Career Development Applications:Perspectives from a Reviewer

Christine Grella, Ph.D.UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse ProgramsCALDAR Summer Institute – Career Development WorkshopAugust 14, 2012

K01: Mentored Research Scientist Development Award

The K01 provides support for a sustained period of “protected time” for intensive research career development under the guidance of an experienced mentor, or sponsor, leading to research independence.

The expectation is that through this sustained period of research career development and training, awardees will launch independent research careers and become competitive for new research project grant (R01) funding.

K01: Mentored Research Scientist Development Award

The award requires the candidate to devote a minimum of 75% of full-time professional effort to conducting the research career development plan described in the application; the remainder may be devoted to clinical, teaching, or other research pursuits consistent with the objectives of the award.

K01 Applications to NIDA: Success Rates for 2002 - 11

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10

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30

40

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60

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Submitted Funded37.5% 56.8% 31.3% 37.1% 30.8% 36.2% 44.4% 46.9% 51.2% 32.4%

Overall Average Success Rate: 40.5%!

Review Criteria for “K” Applications Candidate Career Development Plan/Career Goals and

Objectives Research Plan Mentor[s], Consultants, Collaborators Environment and Institutional Commitment to

the Candidate

Candidate Candidates should have promise to develop

into independent researchers who have the potential to make significant contributions to research within their area of expertise

Most applicants are meritorious – although timing is essential

Publications really matter (number, outlet, first authorship)

Demonstrate your commitment to your chosen area of research (e.g., publications, conference attendance)

Career Development Plan Keep in mind what is realistic to accomplish

within 5 years – don’t be overly ambitious by proposing more than you can feasibly undertake!

Take advantage of Summer Institutes and other opportunities for training that you would not be able to access without this award

The career development and research plans should work together seamlessly

Research Plan Although reviewers are cautioned not to apply

the same standards as applicable in reviewing an R01 application, flaws in research design typically lead to “dampened enthusiasm” for the application and call into question the candidate’s ability to undertake their proposed research plan

The end goal of your research plan should be to develop a next-stage application (e.g., R21, R01)

Research Plan

Include preliminary studies that are relevant to your proposed research• Highlight your publications and how your

prior work/training has lead you to develop this project

State specific study hypotheses Stage your research, moving from exploratory

pilot and feasibility studies to more rigorous designs

Research Plan Your training plan must be mapped to the

skills you need to undertake the research plan. For example:• Intervention development• Qualitative methods (e.g., focus groups,

interviews) and analyses (e.g., coding, qualitative software)

• Advanced statistical/longitudinal analyses (e.g., coursework, Summer Institutes)

• Clinical trials research • Collection and analysis of biomarkers

Mentors / Sponsors / Consultants

Make sure your mentoring team is matched to the areas of training and research you plan to undertake

Your primary mentor will be closely scrutinized: Is he/she a leader in the field of research that you

plan to undertake?Does he/she have time to commit to working with

you?How frequently will you meet/interact?

Mentors / Sponsors / Consultants Seek out co-mentors or advisors who are

outside of your department/institution, but who have expertise related to your identified areas of training• Too many off-site mentors/sponsors may be

infeasible (as well as expensive)• Be creative about working with off-site

mentors/sponsors Plan to meet at conferences Spend a summer working with in their lab or

with their research team

Mentors / Sponsors / Consultants

Specify how your mentoring team will review your progress in achieving the proposed career development plan• Teleconference if some

mentors/sponsors are off-site• How often will the team review your

progress?

Letters of Reference

Letters of reference that are boilerplate or have an impersonal tone will not help your application

Your mentors should have an excellent track record as mentors and will need to communicate that history to the reviewers

Environment & Institutional Commitment to the Candidate

Describe how the institutional research environment is particularly suited for the development of your research career and the pursuit of your proposed research plan.

Don’t rely upon boilerplate descriptions of your institutional environment!

Take advantage of ongoing training activities and resources at your institution for early career investigators (e.g., T32 seminars, speakers series, methodology/stat labs)

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research

Include individualized instruction or independent scholarly activities related to your specific research activities and the societal impact of that research

Must be ongoing and address the following:• Format• Subject matter• Faculty participation• Duration of instruction• Frequency of instruction

The role of the sponsor/mentor in responsible conduct of research instruction must be described.

Solicit Pre-Reviewers for Your Application

Seek out reviewers who will be your critics – not just people who share your assumptions

Give your readers sufficient time to comment and get the draft back to you in time to make revisions based on their feedback

Look at examples of successful applications for the mechanism you are applying for – and summary sheets, if possible

Must Haves! A detailed timeline that links your career

development and research activities A strong letter of support from your primary

mentor, demonstrating his/her personal knowledge of and commitment to you

A clear statement from your department that your institutional appointment in not dependent upon receipt of this award

A clear vision of what type of independent researcher you aim to be that guides all aspects of your application and is clearly communicated to the reviewer

Tips for Writing your Application Reviewers must discriminate between “outstanding”

and “excellent” – nearly impossible! Highlight important points and make direct statements

– don’t assume that reviewers will draw the same interpretation of your points

Tell the reviewers exactly how this research is significant and innovative

Your job is to convince the reviewers that you are the perfect candidate to undertake this research, with the perfect team of mentors, in the prefect environment, which will culminate in you becoming an independent researcher in this important area of research!

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/grants_process.htm

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/peer/reviewer_guidelines.htm

Scoring DescriptionScore Descriptor Additional Guidance on Strengths/Weaknesses

1 Exceptional Exceptionally strong with essentially no weaknesses

2 Outstanding Extremely strong with negligible weaknesses

3 Excellent Very strong with only some minor weaknesses

4 Very Good Strong but with numerous minor weaknesses

5 Good Strong but with at least one moderate weakness

6 Satisfactory Some strengths but also some moderate weaknesses

7 Fair Some strengths but with at least one major weakness

8 Marginal A few strengths and a few major weaknesses

9 Poor Very few strengths and numerous major weaknesses

Minor Weakness: An easily addressable weakness that does not substantially lessen impactModerate Weakness: A weakness that lessens impactMajor Weakness: A weakness that severely limits impact

Last Words! Be prepared to revise & resubmit Don’t take critical feedback personally Do talk with the program official [who is likely to be

assigned to your application] – and after you get your summary sheets

Successful grant writing is all about endurance

Don’t Give Up!