Random walk through NIH grants

Yi Wang @ Cornell BME Surgery retreat 08

Why do you want to do NIH grant?

• Money, more money

• Everyone is doing it

• May be the best review process– Transparent/fair, iterative

• …

All you want to know are readily available at your finger tips!

www.nih.gov

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm

NIH: Myths, realities…

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/peer/prac/prac_may_2006/zerhouni_crossroads.ppt#407,1,Slide 1

55% basic research; 45% applied research; 5% other

92% unsolicited (investigator initiated); 8% solicited

20% success rate

Reviewers’ point of view

• Significance• Approach• Innovation• Investigators• Environment

Anatomy of NIH grant application

• Cover letter– Study section, funding institute, science area

• Research plan– Specific aims, Background, Preliminary data,

Research design

• Additional materials

• Work on revision

How have I done it?

• Commit myself to hard work– Idea, preliminary studies, grant writing

• Fight with English– A stupid farmer moves a mountain– Focus on science; writing adds clarity

• Keep work on my idea until success– No pause after submission, more data for

revision

An example: early sepsis diagnosis

• Idea – septic macrophage can be detected by MRI

with nanoparticles before organ failure

• Seek grant got poor review– mice and patient exploration, fishing…– biological pathway?

• What to do– approach is valid and valuable– no money? work >> 40 hrs/wk (<168 hrs/wk)