A lot can be learned from writing program grants

The funding climate right now is difficult not only for researchers, but also for nonprofits and community organizations.  Funders of community projects are focusing more closely on the potential for a project to continue to make an impact after the money runs out.  In other words, when developing grant proposals for community projects, sustainability is key.  The traditional way of thinking about research proposals is to write a project that will start and finish within the timeframe provided, provide something to publish, and contribute in a meaningful way to the body of knowledge that exists about a topic.  However, there is something to be said about the sustainability of a research program.  Will your project be a "one and done" kind of thing, where you will complete the project and then move on to something else?  Or will it be one piece in an overall plan that will continue to delve deeper beyond the question posed in your hypothesis?  Considering the difficulty that exists in getting funded right now, it is worth it to at least consider describing the possibility for a project to contribute to further knowledge over time.  This type of thinking may help you to show the significance and impact of your project to reviewers. 

What's in a name...of a file?

Yes, some of us do some very quirky things when it comes to naming documents that we are working on.  This includes me, as I have been known to name versions of files according to my level of aggravation (such as grant_proposal_X_revisedhopefullyforthelastdarntime).  When it comes to the SF424 application package, however, what you name your files may result in errors or outright rejection of your application.  Naming one file with a title that includes special characters such as ", +, or &, or my personal favorite, putting getmoney$ at the end of every document title, may prevent your application from passing validation.  Prevent these headaches and be kind to your research administrator by giving your documents easy titles.  Including the PI's name in the title of each document can also help to prevent confusion if you work in a busy department that may have multiple applications going in for the same opportunity.  Naming a grant file is like naming a baby - choose wisely or you may suffer long-term consequences!

Don't forget about NIH Rapid Reponse grants

Given the horrible disasters that seem to have descended on the world in the past few weeks, I wanted to make sure that you are all aware that NIH provides grants to examine the impact of disasters on affected populations.  These grants undergo a quick review process that will allow you to receive funding and begin work soon after disasters happen.  Such grants could be used to examine, for example, the impact of the Boston bombings, the Texas fertilizer plant explosion, or the recent earthquake in China.  View the Rapid Assessment Post-Impact of Disaster R03 funding opportunity here.  There is also an R21 available with the same focus. 

Wasteful government spending on research grants? Depends on what you consider wasteful.

I read with amusement this article regarding the $880,000 grant to researchers to study reproduction in snails.  Reading the post, I was sure that the author must not have a full understanding of the science behind the work. After all, a scientist or team of researchers have clearly devoted years of time and effort into understanding snail reproduction.  Surely, there must be some underlying scientific merit to the project that the post author was incapable of fully appreciating.  So, I looked up the abstract for the project.  According to the abstract, findings from the project will ultimately "illuminate the extent to which the preservation of genetic diversity within populations, species, and ecological communities is integral to the preservation of biological diversity".  (In other words, the significance and impact of this project seems limited.) Also, the abstract goes on to discuss the integration of this project with educational experiences for minority students. 

My take on this?  Rather than having a potential significant impact on human genetics or serious disease, this research project is an expensive way to expose many underprivileged children to various aspects of science and the research process.  While I, like the author of the post, also have difficulty understanding the reasoning for funding this particular project, I believe that ultimately it may inspire some kids from underrepresented segments of the population to pursue research careers.  While this has nothing to do with snail reproduction, it does have potential to impact the broader science field as a whole. 

How to Write Specific Aims

Here are some great resources that I have come across that provide insight into how to develop and refine specific aims for your research project.  This presentation provides an overview and great examples of aims sections.  This article from NIAID also provides some helpful information, geared toward new investigators.  Remember: Specific Aims are NOT Methods!

IRB approval does not protect you from unethical research projects

I was shocked to read this article about a study of premature infants at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.  The study examined outcomes such as blindness in premature infants who were provided with varying levels of oxygen.  This 5-year project found that infants who received higher levels of oxygen were more likely to become blind, while those receiving lower levels were more likely to die.  The reason that DHS is now crying foul is that the researchers provided parents with a consent form that failed to adequately inform them of the foreseeable risks of participating in the study.  My question here is why the researchers, and not the university's IRB, are taking the blame for this.  Isn't the point of an IRB committee to ensure that risks to subjects are properly explained?  Why call out the PI by name and tarnish the name of a researcher who appeared to do everything that was required? Every university and health facility where I have worked requires that consent forms are reviewed and approved yearly by an IRB board. In this particular study, 23 additional separate IRB boards and a Data Safety Monitoring Committee reviewed and used the same consent forms.  If these researchers had the necessary approvals and believed their study had been judged to be ethically appropriate, why not lay the blame on an IRB that appears to have dropped the ball?  Instead of being addressed to one researcher in particular, I think the more appropriate course of action would have been to address it to the head of the IRB and members of the review board. 

Applying for a Kangaroo Grant? Check your eligibility.

NIH recently released changes to the eligibility for K99/R00 "Pathway to Independence" grant awards.  These awards are reserved for more junior researchers who are transitioning from mentored positions into principal investigator roles.  In the past, applicants could have up to 5 years of postdoctoral research experience before applying.  Now, with the new changes that will take effect in February of 2014, applicants will have no less than 1 year of postdoctoral mentored research training but no more than 4 years.  Pay careful attention to the eligibility section if you are planning an application for next year's funding rounds.

3 Things to Never Say in Your NIH Biosketch Personal Statement

Inspired by this article, here are 3 things you should never say in your personal statement on your NIH biographical sketch. 

1. I never planned on going into a research career.  (Even if this is true, do you want your first impression to the reviewers to be that your research career is only an afterthought?
2. I am the world's foremost expert on XXXX.  (Even if you are world-renowned, there will always be someone else out there who thinks that he or she is actually the world's foremost expert on XXXX.  And he or she is bound to be the NIH reviewer who ends up with your proposal.)
3. My expertise in XXXX makes me an excellent choice for the role of YYYY on this project.  (This is not a problem unless you are recycling from an old version of your biosketch and the subject matter or role you describe is not the role you are playing in this proposal.

More Sample NIH Funded Grant Proposals

Given the demand for sample NIH R01, R03, R21 and other proposals, here are links to more sample grant proposals:

• Sample proposals of various types and topics
• 2 R01 applications, an F31 application, and some NSF examples from Toledo

Interestingly, more and more of the previously publicly-available sample NIH grant proposals from universities around the country are becoming available only to faculty and staff.  Ultimately, funded proposals are all public materials.  You can request a copy of a funded proposal from any researcher and they should provide it to you.  Some may be more secretive about sharing this information, and others may outright try to keep it from you, but ultimately due to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) should should be able to receive a copy.  The NIH FOIA Office has more details on these requests here.  Our taxpayer dollars are paying for these research projects, and more information should be available to the people who work hard every day for the tax dollars to be taken out of their paychecks to fund research grants. 

The NIH Public Access Policy started off on the right track as it was created to make research findings more accessible to everyone.  However, the publishing industry managed to put systems in place that have still weakened this policy's effect.  I hope that more researchers will decide to be forthcoming with their research proposals and share them for the benefit of younger researchers who are new to grant proposal writing and would like to see successful samples. 

Why would we lay people off and send our money overseas?

The recent sequestration has been all over the news.  Universities, hospitals, and research institutions are scrambling to determine how they will hold on to the thousands of jobs that may be lost due to budget cuts.  For this reason, it came as more than a minor annoyance when today I saw this grant opportunity. If our country is in fiscal crisis mode and our own researchers on U.S. soil are in danger of losing their jobs, why do we need to send money to Rwanda to improve their media program?  I can understand the other opportunity posted today for a project aimed at preventing HIV in Mali. That project has the potential for saving lives.  I get it.  Improving the media and elections program in a far-away country, though?  Shouldn't the jobs of the people who are working to cure or prevent serious diseases matter more than helping with media matters when financial resources are scarce?  Are we going to set the health of our own population back because we are too busy helping other nations with other matters to worry about our own people?  Given the cuts in availability of funding, our government officials should undertake a serious review of all programs and prioritize by funding those that have the most significant impact on human life, whether in the U.S. or abroad. 

Sequestration Happened. Now What?

This sequestration thing really happened.  I don't know how to explain it other than it is the latest financial crisis since we got through the financial cliff everyone was talking about back in December.  Essentially, President Obama, the democrats, and the republicans all have different opinions regarding the way the budget and deficit should be handled going forward.  One wants to raise taxes, another wants to decrease spending, and some want to do both.  Since nobody can agree on anything, we are going to keep paying Congress to hang around and argue, and keep paying our prominent politicians and political analysts to have temper tantrums.  Paying for all of this waste of time is going to cost a lot of money.  It is going to cost so much money that funds are going to have to come out of unimportant things like cancer research and AIDS studies to fund important things like lunch meetings so more arguing can occur.  Due to the number of egos in play here, we are talking about a lot of cuts.  Unfortunately, this means that there may be less money to fund your ongoing research project, as was explained to signing officials for NIH-funded organizations today.  It's OK, politicians - we will just let more people get sick and die while you continue to mug for the cameras and hold up important research into disease cures.  Oh yeah, and all of these budget cuts are also causing major flight delays, so maybe you could hurry things along and all go home sooner.

NIH Regional Seminar- Your Only Chance This Year

Baltimore, home of the Ravens, the 2013 Superbowl Champions! 

Have you ever thought that your endless questions about NIH grant proposals could best be answered by NIH personnel, rather than the research administrator at your institution who stopped returning your calls ever since you tried to charge your lab's bar tab from tequila shots at the Christmas party to your grant?  Ever wished that your NIH fairy godmother would appear and grant your wish of becoming an NIH grants expert?  Ever wished you could visit the beautiful and historic city of Baltimore, Maryland?  Well folks, prepare to have your minds blown. 

In past years, NIH has offered two regional seminars in different parts of the country.  At these seminars, newbies and seasoned veterans come together to learn about procedures, upcoming changes, and other important extramural research information directly from NIH personnel.  Today, NIH announced that there will be only one seminar this year, presumably to keep costs down.  The seminar will be offered over a 2-day period, with an optional 1-day workshop before the seminar, and expected attendance is 600-800 people.  Given the popularity of these conferences and the fact that two seminars have now been condensed into one, this is likely to fill up quickly.  If you need to request approval to attend, do it.  This is a rare opportunity to interface with grants personnel and researchers from around the country.  If your institution does not have travel funds available to cover the costs for you, this is one of the few I would recommend paying out of pocket for.  You may even be able to get the tax write off next year as a work related expense.  Find a way to get to Baltimore in June.  You will not regret it.

To register for the seminar, visit this website.