Transcript Get Funded! - Syracuse University

PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
WRITING A COMPELLING GRANT
APPLICATION
Trish Lowney, PhD
443-2882; [email protected]
April 12, 2012
OBJECTIVES
What’s a grant application and why would you
want to write one?
Create a scaffold for your application
Common application components
How to “really” get started
Resources available for assistance
APPLICATIONS (AKA PROPOSALS) SELL….
Your idea,
Yourself, and
Your affiliation
To the right sponsor at the right time!
PROPOSALS COMMUNICATE…
1. WHAT you want to do
2. WHY it is important
3. How you’re going to do it and WHY your
strategy is the best tack to take
4. WHY you are qualified and capable
5. The BANG for the buck (value)
1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO…
The “Big Idea”
 Hypothesis to be tested
 Gap in knowledge to be filled
 Need to be filled
 Problem to be solved
 Opportunity to be pursued
Clearly stated
Easily understood by someone *not* in your field
1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO…
Perhaps (!) the most important part of
application…
Parts of “WHAT” can include:
 … Context (where your idea fits)
 … Goals (big picture – 35,000 feet)
 … Objectives (10,000 feet)
 … Outcomes … (on the ground)
2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT …
So what? Who cares?
Significance of idea and/or outcomes
 Sponsors
 Discipline/field
 Communities/advocacy groups
 Associations
 Gov’t agencies
 Society
 State of knowledge, blue ribbon panels etc..
 Rationale…
3. HOW/WHY APPROACH IS BEST…
HOW are you going to do it?
Approach e.g., methods/experimental design
 Rationale for methods
 Feasibility
 Can you do in time/with resources available?
 Preliminary data  necessary expertise?
 Experience with the “system”?
 Barriers/challenges?
 Alternatives
WHY YOUR APPROACH IS BEST CONT’D
How do you know your approach has worked or when you
are successful? (for each experiment, activity, intervention AND for
the entire project)
 Controls
 Analysis (statistics)
 Expected Results
 Interpretation (!!)
 Evaluation – formative, summative…
 “Supported/refuted” the hypothesis
 Addressed the need
 Filled the gap etc..
WHY YOUR APPROACH IS BEST CONT’D
HOW can you demonstrate your work plan is feasible?
Detailed timeline with activities, milestones
Work from preliminary results
Don’t bite off more than you can chew..
4A. WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED…
Are you uniquely suited for this activity?
 Education and Training
 Degrees, licenses, certifications
 Professional experience
 Publications/Grants
 History of productivity (Track record)
 Invited presentations, chapters etc..
 Preliminary data / results
 Necessary expertise is available (“You” maybe be many people
– from SU and elsewhere)
 Increase likelihood of success
4B. WHY YOU ARE CAPABLE…
Can you do what you propose?
 Resources/facilities
 Equipment and support services
 Mentors; letters of support / collaboration
 Access to special resources
 Specific populations
 Research tools/reagents, archives
 Partnerships
 Institutional support
5. GOOD BANG FOR THE BUCK…
Value to the sponsor and/or society
What will you do with the results? – Don’t keep your light under a barrel!
 Dissemination plan
 Progress reports
 Local, regional, national meetings/presentations
 Publications/reports/books/monographs
 Web pages
 Press releases
 Seminars, community presentations
GOOD BANG FOR THE BUCK…
Is the cost reasonable & appropriate?
 Budget
 Translate work plan  dollars & cents
 Good judgment
 Request support for total project costs
 vs Sharing of project costs required?
 Sponsor requirements/constraints
PROPOSALS CONVEY…
WHAT you want to do
WHY it is important
How you’re going to do it and WHY your
strategy is the best tack to take
WHY you are qualified and capable
The BANG for the buck
OBJECTIVES
What’s a grant application and why would you
want to write one?
Create a scaffold for your application
Common application components
How to “really” get started
Resources available for assistance
EXERCISE…
In two / three sentences –
 Describe the context for your idea
 Describe WHAT your idea is…
What’s the
New
World
Look like?
•
•
•
SO WHAT?
Who Cares?
What data
will ‘reflect’
New
World?
•
•
•
How to
obtain
data?
•
•
•

Any
Challenges
Expected?
Expertise
&
Resources
Needed
•
Big Deal
Big #!@?
Who’s He?
When will
this
happen?
SO….PROPOSALS CONVEY
 WHAT you want to do
 WHY it is important
 How you’re going to do it and WHY your strategy is
the best tack to take
 WHY you are qualified and capable
 The BANG for the buck
….through common elements
OBJECTIVES
What’s a grant application and why would you
want to write one?
Create a scaffold for your application
Common application components
How to “really” get started
Resources available for assistance
COMMON ELEMENTS
Cover sheet/Face Page
 Title
 Brief (~80 letters/spaces), informative
 Principal investigator/project director
 Contact information
 Research Integrity
 Authorizations (University signature)
 Cost
 Compliance needs
 Human, animal participants, “certs & assurances”
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Abstract/Executive Summary
 First thing reviewers read
 First impressions count!!!
 Get ‘em hooked!
 Prepare last
 Exciting!
 Clear!
 Complete! (What, when, how, why?)
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
 Project Narrative/Description
 Statement of Work/Goal (IDEA)
 Specific Aims/Objectives (So What?  drilling down)
 Significance to Sponsor, discipline, society (Who cares?
Rationale / Motivation)
 Literature review (State of knowledge)
 Taskforce reports
 Mission/vision statements
 Preliminary results (or in approach) (your capability)
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Project Narrative/Description cont’d
 Work Plan/Experimental Design/Methods
Why approach is best strategy to take
 Activities for objective/aim
 Controls, data, analysis, interpretation
 Evaluation
 Dissemination
 Management Plan (managing people…)
 Timeline
Why approach is best strategy to take
PROPOSAL NARRATIVES
Specifics vary; core components similar.
Go from big picture to details/specifics
If not specified in guidelines, organize by review
criteria.
Respond to review criteria.
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Literature Cited/Bibliography
 Comprehensive (You don’t know who your reviewers
will be..)
 Current, appropriately historical
 Quality
 Objective
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Biographical Sketch (2-pg)
Your qualifications – FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS
 Education & Training
 Institution, degree
 Licenses, credentials, certifications
 Professional Activities
 Publications
 Honors
 Personal statement or other requested info
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Facilities & Resources
Your capabilities (What is needed for your project to
succeed; put most important first unless format specified)
 Laboratory (space & equipment)
 Centers / institutes / nearby colleagues
 Library, other unique resources
 Machine shop, media, glassware, centers, animal facilities
(AAALAC)
 Access to other species resources/facilities
 Partnerships, agreements
 Office (space & equipment)
 Unique secretarial support
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Budget (line item) – Use OSP budget template
 Personnel Services
 Other than Personnel Services
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Budget Narrative/Justification
 Most important/expensive first
 Personnel
 Roles, responsibilities
 Adequate and appropriate effort
 Other major categories
 Why essential for project?
 Demonstrate costs “reasonable” (bid, prior experience)
 Demonstrate your experience & judgment
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
 Appendices/Supplemental Docs. (if allowed)
 Letters of Support
 Collaboration
 Provide access to resource/tool
 Documentation
 Submitted manuscripts/publications
 Non-profit status
 IDC rate
 Surveys etc.
 Certifications & assurances
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Cover sheet/Face Page
 Title
 Brief (~80 letters/spaces), informative
 Principal investigator/project director
 Contact information
 Research Integrity
 Authorizations (University signature)
 Cost
 Compliance needs
 Human, animal participants, “certs & assurances”
COMMON ELEMENTS CONT’D
Abstract/Executive Summary
 First thing reviewers read
 First impressions count!!!
 Get ‘em hooked!
 Prepare last
 Exciting!
 Clear!
 Complete! (What, when, how, why?)
OBJECTIVES
What’s a grant application and why would you
want to write one?
Creating the scaffold for your application
Common application components
How to “really” get started
Resources available for assistance
GETTING STARTED…..
 Refine/clarify the idea
 Discussions
 Department meetings, lab group
 Journal Club, etc.
 Ongoing, iterative process……
 Answer the Big Questions
 What, Why & How (who, where, when..)? ?
FIND A POTENTIAL SPONSOR
 Acknowledgements
 Journal articles, meetings, etc..
 Who has been funding work like yours?
 Databases
 Funding opps: Pivot.COS, IRIS, Grant Advisor, Fnd Center
 Historical awards: Sponsor websites / databases
 Colleagues/Mentors
HAVE A POTENTIAL SPONSOR & PROGRAM
…
 Check out recent awards
 Review similar, successful proposals
 Contact PI for a copy (don’t FOIA).. Future colleague OR reviewer
 Contact program manager ASAP
 Explore interest & fit
 Earlier the better
IF A “GO”
Inform folks who need to know
 Chair (cost – sharing)
 Administrators
 OSP
Read AND FOLLOW the instructions
 Sponsor & OSP can help interpret/clarify
Review and reflect on review criteria
WRITING THE PROPOSAL…..
 What’s the sponsor’s agenda?
 Prepare an outline
 Announcement/agency guidelines
 Insert (and address) review criteria
 Insert answers
 What, Why & How?
 Expand your Outline…
WRITING THE PROPOSAL…..CONT’D
Write Text
 Manageable units
 2 or more months in advance ()
 Have many others read and review
Write for Reviewers (known?)
Develop the budget & narrative
 1 month in advance
 Does the budget make sense?
 Support requested for all project costs?
 Secure approval for cost-sharing
TIP Write for generalist reviewers
But balance technical detail
 Make reviewers your ally and advocate
 Eliminate reasons not to fund you
 Avoid jargon
 Make no assumptions…. (you are evaluated on what you
present not what you meant)
 Summer beach reading.…
 Legible font, effective use of headers
FINALIZING THE PROPOSAL…..
 Proof read after 2-3 day rest ()
 Spell check
 Check figure numbers
 Check/confirm all references
STRONG PROPOSALS…
 Great idea, clear & compelling
 Significant to sponsor
 Great approach, well thought out
 Qualified applicant
 Resources available
 Important impact
 Cost effective
INTERNAL REVIEW …
OSP Checklist (under revision)
Accompanies proposal
 Department/Admin/College Approval
 Cost sharing
 Allows OSP to transmit to sponsor
OSP review budget (RA) & proposal
OSP (RA) - authorized to submit
OSP assures compliance in event of award
CHOOSING TO NOT FOLLOW
INSTRUCTIONS..
 Return unreviewed
 Alienate reviewers
 Alienate program managers/staff
 Decrease likelihood of award
OBJECTIVES
What’s a grant application and why would you
want to write one?
Creating the scaffold for your application
Common application components
How to “really” get started
Resources available for assistance
HELP IS ALL AROUND…
 OSP – http://osp.syr.edu
 Colleagues
 Mentors
 Department Chair
 Program Managers
HELP IS ALL AROUND…
 The sponsor
 Check out prior awardees (get copies?)
 Sample applications
 Guidance to applicants
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED…
 Try, try again
 Review written feedback
 Talk to the program manager
 Get objective input
 Re-write
 Process takes time….
 From idea to $$ >>1 yr