Tips for Success

Intramural Funding Opportunities

MUSC Research Web page– SCTR, COBRE, various MUSC Centers

Hollings Cancer Center Specific– ACS-IRG (Fall Request for Applications (RFA) and sometimes a

Spring Request) - $30K and renewable for additional year; must be an Assistant Professor

– Program Project Grant Pilot RFA (LOI due June 1) - $100K– Translational Pilot - $50K RFA to be released in Fall– HCC/Georgia Regents Univ. Pilot in Immunology –

$50K will be released in April

Extramural Funding Opportunities

MUSC Resources– Office of Research Development (ORD) email alerts– PIVOT (best source for private foundation proposals)

Key Agency Pages– Grants.gov – NCI web page– NIH K Kiosk– Department of Defense – American Cancer Society

Types of Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) Program Announcement (PA)

– Identifies areas of increased priority and/or emphasis on particular funding mechanisms for a specific area of science; reviewed by standing study section

– Usually accepted on standard receipt (postmarked) dates on an on-going basis– Remains active for 3 years from date of release – Special Types: PAR: A PA with special receipt, referral and/or review considerations, as

described in the PAR announcement

Request for Application (RFA)– Identifies a more narrowly defined area for which one or more NIH institutes have set aside

funds Usually has a single receipt (received on or before) date specified in the RFA announcement

– Reviewed by a special Scientific Review Group convened by the issuing institute

Request for Proposal (RFP)Solicits contract proposals. An RFP usually has one receipt date.

Presentation Outline

• Funding Opportunities

• NIH Grant Tools/Resources/Mechanics

• MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes

• Tips for Success

NIH Grant Tools & Resources

NIH Reporter

– A searchable database of federally supported biomedical research

– Identify, analyze various NIH institutes research portfolios, funding patterns, funded investigators:

– Identify areas with many or few funded projects– Identify NIH-funded investigators and their research– Identify potential mentors/collaborators

NIH Grant Tools & Resources NIH Center for Scientific Review

• Great resources for applicants in developing successful proposals

• Critical to identifying the appropriate study section for your proposal

• Identifies the program officer for which you need to develop a meaningful relationship

• Your proposal’s title, abstract, specific aims should clearly align with your study section’s purview

• Every proposal is required to attach a cover letter to the Center for Scientific Review suggesting the NIH Institute, integrated review group and study section for which your proposal should be directed

• Your letter should also outline areas of key expertise needed for appropriate review but do not name specific reviewers

NIH Grant Tools & Resources ERA Commons

The eRA Commons is an online interface where signing officials, principal investigators, trainees and post-docs at institutions/organizations can access and share administrative information relating to research grants.

You must have an ERA Commons account to apply for a federal grant.

NIH Grant Mechanics

NIH Grant numbers and Research Project Codes

Walk thru a Funding Opportunity Announcement

SF424 – basic guidelines for what to include in each section of the grant

NIH Scoring Criteria

NIH Grant Mechanics

Application Type

Activity Code

Administering Organization

Serial No Suffix Grant Year

Suffix Other

1 R01 CA 100228 01 A1

Type l NewType 2 Renewal (Competing continuation)Type 3 Competing Revision/Administrative Supplement ApplicationType 4 Extension- Request for additional years of support beyond the years previously

awarded. Type 5 Non-competing continuationType 6 Successor-In-InterestType 7 Change of grantee institutionType 8 Change of NIH awarding IC for a non-competing recordType 9 Change of NIH awarding IC for a Renewal application

Typical NIH Grant Number – what do the parts tells you?

1R01 CA100228-01A1

NIH Grant Mechanics

NIH Grant numbers and Research Project Codes

Walk thru a Funding Opportunity Announcement

SF424 – basic guidelines for what to include in each section of the grant

NIH Scoring Criteria

NIH Grant Mechanics

NIH Scoring & Review Criteria

Every Application is scored (1-9) for the following components (some FOAs have additional criteria)

- Significance- Investigator- Innovation- Approach- Environment

NIH Grant Mechanics

NIH Scoring & Review Criteria

Final Score is based on IMPACT

1)the importance of the topic you proposed

2)the likelihood that you can complete the experiments you designed and get the work done.

Note that IMPACT is not an average of the scores in the other component areas (significance, investigator,

innovation, approach and environment)

NIH Grant Mechanics

NIH Scoring & Review Criteria

ImpactImpact/

Priority Score Descriptor Additional Guidance on Strengths/Weaknesses

High

1 Exceptional Exceptionally strong with essentially no weaknesses

2 Outstanding Extremely strong with negligible weaknesses

3 Excellent Very strong with only some minor weaknesses

Moderate

4 Very Good Strong but with numerous minor weaknesses

5 Good Strong but with at least one moderate weakness

6 Satisfactory Some strengths but also some moderate weaknesses

Low

7 Fair Some strengths but with at least one major weakness

8 Marginal A few strengths and a few major weaknesses

9 Poor Very few strengths and numerous major weaknesses

Definitions

Minor: easily addressable weakness that does not substantially lessen the impact of the project. Moderate: weakness that lessens the impact of the project. 

Major: weakness that severely limits the impact of the project.

“Anatomy” of Grant Process“Anatomy” of Grant Process

Program StaffProgram Staff Funding OpportunityFunding OpportunityAnnouncementAnnouncement

Funding OpportunityFunding OpportunityAnnouncementAnnouncement

Grant ApplicationGrant Application(R01, R03, R21,(R01, R03, R21,K01, K08, etc.)K01, K08, etc.)

Grant ApplicationGrant Application(R01, R03, R21,(R01, R03, R21,K01, K08, etc.)K01, K08, etc.)

NationalNationalAdvisoryAdvisoryCouncilCouncil

NationalNationalAdvisoryAdvisoryCouncilCouncil

Program Staff Program Staff Program Staff Program Staff

$$

Rev

isio

nR

evis

ion

Rev

isio

nR

evis

ion

ResearcherResearcher

IdeaIdeaInstitutionInstitution

ResearcherResearcher

IdeaIdeaInstitutionInstitution

CSRCSRReferralReferral

and Review and Review

CSRCSRReferralReferral

and Review and Review

CollaboratorsCollaborators

Presentation Outline

• Funding Opportunities

• NIH Grant Tools/Resources/Mechanics

• MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes

• Tips for Success

MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes• Identify and meet with your department’s grants management

person (they will help you with budget, institutional approvals, interface with Office of Research & Sponsored Projects - ORSP)

• Know what your departmental requirements are for grant submissions (departmental deadlines, policies on submitting grants with no allowance for indirects, policies on submitting as a new PI, etc.)

• Every department is assigned an individual that submits grants to the agencies on your behalf (they certify that you have completed the application correctly; note grants are not awarded to individuals, they are awarded to MUSC)

MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes• EPDS (some refer to it as the “blue” sheet):

Electronic Proposal Data Sheet – must be completed prior to submission to ORSP

• MUSC utilizes Cayuse as an interface between MUSC and grants.gov Your department may have an individual who will load your application or you may be expected to load the application.

• ORSP requires your application to be completed in Cayuse and your EPDS fully executed three days prior to agencies deadline(no exceptions)

Presentation Outline

• Funding Opportunities

• NIH Grant Tools/Resources/Mechanics

• MUSC Grant Mechanics/Processes

• Tips for Success

Grant Writing for Success

Writing the Application:Writing the Application: Start earlyStart early

Seek advice from colleaguesSeek advice from colleagues Start with a good ideaStart with a good idea Talk to your NIH Program Official(s)Talk to your NIH Program Official(s) Use the NIH webpage (www.nih.gov)Use the NIH webpage (www.nih.gov) Remember review criteriaRemember review criteria Follow instructions carefullyFollow instructions carefully

Lack of or weak impact Lack of or weak impact Significance not obvious or weakSignificance not obvious or weak

— Too ambitious, lacking focusToo ambitious, lacking focus— Unclear or flawed hypothesisUnclear or flawed hypothesis— Feasibility unsupportedFeasibility unsupported

Poor writingPoor writing Applicant track record weak or lacking Applicant track record weak or lacking

appropriate expertiseappropriate expertise Approach flawedApproach flawed

Common Reasons Cited for a Common Reasons Cited for a Weak ApplicationWeak Application

Appropriate Writing StyleAppropriate Writing Style

• Write to the funding source

• Write in the correct language of the field - but no jargon

• Never write in 1st person

• Clarity• 5 W’s

• Write to inform– don’t use language

that is biased

• Write to persuade– data from reputable

source– use current data– establish credibility– No unsubstantiated

opinions

Questions/Discussion