How to Improve your Grant Proposal

Assessment, revisions, etc.

Thomas S. Buchanan

Afterwards: the Summary Statement

Study section, roster

Score, percentile

Budget recommendations

Summary of the discussion

Reviewers’ critiques

The Critique

For R and P grants (e.g., R03, P01), the five scored criteria for research grant applications are Significance, Investigator(s), Innovation, Approach, and Environment.

Other grant types have different scored criteria (e.g., K, F, T and S awards)

The final score for any grant is based on overall impact.

Overall Impact (R & P awards)

“Reviewers will provide an overall impact score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following five core review criteria, and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed)”

1. Significance

“Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?”

1. Significance

“Does the project address an important problem or a critical barrier to progress in the field? If the aims of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice be improved? How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?”

2. Investigators(s)

“Are the PD/PIs, collaborators, and other researchers well suited to the project? If Early Stage Investigators or New Investigators, do they have appropriate experience and training? If established, have they demonstrated an ongoing record of accomplishments that have advanced their field(s)? If the project is collaborative or multi-PD/PI, do the investigators have complementary and integrated expertise; are their leadership approach, governance and organizational structure appropriate for the project?”

3. Innovation

“Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?”

3. Innovation

“Does the application challenge and seek to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms by utilizing novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions? Are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions novel to one field of research or novel in a broad sense? Is a refinement, improvement, or new application of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions proposed?”

4. Approach (1 of 2)

“Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?”

4. Approach (1 of 2)

“Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims of the project? Are potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success presented? If the project is in the early stages of development, will the strategy establish feasibility and will particularly risky aspects be managed?”

4. Approach (2 of 2)

“If the project involves clinical research, are the plans for 1) protection of human subjects from research risks, and 2) inclusion of minorities and members of both sexes/genders, as well as the inclusion of children, justified in terms of the scientific goals and research strategy proposed?”

5. Enviornment

“Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?”

5. Enviornment

“Will the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Are the institutional support, equipment and other physical resources available to the investigators adequate for the project proposed? Will the project benefit from unique features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or collaborative arrangements?”

Additional Review Criteria

These additional criteria can influence reviewers’ enthusiasm:• Protection of Human Subjects• Inclusion of Women, Minorities & Children• Vertebrate Animals• Biohazards• Budget• Resource Sharing Plan (Data Sharing Plan,

Sharing Model Organisms, & Genome Wide Associate Studies) Probably won’t need

this

Afterwards: the Revision

Carefully analyze the critiqueswhat was uniformly disliked

what should be changed vs. re-explained

what additional data could be provided

Are there words of encouragement embedded in the criticisms?

Are significant strengths mentioned?

“... above average enthusiasm…”

Afterwards: the Revision

If the chances for successfully addressing the criticisms seem good, revise

Begin with “Introduction” addressing reviewers’ criticisms

be gracious, respond positively

you may or may not get the same reviewers, but your attitude and effort to respond will be appreciated

Afterwards: the Revision

You used to get only 1 chance to revise; after that you had to submit a “different” proposal

Under current rules, you may revise and resubmit as many times as you please

if you were close to the funding cutoff, this may increase your odds of success

of course, reviewers may get annoyed

Summary: the “do’s”

Good idea, science, and applicationMechanistic, testable hypothesesConvincing, appropriate preliminary dataDetailed research plan, based on statistical planningWrite clearly, state your case as rationally and convincingly as possibleRevise repeatedly before submission

Summary: the “don’ts”

Not too simple, not too ambitiousthe problem must be significant

10 hypotheses is probably too many!

Avoid sloppy writinguse spell checker, check your grammar

Don’t make unsupported statements

Don’t wait until the last minute; it shows!

Sample Summary Statements

Courtesy of Hank Donahue

Go here!

NIH Peer Review Revealed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBDxI6l4dOA