Research Funding:Research Funding:Navigating the DODNavigating the DOD

David Dorman, DVM, PhD, DABVT, DABTDavid Dorman, DVM, PhD, DABVT, DABT

Military Branch Research

Offices

Air Force

NavyUSMC

Army

DOD

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DOD Nomenclature• Grants

– Qualitatively similar to other funding agencies

• Grant review process may be less transparent

– ID of “study section” members etc

– Not all grants are peer-reviewed

Co-author

Collaborator

Consulted on Iraqi sand project and TBI

DOD lead project

Asked to consult on burn pit issues

$$

$$

Relationship building!!Relationship building!!

DOD Nomenclature• Grants and Contracts (“6” Money)

– Science and Technology (S & T)• Basic research (6.1)• Applied research (6.2)• Advanced technology development (6.3)• Other categories (6.4 to 6.7)

– Engineering– Facility support

– Contracts (and some grants)• More reporting (e.g., monthly)• Briefing meetings

DOD Grants and Contracts• Also used to develop or augment in-

house capabilities of DOD personnel or labs

• Career military scientists• Co-authorship expectations

DOD clearance of publicationsDOD clearance of publicationsExpertise variesExpertise variesLast minute research requestsLast minute research requestsUnexpected travelUnexpected travel

DOD• DOD Process

– Can vary tremendously by branch and program

– Broad Agency Announcements (BAA)

• Used by Branch offices

• Often multi-step process– White paper– Full proposal– Military relevance

DODWhere to Start

• Grants.gov– US governmental resource– Central storehouse for information on over

1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards

– Key word searches• May not be exhaustive

DOD: Grants.Gov

Grants.GovKey word = Veterinary (41 hits on 30 JAN 14)

Search Strategies

• Visit funding agency websites

• Determine who is getting funded and for what topics

• Contacting program officers can be less helpful than NIH because they often also serve as the contracting officer