Oh no! I am over the page limit! Help!

Are you struggling to cut from 7 pages down to 6? Have you read your research plan 10 times, trying desperately to figure out how and where to cut? Don't panic. Take a deep breath, minimize your Word document on your screen, and trying goofing off for 5 minutes. (Yes, I am suggesting that you procrastinate in order to get your work done!)
First, what not to do. Do not start to think you are a Microsoft Word Master of the Universe. Any trick you can think of- shrinking margins to 0.495, shrinking text to 10.9, decreasing spacing so that lines are almost on top of each other- has already been tried and denied. Second, do not start deleting important pieces of your application just to save space. Third, and perhaps most important, do not start cutting from your research plan and trying to put the text in your Resources section or Appendix. (NIH recently announced that they are cracking down on this practice too.)

So, what's an aspiring scientist to do? Fortunately, there are methods of shortening your research strategy section that do follow NIH rules. Here are some options:

1. Tables and Charts are your friend. There are no text size requirements for tables and charts, as long as they are clear and legible. Have a long list of information? Try turning it into a table to save some space.




2. Check your text wrapping on tables, charts, and images. In many cases you can wrap text to one side or another of a graphic and create more space. Just remember to keep your image/table/chart together with the paragraph that references it. It will make it easier for reviewers to follow.




3. Using Track Changes and a thesaurus, attack your document from an editor's perspective. Rather than looking for content to remove, look for places where you may have a description that is very wordy, or may be able to convey the same message using shorter words or phrases.

If all else fails, talk to a seasoned proposal assistant or research administrator at your institution. An experienced person may be able to take a look and offer more advice on cutting. Don't have one? Email me at grantpwriter "AT" (replace with @) gmail.com and we can see if there is a way for me to help.

New FDA-approved cell therapy to treat wrinkles

Yes, something life altering has come from years of stem cell research. Nope, it is not the cure for cancer or diabetes. It is something even more ground-breaking: a cure for wrinkles! Last week, the FDA approved the use of cell therapy using blood stem cells to help smooth wrinkles and fine lines. This treatment, called laViv, uses fibroblasts from behind a person's ear, multiplies them in cell culture, and then injects them into his or her wrinkles. Development of this treatment was delayed by lack of funding. Could it be that the individuals interested in backing stem cell research and product development were more interested in funding projects related to cell therapy for cancers than for cosmetic problems?

University professors- your input needed!

Today, NIH released a Request for Information seeking advice on reducing administrative burden and costs associated with compliance requirements for federal grants to educational institutions. They are looking for ways to address issues and reduce time spent on meeting all of the grant requirements.

One area that should be examined is effort reporting. It is often confusing, difficult to track, and no clear system exists that is publicly accessible and allows for monitoring of effort. The creation of an effort repository would help to make sure that no scientist is budgeted for more than 12 months effort per year on their total projects, while saving valuable time spent tracking down effort reporting data. I shudder to think of the hours of my time wasted in tracking down effort information to include in JIT requests or progress reports!

Who knew that Kmart was doing so much to help the March of Dimes?

I was pleasantly surprised to see the headline "Kmart Marches Into 28th Successful Year of Helping America's Babies". I had no idea that Kmart and the March of Dimes had such a longstanding relationship. Over the course of 28 years, Kmart has raised $98.7 million for the organization, which goes toward prevention of birth defects, prematurity, and infant mortality.

Kudos to Kmart. Even with some of its own financial struggles, it has still managed to be a good corporate citizen and raise funds for a major foundation.

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On a side note, I do not support the March of Dimes in many of their fundraising techniques. A couple years ago, a coworker of my husband suffered a stillbirth, and we wanted to do something to honor the baby. We made a donation to the March of Dimes in her name. Within 2-3 weeks, our mailbox was inundated with requests for donations from charities, including many we had never even heard of. There were an average of around 10 requests per day. Now, we have been giving to charities such as the Muscular Dystrophy Association for years, and never had this type of onslaught. It was pretty clear that the March of Dimes had sold their mailing list.

Since then, we have been receiving regular requests for donations from the March of Dimes almost monthly, though we have never donated another penny (and don't plan to). Some of these requests are marked with red "Second Request" stamps. This really angers me. It seems to be a trick designed to prey on the elderly, who may think it is a bill or a commitment they have made. This tactic is dishonest and fools people into making a donation.

For these reasons, I do not donate to the March of Dimes, though they do good work and provide important programs. I just can't support their tactics. If you rely on support for your research from a foundation, I suggest that you examine their fundraising strategies. If they are going in a direction that may backfire, you might find yourself looking for other sources of funding.