A key piece of advice for multi-project applications

The upcoming September 25 deadline is important for many large types of grants.  Scattered around that date are also due dates for several other large NIH grant opportunities.  If you have had success with R01s or other types of NIH funding, you may think that writing a P01 or large Center grant, for example, will come easily to you.  However there is a different way of thinking that needs to go into constructing the perfect multi-project application.  One key ingredient is the SYNERGY between projects and cores proposed in the application.  You must highlight the synergy between projects or cores in order to explain to reviewers why your proposed project should be funded as a larger grant, rather than submitted as smaller grants in individual pieces.  The NIAID gives great advice on highlighting synergy here.