Melnyk ppt chapter_21

Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Chapter 21

Writing a Successful Grant Proposal to Fund Research

and Evidence-Based Practice Implementation Projects

Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer • All Rights Reserved

Grant Proposals A grant proposal is a written plan for a research project

that requests funding from a source, usually professional organizations, federal or state agencies, or private foundations

Grant proposals contain an outline of specific aims, background information, significance of the project, methodology and procedures that will be used to meet project aims, and the budget and personnel needed


Qualities of Successful Grant WritersSuccessful grant writers need:

• Passion to drive them forward; lack of passion can lead to premature termination of a worthwhile project

• To be meticulous planners, including the ability to identify barriers to project aims and describe strategies to overcome them; they also need to describe the detailed activities of all project personnel and the related time frames


Qualities of Successful Grant Writers—(cont.)

• To be able to persuade with a compelling case as to why the project is so important that it absolutely needs to be funded

• To be persistent enough to go through the effort of reading reviewer critiques and using them to revise the proposal, possibly multiple times

• To have the patience to wait to hear for about final funding decisions, sometimes for several months, then possibly start again


Checkpoint Questions to Be Considered Before Writing a Grant

What are the credentials needed for the PI? What is the funding source? What are the application criteria? Will the funding agency perform an advance review of the

abstract for possible match if requested? Are copies of successful proposals available for review? What are the guidelines for submission? What are the criteria on which proposals are rated?


Question

Before beginning to develop a grant proposal, which is the most important question to ask?

a. What are the application criteria?b. Is the source of the funding private or is it a government source?c. How much funding is available from the funding source?d. What is the percentage of funded versus nonfunded applications?


Answer

a. What are the application criteria?

Rationale: Although the other questions ask for information that is useful, the most important question to ask is about the application criteria. If the investigator’s credentials or the project aims do not meet the funding organization’s criteria, then the proposal probably will be rejected.


Strategies for Successful Grant Production

Formulate a team whose individual expertise complements each other

Develop a compelling abstract that addresses the “so what” factor of the project and its match to the funding agency’s objectives

Meticulously follow grant submission guidelines


Strategies for Successful Grant Production—(cont.)

When proposal writing is a team project, develop a topical outline of the proposal with a timeline for component completion

Always provide clear rationales for decisions about project methodology, procedures, timelines, and personnel

Develop a detailed budget justification


Question

A primary aim of a proposal abstract should be to:a.Present the expecting findings convincinglyb.Identify the academic qualifications of the research teamc.Present the reasons why the project deserves to be fundedd.Describe the match between the clinical question and the methodology


Answer

c. Present the reasons why the project deserves to be funded

Rationale: Although all of the areas listed are important, the abstract is the first exposure of the proposal reviewers to the proposal. If enough compelling reasons for funding are not presented within the abstract, it is possible that the rest of the proposal may not even be reviewed.


Writing a Powerful Background and Significance Section

The background and significance sections should:• Convey the “so what’s” of the problem’s prevalence

and the projected project outcomes• Convey exactly how the proposal will extend the

science or have a positive impact on clinical practice• Provide justification for the proposed study’s

objectives, hypotheses, and/or research questions


Writing a Powerful Background and Significance Section—(cont.)

• Include a well-defined conceptual or theoretical framework that drives study hypotheses and interventions, and potentially explains the relationship between variables


Essential Components of the Proposal Design and Methods Section

• Study design• Measures to enhance validity of the study• Sampling strategy• Reliability and validity of instruments• Procedure of the study and timeline• Data analysis strategy• Potential limitations• Human subjects protection


Question

Which of the following considerations is most important when developing the sampling strategy to be used in a grant proposal?a.Similar sampling strategies have been used in studies that address similar research questionsb.The size and expertise of the research teamc.The size of the population that is affected by the study questiond.The number of participants necessary to enhance validity of the study


Answer

d. The number of participants necessary to enhance validity of the study

Rationale: Although the strategies of prior research teams and the workload of the research team need to be considered when choosing a sampling strategy, the primary consideration is the validity of the study and the demands that this places on the sampling plan and the sample size. This factor supersedes the importance of the size of the population.


Common Weaknesses of Unfunded Grant Proposals

Lack of cutting-edge ideas and significance Failure to acknowledge relevant previously published

work or current literature Absence of a theory or conceptual framework Inadequate description of the study

design/methods/procedures


Common Weaknesses of Unfunded Grant Proposals—(cont.)

Unrealistic amount of work Human subjects’ concerns Inappropriate or weak data analysis plan Incomplete applications

Education

Melnyk ppt chapter_21