National Institute of Health (NIH) Funding Funding Presented by: Samantha J. Taylor Senior Research Officer Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University
• What is NIH’s primary mission? – To improve the health of the Nation • How is that mission accomplished? – By supporting and conducting research • How do they support extramural Research? – By issuing grants and contracts • How do you apply for grants? – Grants.gov or paper applications (this is rare) • Who is involved in the application process and what are their roles? – Applicant and NIH staff
What’s the Difference Between Grants and Contracts? GRANT CONTRACT $ $ • Assistance • Acquisition $ $ • Government is Patron or • Government is Purchaser $ Partner $ $ • Purpose: support and • Purpose: acquire goods $ stimulate research or services $ $ • Benefit a public purpose • Benefit and use of the $ government $ $ • Investigator initiated • Government initiated $
Grants, First steps! ERA Commons USER name! (Club Membership) You Need the Goods! - Good Idea - Good Timing - Good Presentation - Good Reviewers - Good Grantsmanship
Good Grantsmanship • Knowing and Understanding: Who, what, when, where, how. • Willingness: Requires approximately 22 hours • Willingness: Requires approximately 22 hours to collate a grant (not including the science). • Commitment: On the part of the PI first & his team to get it done. (We can do it!)
Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) published through NIH Guide ( http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/) Grants.gov Type of FOA General Description Investigator initiated for basic Parent Announcements mechanisms highlights areas of focus – ideal Program Announcements institutional use of funds a one-time call with set-aside funds Requests for Applications (RFA)
What should I apply for? • R01 – Too difficult! • R01 – Time &Innovation • R03 – Too much work, • R03 – Start somewhere! not enough funding! • R21 – They never say • R21 – They’re saying ‘no’ when they’re no! no! excited! excited!
Developing the Application: NIH Interests NIH Institute Program Priorities – Search RePORTER to learn what research is supported • http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm • http://projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm – Search Institute Web Sites • www.nih.gov/icd/ – Contact Institute Staff • http://ned.nih.gov/ – Identify Relevant RFA or PA in NIH Guide • http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html
WHO: Finding Your Way at NIH Office of the Director National Institute National Institute National Institute National Institute National Institute of Arthritis and National Cancer of Child Health on Alcohol Abuse of Allergy and on Aging Musculoskeletal Institute and Human and Alcoholism Infectious Diseases and Skin Diseases Development National Institute National Institute on National Institute National Institute of Dental and Deafness and Other of Diabetes and National Institute National Eye of Environmental Craniofacial Communication Digestive and on Drug Abuse Institute Health Sciences Health Sciences Research Research Disorders Disorders Kidney Diseases Kidney Diseases National Institute National Institute National Heart, National Human National Institute of Neurological National Institute of General Lung, and Blood Genome Research of Mental Health Disorders and of Nursing Research Medical Sciences Institute Institute Stroke National Center National Center on National Institute Fogarty National Center for Complementary National Library Minority Health of Biomedical International for Research and Alternative of Medicine and Health Imaging and Center Resources Medicine Disparities Bioengineering No funding Center Center NIH for Information for Scientific authority Clinical Center Technology Review
NIH Research Programs Institutes and Centers • Divisions • Divisions • Branches • Programs Where do I find a guide?
Getting Started: Contact a Program Official Why? They can direct you to: � The appropriate Institute - 24 institutes have granting authority � The appropriate Division/Office - Basic, clinical, behavioral, translational � The appropriate Program Official - Extramural research portfolio
Officials you Should You Program Official Program Official Scientific Review Scientific Review Officer Officer Grants Specialist Grants Specialist
Program Official [ aka Program Director or Project Officer] Responsible for the Responsible for the programmatic, scientific, and technical aspects of a grant
Who/What is a Program Official? The Program Official is both: a Scientist and an Administrator
Responsibilities of the Program Official • Manages scientific research portfolio of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements • Identifies opportunities and needs of science specific to an Institute’s mission specific to an Institute’s mission • Stimulates interest in scientific areas of emphasis for each Institute • Communicates program priorities - Program Announcements (PA) -Request for Applications (RFA)
Responsibilities of the Program Official • Provides technical assistance to applicants • Observes scientific review meetings • Discusses review issues with applicant • Discusses review issues with applicant • Evaluates the programmatic merit and mission relevance of applications • Prepares funding recommendations • Reviews annual research progress of grantees • Reports on scientific progress and program accomplishments
Program Official Principal liaison between investigators and the NIH Your most important contact Call them early … Contact them often!
Must I contact NIH before applying? Yes … under certain circumstances it is MANDATORY • Applications with budgets >$500,000 (direct cost) for any single year cost) for any single year – IC must agree to accept the application – Request must be six weeks before receipt date – NIH Guide NOT-OD-02-004 (10/16/2001) • R13 Conference Grant Applications – IC must agree to accept the application
Must I contact NIH before applying? Usually, it’s just a smart idea • When RFA’s request Letter of Intent • If you have questions about grant mechanisms or budget limitations or eligibility or ... budget limitations or eligibility or ... • When you are considering applying for any grant - whether you are a new or experienced investigator - contact with program staff is always highly recommended Prior contact with a program official will always save you time!
Contact before submission has benefits Two more important reasons: • Develop a relationship with a potential program official • Assure that your application has a home (appropriate Institute)
Your Program Official Can Help ... During Application Development and Preparation During Scientific Review After Peer Review After the Grant Award
Developing the Application: Your Idea Your Research Needs and Interests – My research interests focus on the link – My research interests focus on the link between A & B – My need is for additional research training or career development
Develop Your Application: For NIH A Program Official can discuss � Your ideas - Match your scientific interests with the - Match your scientific interests with the mission and focus of NIH Institutes � NIH ideas - Research initiatives and priorities already established by ICs
Organize your thoughts for productive discussion with a Program Official Grant Purpose Briefly, you want a grant from which institute/agency to do • what? • Problem/Background Explain why you to think this topic needs study. Demonstrate you know the institute priorities…. or ask! Significance Explain why this is important to the field. • • • Question What hypotheses will you test and what model will guide your Question What hypotheses will you test and what model will guide your hypotheses? • Design/Analysis What is the study design that will enable testing your hypotheses? What statistical approach? • Team Who will be the key participants (co-investigators and organizations) on the project? • Miscellaneous Other issues that may be relevant to your plans
Remember … … the INSTITUTE DIRECTOR makes the … the INSTITUTE DIRECTOR makes the final funding decisions But…
Program Officials ... Give advice and encouragement ! The cape, Larry! Go for the cape!
Writing a Grant Application • Research plan answers 4 essential questions – What do you intend to do? – Why is the work important? – What has already been done? – What has already been done? – How are you going to do the work? • Successful applications typically are: – Well-focused and explicitly written – Not overly ambitious – Understandable by a naïve reader
Time to write!!! • Cover Letter • Science • CV (Biosketch) • Personnel Personnel • Budget (Along with your administrator) • Subcontracts • Resources (Institutional) • Letters of Support
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