1

CHBE 594 Lect 6The Case Statement

2

Building A Successful Proposal

Solid

Rese

arch

Pla

n

Qu

alifi

ed

Investig

ato

r

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

A good research idea is the

foundation of any successful proposalYou need an idea that satisfies the Heilmeier criteria and is fun to do

Good research ideas are not enoughYou need to be

qualified to do the work and have a good

research plan

The research plan and investigators qualifications are key pillars that

support a proposal

A compelling presentation is also

criticalYou need to describe

the work well and create excitement

3

Topics For Today

Building the foundation for your proposal Making the case for funding Answering the Heilmeier

criteria What is the problem, why is it hard? How is it solved today? What is the new technical idea; why can we

succeed now? What is the impact if successful? How will the program be organized? How will intermediate results be generated? How will you measure progress? What will it cost Why should they fund you rather than

someone else?

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

4

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

The Case Statement

Developing a case statement is an important preliminary step to developing a proposal

I use the case statement to make sure I have a good research idea so I do not waste time on a bad idea Case statement might not actually be

included in the proposal, but it outlines the key things you need to cover

Include it if you can I usually try to include all of the items

in the case statement in the executive summary

5

The Case Statement

The case statement provides the pillars that you need to support the proposal. The Need: Demonstrating that the work will fulfill a

need Impact – the work needs to have a significant

impact Within Agency Funding Goals Uniqueness: Demonstrate that you can do

something no one else can do

Feasibility – need to demonstrate that the work can be done

Qualifications – need to demonstrate that you are qualified to do the work

6

The Need

The first key part of the case statement is to establish the Need i.e. that you are working on a problem that really matters This should be a societal need e.g. helping to

improve human health, improving our economy, or making some other important contribution

Need statement must be simple enough that a college freshman can understand that the problem is important

It helps if you can cite some famous person, review article, or government report that says this is important. I have some of them posted on the course website.

7

Impact

The next part of the work is to demonstrate that if your proposed work will be successful, your findings will have impact It is not good enough to be working on a

good problem. Your proposed work needs to make a difference to the problem

8

Within Agency Funding Goals

This seems obvious, but if you send something to NIH and it does not have a goal of eventually improving human health or doing something else within the NIH charter, it will not get funded

Every proposal needs to be within an agencies funding goals or it will not be funded

Proposals need to explicitly show that they are within agency funding goals

9

Uniqueness

Proposals also need to be unique to get funded You need to make the case that the agency should fund

you not someone else Agencies get more good proposals than they can

fund If someone is well known for an area, the agency will

not usually fund someone else You will usually not get funding to continue your PhD

Agencies would rather fund your research advisor instead

Also it is not good for your career – the other person has a lead; you will never catch up

On the other hand if you use the skills from your PhD on a new problem, you stand a high chance of funding

10

Feasibility

Lastly, you need to demonstrate that the work is feasible in order to get funding

Methods to demonstrate feasibility Reputation of PI in area Publications in similar areas

Preliminary data Realistic work plan

You must demonstrate feasibility to get funded

11

Qualifications

You also need to demonstrate that you are qualified to do the work

Methods to establish qualifications Knowledge of literature in area Publication record in area Degrees, postdocs

Preliminary data

12

If I Can Make A Case, I have A Good Foundation For A Proposal

Solid

Rese

arch

Pla

n

Qu

alifi

ed

Investig

ato

r

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Example From One Of My Proposals

13

The aim of this proposal is to use Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) to develop better models for water transport within the flow channels in

proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. According to recent reviews, water management remains a critical unsolved problem in fuel cell design [1-4]. Flooding (i.e filling the cathode gas channel or gas diffusion layer so no air can get to the cathode) is still an issue[4] and that leads to unstable performance and long term cell degradation. Water drops get stuck in the flow channels [5-7]. That leads to freeze damage[5, 6]. There are several models of the water motion, but in a 2005 review, Ma et al [8] noted “... at the

moment, most fuel cell models do not have experimental data, particularly detailed measurement data to validate the models and model predictions ... This situation continues to limit the fuel cell modeling activity”. Additionally, in his Keynote address, Djilali [9] commented that a key factor holding back fuel cell technology was “limited data for.. transport parameters and lack of in situ data for (model) validation”.

First show problem is important

Notice the use of review papers to stress importance

Impact

14

Figure 1 shows an MRI image of one of the drops in an operating fuel cell. These water drops have not been considered in the current

generation of fuel cell models. At present there are no equations for the motion of water drops at the

conditions and geometries in a typical fuel cell. Yet, until we understand the drop motions, we are never going to be able to adequately model water transport PEM fuel cells.

This would even be stronger if I could find someone from industry who said they need to understand the drops

Uniqueness

15

Key to the work will be the application of MRI and CT imaging to examine the motion of water drops in an operating fuel cell for the first time. MRI has provided the first high resolution, three dimensional high resolution pictures of the water motion in fuel

cells[7, 10, 13-21]. We have access to a 14.7 Tesla MRI machine; one of only 7 in the world. This

gives us the capability of taking higher resolution pictures than anyone else. We also have also done the first CT images of water motion in operating fuel cells. That allows us for example to determine whether the water drop touches the gas diffusion layer at the top of the flow channel and provide details of the drop shape. In previous work, we have

Within Agency Goals

Water management is a call out on both the NSF and the DOE website Topic within agency goals

Masel has $4,000,000/yr of other funding NSF & DOE have a goal of funding

scientists who need help Funding Masel not within agency goals

16

17

Lets Go Back To List Of Why Proposals Are Turned Down

Class I: Problem (58 percent} The problem is of insufficient importance or is

unlikely to produce any new or useful information.

The proposed research is based on a hypothesis that rests on insufficient evidence, is doubtful, or is unsound.

The problem is more complex than the investigator appears to realize.

The problem has only local significance, or is one of production or control, or otherwise fails to fall sufficiently clearly within the general field of the agency.

The problem is scientifically premature and warrants, at most, only a pilot study.

The research as proposed is overly involved, with too many elements under simultaneous investigation.

The description of the nature of the research and of its significance leaves the proposal nebulous and diffuse and without clear research aim.

Source: Ernest M. Allen “Why Are Research Grant Applications Disapproved?” 132, 960 1532-1534.

One often gets comments like this even when

the work is important

because it is not interesting to the reviewer.

I try to cite some source (review article, national

academy or government

report) that says it is important to

head off this criticism

Examples Of Ideas That Are Not Sufficiently Important To Attract

Funding Developing a new technique/molecule because it is cool

Research needs to answer real questions New techniques to answer important questions or provide

capabilities that people care about are great New techniques that are new without answering questions

or providing capabilities that someone cares about will not be funded

Study something abstractly interesting but of no practical value

There are too many practical problems to solve and too little research money. You need to focus on something that matters to society

Work problems that might be important, but no data is available to show that it is important

Making more precise measurements of the effects of variables when the precision is not needed for a practical application

18

Examples Of Important But Unfundable Ideas

Work on an important problem where you do not make the importance clear in the proposal

Exploratory studies (i.e. studies that explore a series of variables, and will then use the results to infer a hypothesis) Studying the effects of variables on some

important performance measure is fundable Ideas not supported by preliminary data

or calculations

19

20

Next: Consider The Examples From Lecture 4; Can I Make A Case For

Funding? The Masel group synthesized a

number of MOF’s with novel properties Particle size control Water stability

Can I write a successful NIH proposal to use these MOFs for the following?

Drug delivery? (JACS paper) MRI contrast agents? (JACS paper) Adsorbents for separations

21

MRI Contrast Agents

Is there a need? Google search identified 4 existing agents

A few lawsuits, but mostly success Search NIH SBIR

No mention of MRI contrast agents Search NIH Roadmap http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/

No mention of a need for better MRI contrast agents Intracellular contrast agents needed however

Literature search Many articles by chemists citing their new contrast

agent None by physicians

Review article by radiologist – many agents in trials but no major problems with existing agents

Need doubtful – not a good proposal

Is there a need? Google search identified 4 existing agents

A few lawsuits, but mostly success Search NIH SBIR

No mention of MRI contrast agents Search NIH Roadmap http://nihroadmap.nih.gov/

No mention of a need for better MRI contrast agents Intracellular contrast agents needed however

Literature search Many articles by chemists citing their new contrast

agent None by physicians

Review article by radiologist – many agents in trials but no major problems with existing agents

Need doubtful – not a good proposal

22

Drug Delivery?

NIH SBIR mentions several cases of drug delivery Drug delivery for the treatment of alcoholism,

drug addiction, mental disorders Maintenance of drug levels for extended

periods of time to alleviate compliance problems.

Targeted drug delivery using ultrasound drug packets that fall apart under

ultrasound for cancer Drug delivery for eyes Drug delivery across blood-brain barrier for

stroke

Need for better drug delivery clear

23

Would New Materials For Drug Delivery Have Impact

NIH says yes Needs

Molecules that protect drugs in stomach and release in intestines (lowering nausea)

Molecules that hold molecules and release when in a tumor

Probably needs a peptide or sugar shell Molecules whose release can be targeted

externally For example release in ultrasound

24

Within Agency goals, unique?

NIH has a study section (BMBI) that considers new materials for drug delivery see http://www.csr.nih.gov/Roster_proto/sectionI.asp GDD studies drug delivery itself

UIUC materials unique (only water stable large pore mofs)

25

Feasibility

Methods to demonstrate feasibility Reputation of PI in area Publications in similar areas Preliminary data Realistic work plan

I have none of these for human health – unlikely to get funded

26

How Could I Get Funded?

Collaborate with someone who is an expert on drug delivery or cancer treatment

Take preliminary data

The combination of preliminary data and collaboration with a recognized expert would make a strong case for funding Still need to provide a realistic research

plan & write a compelling proposal

27

Do Not Forget The Heilmeier Criteria

What is the problem, why is it hard? How is it solved today? What is the new technical idea; why can

we succeed now? What is the impact if successful? How will the program be organized? How will intermediate results be

generated? How will you measure progress? What will it cost Why should they fund you rather than

someone else?Adapted From Gio Wiederhold, Stanford

28

Summary

A good idea forms the foundation for a successful proposal

Assess the idea by making the case for funding including The Need Impact Within Agency Funding Goals Uniqueness Feasibility

Preliminary data Research plan

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

Solid Research Plan

Qualified Investigator

Good Research Idea

Describe The Work Well

29

Questions?