0.7 How to obtain funding: an assistant professor's perspective

Funding is important

• You need to be prepared to address the issue in the long run

• You need more than a great idea

• You need to understand the logistics

• You need to persevere

Spirit of the fighting irish

“To everyone who has ever faced adversity, whether in business, professional or personal life. I admire the person who says: Every day someone does something great. Today that person will be me.”

-- Lou Holtz

Writing great grants: a three step recipe

1) choose a significant problem

• Bonus points if not much work has been done on the problem
• More bonus points if you have done the important work

2) leave no question that you can accomplish your aims

• Established track record of publications
• Clear and convincing preliminary data

3) write a clear, easy to read proposal

• “Calm down, understand the situation and communicate clearly” – We Were Soldiers

Big hurdles and pitfalls

Navigating the Scylla of building on your accomplishments and the Charybdis of creating new research problems and attacking new research areas, given your situation:

• Laboratory techniques not yet working
• Students not yet trained/busy with classes
• Teaching and other responsibilities

• Proposing to do too much

• Not making clear the points and connections that are obvious to you

Ask important questions

• Do not redo your Ph.D. or postdoc work.
• Find a substantially new project if your proposal is rejected twice.
• Read deeply and broadly (several articles a day).
• Be creative.
• Do not be afraid to do something really different.
• Talk to lots of people about research.

Advantages of doing several projects at once

• Keeps you excited.
• When one project faces problems, another could be blooming.
• Increases funding opportunities.
• Synergy in thinking about different things can suggest novel pathways.
• Increases your visibility.

But… do not overextend yourself!

“Do one thing and do it better than anyone”

-- Orville Redenbacher

Funding - logistics

1. Identify a funding agency and learn everything you can about this agency (the web and your colleagues are good sources)
2. Understand what is the mechanism for submitting a proposal from your institution (“Office of Sponsored Research”)
3. Develop a time frame for writing and proofreading the proposal

Funding opportunities (1/2)

NIH - www.nih.gov

• CRISP – Database of funded projects
  • http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/
• NIH Review Criteria
  • (External Link)
• Article: How to get NIH funding
  • (External Link)

NSF - www.nsf.gov

• CAREER program
  • (External Link)
• Engineering Division
  • http://www.nsf.gov/home/eng/
• Article: NSF grant writing
  • (External Link)

Private Foundations

• Coulter, March of Dimes, and many others

[slide modified from Kinney, Neptune and Wilson]

Funding opportunities (2/2)

• Office of Naval Research (ONR) and other federal programs

NIDRR - The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

• (External Link)

• Miscellaneous Funding links
  • GrantsNet - (External Link)
  • Science Magazine – search for articles
    • (External Link)
  • Grant writing
    • (External Link)
    • Google search for articles
    • Book – Research Proposals: A Guide to Success (Ogden and Goldberg)
• Industry
  • SBIR mechanism (NSF, NIH)
  • Direct Funding from Companies

[slide modified from Kinney, Neptune and Wilson]

Final do’s and dont’s

• Do not necessarily assume the person who reviews your grant will be an expert in your area or know why your research is novel

The response to a revised NIH grant is very important. 

• Never appear to be angry or emotional.  Just stick to the science.  If a reviewer got something wrong (which often happens), just lay out the facts. 
• This is hard because you have put so much effort into the grant it’s easy to take comments personally
• Criticisms are of the science, not of you!

Get grants done in advance and have colleagues read them! 

• Resist the thrill of pulling it off on “third and long”

Do not let funding consume you

• Your “ growth ” as a researcher is essential
• Publish, collaborate, discuss your ideas, read, be brave and be prepared to fail
• Funding is a means to an end, not an end in itself
  • Ignore colleagues who imply otherwise

Acknowledgements

Raphael Lab

• Emily, Yong, Ryan, Jeff, Imran, Jenni, Louise

Thanks for Believing in Us!

• NSF CAREER
• NIH NIDCD
• Whitaker Foundation
• Texas Advanced Technology Program
• National Organization for Hearing Research
• NIH NRSA (Greeson, Organ)
• NSF-IGERT
• Keck Center for Computational and Structural Biology
• DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship