grants for graduate students what you need to know about grants, proposals, and sponsored research
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GRANTS F
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TODAY’S GAME PLAN
• Overview of grants and sponsored research from a “junior faculty” perspective.
• Research grant opportunities for graduate students (pre-doctoral).
WHAT’S A GRANT AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Definition of a grant: An assistance mechanism awarded to an organization for the conduct of research or other program to accomplish a public purpose. The scope of work and details are defined by the Principal Investigator (PI), the sponsor is not involved in the conduct of the project, and particular results are not guaranteed.
Why should I care? If you want to become a faculty member at a research institution, then your employers will!
KEY TERMS
PI: Principal Investigator, the primary grant recipient who is responsible for the scientific conduct of the sponsored project.
Sponsor: The federal agency, state department, or foundation who provides the grant funding to the PI.
Award: The term used to describe the actual provision of grant funds after grant funding decision is made.
Direct Costs: Expenditures on the grant that are required to conduct the project for which the sponsor is directly billed.
Indirect or Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs: Collected by the sponsored university based on direct costs at a set federally negotiated rate.
WHAT GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE?Investigator-initiated Proposals vs. Requests for Applications (RFA)
Federal sponsors of public health research (Grants.gov)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): www.nih.gov
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): www.hrsa.gov
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): www.ahrq.gov
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): www.pcori.org
WHAT GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE? (CONT.)
State sponsors
• Kentucky Department for Public Health
• Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
Foundation sponsors
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• American Cancer Society
• Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky
• Pharmaceutical companies (GlaskoSmithKline, Pfizer)
• The Josiah Macy Foundation
TYPES OF NIH GRANTS• R01 Research Project Grants
• R03 Small Research Project Grants
• R21 Exploratory Research Grants
Electronic Application Components
• Research Strategy (12 pages for R01, 6 pages for R03/R21)
• Specific Aims (1 page)
• Biosketches
• References
• Facilities and Resources
• Budget and Justification
• Project Abstract
• Protection of Human Subjects, Planned Enrollment, Inclusion of Women/Children/Minorities
• Letters of Support
• Leadership Plan
• Contractual Arrangements
• Appendices
• Resource Sharing Plan
WHAT EXPENSES DO GRANTS COVER?Typical grant-funded direct costs include:
• Support for PI and co-investigator effort on the project (salary buy-out)
• Graduate research assistant tuition and stipends
• Scientific meeting and programmatic travel related to project
• Consultant costs
• Subcontracts to other institutions
• Materials and supplies, including participant incentives
• Some equipment purchases
HOW ARE GRANTS REVIEWED?
NIH: Assigned to Institute/Center
Scientific Merit Review by Subject-Area Experts
Priority/Impact Scores, Percentile Rank, and Summary Sheets
Funding Decision at Council: Paylines
THE “BIG 5” NIH REVIEW CRITERIA1. Significance: Does the project address a critical barrier to progress in the field?
-- Assessed based on Significance Section of Research Strategy
2. Investigator: Are the PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well-suited to the project and have an going record of accomplishments in the field?
-- Assessed based on biosketches and personal statements
3. Innovation: Does the project challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, or interventions?
-- Assessed based on Innovation Section of Research Strategy
4. Approach: Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project?
-- Assess based on Approach Section of Research Strategy
5. Environment: Are the institutional support, equipment, and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed?
-- Assessed based on Facilities and Resources Section
WHAT CAN I DO NOW TO MAKE MYSELF MORE COMPETITIVE FOR GRANTS IN THE FUTURE?
Complete IRB training for human subjects
Work with your committee members on their sponsored research projects
Publish with your committee members based on your work with them and build your CV
Present and publish the results of your own research
Consider applying for fellowships and dissertation support grants
PUBLICATION
FUNDING
RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS (PARENT F31)http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-11-
111.html
Key Considerations:
• Am I at the dissertation stage of my terminal degree program?
• Do I have committee members and other research-oriented faculty who will write me distinct letters of reference?
• Who will serve as my sponsor/mentor?
• What kinds of training will I need to support my career development? Can I develop a training plan that clearly supports my dissertation research?
RUTH L. KIRSCHSTEIN NATIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE AWARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL PREDOCTORAL FELLOWS (PARENT F31)
Requirements Unique to F Awards:
Research Training Plan, Selection of Sponsor and Institution, Responsible Conduct of Research, Career Goals, Research Experience. 172-page manual specific to fellowship applications
Participating NIH Institutes: National Cancer Institute (NCI)National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)National Institute on Aging (NIA)National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
AHRQ GRANTS FOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH DISSERTATION PROGRAM (R36)
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/par-09-212.html
Applications for dissertation research grants must be responsive to AHRQ’s mission, which is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ has particular interest in supporting dissertation projects in the following areas: comparative effectiveness, health information technology (health IT), patient safety, prevention and care management, value, and healthcare innovations.
Letters of support are required, but responding to this PAR is less involved than the NIH F awards.
QUESTIONS OR WANT TO APPLY?
Contact Me!
Margaret McGladrey, MA
Assistant Dean for Research
College of Public Health
111 Washington Avenue Suite 104E
Lexington, KY 40536
859.218.2023