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CHBE 594 Lect 7Examples Of A Case Statement

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Recall The Case Statement

The case statement includes The Need: Demonstrating that the work will fulfill a

need Impact – the work needs to have a significant impact Within Agency Funding Goals Uniqueness: Demonstrate that you can do something

no one else can do Feasibility – need to demonstrate that the work can

be done Qualifications – need to demonstrate that you are

qualified to do the work

The case statement is usually on the first page of the proposal

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Topics For Today

Examples Of building a case statement Examples from Masel’s

research Class examples

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Example That I am Considering Now

Catalysis for CO2 electrolysis in ionic liquids

Find catalysts that can catalyze the following reactions

CO2 + 2e- CO + O2-

CO2 + H2O + 2e- CO + 2OH-

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Background

Efficient CO2 activation is one of the 4 grand challenges identified by DOE

Current methods use silver or gold catalysts in aqueous solution Leads to slow kinetics (high overpotential) Platinum based catalysts mainly hydrolyze

water under aqueous conditions (10,000x as much water as CO2)

New idea – get rid of most of the water

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How Can I Make A Case For This

Need – It is a DOE grand challenge Impact – If it works could lead to a

solution to global warming (via CO2 recycle)

Uniqueness – No one else has this idea Qualifications – I have done similar

studies for years. Chemistry the reverse as in formic acid fuel cell. DOE knows me.

Feasibility – Do not know – need preliminary data

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Examples Of Important But Unfundable Ideas

Work on an important problem where you do not make the importance clear in the proposal

Exploratory studies (i.e. studies that explore a series of variables, and will then use the results to infer a hypothesis) Studying the effects of variables on some

important performance measure is fundable Ideas not supported by preliminary data

or calculations

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Converting this to a Proposal Introduction

My usual outlineThe long term goal …Specifically I propose examining …By way of background … but according to a recent DOE report … The DOE report calls this a critical needIn this proposal I wish to do something unique: Techniques:likely results: FeasibilityImportance

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Where Do I Find The Lists Of Topics Of Interest?

DOE reports National Academy reports Sbir calls

I have examples posted at http://www.scs.uiuc.edu/~rimclasses/che594/proposal_ideas/Research%20Needs/

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Lets Go Back To List Of Why Proposals Are Turned Down

Class I: Problem (58 percent} The problem is of insufficient

importance or is unlikely to produce any new or useful information.

The proposed research is based on a hypothesis that rests on insufficient evidence, is doubtful, or is unsound.

The problem is more complex than the investigator appears to realize.

The problem has only local significance, or is one of production or control, or otherwise fails to fall sufficiently clearly within the general field of the agency.

The problem is scientifically premature and warrants, at most, only a pilot study.

The research as proposed is overly involved, with too many elements under simultaneous investigation.

The description of the nature of the research and of its significance leaves the proposal nebulous and diffuse and without clear research aim.

Source: Ernest M. Allen “Why Are Research Grant Applications Disapproved?” 132, 960 1532-1534.

One often gets comments like this even when

the work is important

because it is not interesting to the reviewer.

I try to cite some source (review article, national

academy or government

report) that says it is important to

head off this criticism

Examples Of Ideas That Are Not Sufficiently Important To Attract

Funding Developing a new technique/molecule because it is cool

Research needs to answer real questions New techniques to answer important questions or provide

capabilities that people care about are great New techniques that are new without answering questions

or providing capabilities that someone cares about will not be funded

Study something abstractly interesting but of no practical value

There are too many practical problems to solve and too little research money. You need to focus on something that matters to society

Work problems that might be important, but no data is available to show that it is important

Making more precise measurements of the effects of variables when the precision is not needed for a practical application

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Do Not Forget The Heilmeier Criteria

What is the problem, why is it hard? How is it solved today? What is the new technical idea; why can

we succeed now? What is the impact if successful? How will the program be organized? How will intermediate results be

generated? How will you measure progress? What will it cost Why should they fund you rather than

someone else?Adapted From Gio Wiederhold, Stanford

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Discussion Example

On Aug 24, 2007 NIH put out a call for proposals that included the following

Develop ways to produce adequate quantities of promising natural products or natural product derivatives through total synthesis.

Development of rapid analytical techniques for the qualitative and quantitative detection and screening of xenobiotics, chemical contaminants, and carcinogens/mutagens in human foods and biological and physiological specimens.

What would we have to do to make a convincing case for either of these areas?

Scifinder & Google Search: Challenges Natural Product Synthesis

Emily A. Peterson and Larry E. Overman, Contiguous stereogenic quaternary carbons: A daunting challenge in natural products synthesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 August 17; 101(33): 11943–11948

K. C. Nicolaou Natural Product Synthesis Special Feature: The art and science of constructing the molecules of nature PNAS 2004 101:11928;

Saladino, Raffaele; Gualandi, Giampiero; Farina, Angela; Crestini, Claudia; Nencioni, Lucia; Palamara, Anna Teresa. Advances and challenges in the synthesis of highly oxidized natural phenols with antiviral, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. Current Medicinal Chemistry (2008), 15(15), 1500-1519

Maimone, Thomas J.; Baran, Phil S. Modern synthetic efforts toward biologically active terpenes. Nature Chemical Biology (2007), 3(7), 396-407.

Schmuck, Carsten; Rupprecht, Daniel. The synthesis of highly functionalized pyrroles: a challenge in regioselectivity and chemical reactivity. Synthesis (2007), (20), 3095-3110.

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Problem With This Literature Search

People writing review articles already doing these reactions You need to have something unique i.e, unique method for stereospecifity

Alternative: Look in J. Natural products and find interesting class of compounds

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Example Continued

Assume I know how to synthesize a molecule with 3 chiral centers

How do I make a case for funding?

Almost have to have done it already – then write proposal Very common with NIH proposals

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Consider Our Other Example

Development of rapid analytical techniques for the qualitative and quantitative detection and screening of xenobiotics, chemical contaminants, and carcinogens/mutagens in human foods and biological and physiological specimens.

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Consider Building a Melamine Sensor

USDA … call for better measurements Now HPLC/MS/MS

European commission also

http://irmm.jrc.ec.europa.eu/html/activities/melamine/index.htm

Recent papers ELISA Detection of Melamine Using Commercial

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Technology” by Garber, E. A. E. Journal of Food Protection, Vol.71, No. 3, 2008, Pages 590-594 - not verified

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What Is Needed To Build Case

Route to a better sensor Preliminary data needed

Possibility of producing result soon enough to be useful

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Examples From The Textbook

Chapter 5 in the textbook has many additional NIH oriented examples.

NIH: Call out hypothesis, specific aims, significance

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Summary

A good idea forms the foundation for a successful proposal

Assess the idea by making the case for funding including The Need Impact Within Agency Funding Goals Uniqueness Feasibility

Preliminary data Research plan

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

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Questions?