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Chapter 29

Seeking Funding for Research

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Seeking Funding for Research

Advantages of seeking funding for research For the profession: more complex and more

rigorous studies, increasing knowledge For the researcher: more productivity, more

credibility, improved status

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Building a Program of Research

Conducting a series of studies on a topic, with each study building on the findings of the previous one

Funding can be difficult to obtain

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Building a Program of Research (Cont’d)

Strategies: Inexpensive initial research Sequential small studies on one consistent topic Alliance with funded researchers, either as

volunteer or research assistant Ideal program: potential contribution to

nursing, own capacity, capital

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Ideal Focus of a Program of Research

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Contribution

The gap in knowledge that one’s research will address (must be significant)

Confirmed with a thorough literature review May begin with qualitative research, followed

by simple descriptive, then correlational, and finally a series of interventional studies, interspersed with theory-building and hypothesizing

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Capacity

Internal resources the researcher possesses Intellect Emotional maturity Knowledge Skills Perseverance Commitment Intense interest Grantsmanship

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Capital

People Funding

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Level of Commitment

External motivation Internal motivation

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Support of Other People

Reference group: peers who share common values, perspectives, activities

Changing to a group that is invested in grantsmanship

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Support of Other People (Cont’d)

Networking Based on reciprocal relationships Contacts made through professional

organizations, friends, social media Potential cooperation of projects of mutual interest Mutual support

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Support of Other People (Cont’d)

Networking Locating content experts and other persons for

research projects The Virginia Henderson International Nursing

Library – funded and unfunded researchers, various topics (http://www.nursinglibrary.org/vhl/pages/aboutus.html)

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Support of Other People (Cont’d)

Mentor Person willing to work with a less experienced

person Difficult to find in nursing research Long-term rapport

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Grantsmanship

Attending grantsmanship courses Working with experienced researchers Joining research organizations Participating on research committees or

review panel

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Attending Courses and Workshops

“How-to” courses Universities, professional conferences, online Sometimes provided by funding agencies,

relative to their application

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Apprenticeship

Volunteering to assist with the activities of another researcher

Experience in grant-writing and grants review Rejected proposals’ reviewer comments

useful Researcher’s stories useful

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Regional Nursing Research Organizations

In the United States, four principal nurse research organizations

Conferences by region

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Serving on Pertinent Committees

Research committees and institutional review boards

Improves one’s understanding of the logical organization of the proposal

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Identifying Funding Sources

Project grants Research grants Non-government funding Government funding

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Project Grants

Funding for the development of new educational programs in nursing

Typically address new curricula or new methods of curriculum delivery

Funding for project managers or program coordinators

Emphasis on implementing new projects, not on research

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Research Grants

Funding to conduct a research study Different writing than for project grants Written to the specifications of the granting

institutions Federally-funded grants are the most

complex

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Non-Government Funding

Private or local funding National nursing organizations Industry Foundations

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Private or Local Funding

Intramural (healthcare agency, university) Small monetary grant (best, because it goes on

the resume) Extramural – state or local chapters, nursing

organizations Sigma Theta Tau American Nurses' Foundation Well-known major agencies, i.e., American Cancer

Society, American Heart Association

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Private or Local Funding (Cont’d)

Private philanthropists Applications to more than one source quite

acceptable Proposals may be less formal, and shorter Some funding goes unclaimed each year

Small grants are the first step in being recognized as a credible researcher and in being considered for more substantial grants for later studies

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National Nursing Organizations

Support for studies relevant to their specialty Guidance to new researchers American Nurses’ Foundation Sigma Theta Tau, International

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Industry Funding

Product investigation research Loan of equipment used in research Consider ethical implications

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Foundations

Funding priorities documents Prior patterns of funding May have restrictions: gender, disease,

economic stratum, geographic area, occupation, etc.

Selection foundations to match one’s topic, location, and funding needs

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Foundations (Cont’d)

Careful review of guidelines for applications Priorities statement of proposal written to

resemble program priorities of foundation Sponsored Programs Information Network

(SPIN) – database for funding sources Foundation Directory, available online to

subscribers

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Government Funding

U.S. federal government – largest source of grant monies

Information on U.S. funding agencies: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (online)

Particular interest to nurses: National Institutes of Health (NIH), particularly

National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

(AHRQ)

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Government Funding (Cont’d)

Preparation of proposals must address Program focus Program priorities for funding

Online sources (in text) valuable Two approaches to seek federal funding for

research Investigator-initiated research proposal Request for proposals/request for applications

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Investigator-Initiated Proposals

Proposals submitted in response to a program announcement (PA)

Early contact with governmental agency useful Deadlines Assistance and feedback with proposal May be willing to make suggestions on a first draft Access to periodic releases of announcements

related to research

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Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Applications

RFP issued by NIH when scientists advising the institutes have identified a specific need to move an area of knowledge forward

Request for application (RFA) has a single application deadline

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Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Applications (Cont’d)

RFA may be broader than a RFP Both contain a focus and a list of objectives Budgeted total amount indicated RFA usually open for several funding cycles

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Submitting a Proposal for a Federal Grant

Ensuring a unique proposal Verifying institutional support Making time to write Understanding the review process Responding to Rejected Grant Proposals

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Ensuring a Unique Proposal (RePORTER)

NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools-Expenditures and Results

Contains information about Research previously funded by NIH (titles,

authors) Funded research currently in process through NIH

Prevents duplicating previous requests Ensures a more complete literature review

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How to Write a Better Proposal

Principal investigator (PI) contact for review of actual funded proposal (some will share)

Conference (telephone, email, in person) with agency representative For modification of proposal in progress Better fit with agency guidelines, so more likely to

be funded Duplicate agency fit possible – may be

submitted concurrently to both

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Verifying Institutional Support

Grant awards most commonly made to institutions, not to individuals

Essential to determine willingness of the institution to support grant

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Verifying Institutional Support (Cont’d)

Support depends on Appropriateness of study topic Adequacy of facilities and services Availability of space needed for study Contributions institution is willing to make to study

• Staff time (the grant will leach staff time)

• Equipment

• Data processing

• Provision for overseeing the rights of human subjects

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Making Time to Write

Set aside time –6 to 12 months prudent for first proposal Thorough literature review Review of funding agency’s guidelines, including

pages and fonts All sections of grant must agree -several

different documents

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Making Time to Write (Cont’d)

When draft is complete, ask peer/mentor to read it for logic flaws

Questions are Good – identification of lack of clarity and need for revision

Content expert or outside researcher should critique final product before submission

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Understanding the Review Process

Center for Scientific Review has administrative responsibility for ensuring a fair, equitable review of all proposals submitted to NIH or other Public Health Services agencies

Staff person assigned to a grant determines which integrated review group (IRG) will review for technical and scientific merit

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Understanding the Review Process (Cont’d)

Within IRG, each proposal assigned to a study section for scientific evaluation

Study section comprised of active funded researchers, without alignment with funding agency

Two or more reviewers evaluate the proposals and rate it on core criteria and overall impact

Full meeting follows, with discussion and comment, and then the proposal is scored

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Understanding the Review Process (Cont’d)

Scoring Assigned in order to develop a priority for funding Does not guarantee funding

Funding Funds the highest-score proposal first, then sets

the second, and so forth Funding process stops when funds are depleted

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Understanding the Review Process (Cont’d)

Length of process Can take 6 months or more Progress of proposal may be tracked through

Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons

Funding availability takes perhaps a year after proposal submitted

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Understanding the Review Process (Cont’d)

Summary statement Scientific committee’s critique Comments included

Resubmission after non-funding is possible and sometimes encouraged by agency

Proposals revised in accordance with critique suggestions have higher likelihood of funding

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Responding to Rejected Grant Proposals

Anger, depression, because of wasted time Then, weeks later, re-examination of the letter

and possible rewriting for resubmission Don’t throw away the letter—general

suggestions may be helpful for other grants Skilled grant writers’ acceptance rates are

approximately 20%

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Grant Management

Celebration Start work ASAP

Managing the budget Hiring and training research personnel Maintaining the promised timetable Coordinating activities of the study

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Managing the Budget

Supporting institution responsible for dispensing and controlling grant monies

Primary Investigator (PI) responsible for keeping track of expenditures and making decisions about spending

Guidance for the novice researcher is helpful (peer, mentor)

Interim budget reports and updates on study progress required if a federal grant

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Training Research Personnel

PI will Interview grant personnel Hire grant personnel Train grant personnel

If a large grant, hiring someone to interview, hire, and train is appropriate.

Supervision, either intermittent or continuous, by the PI is expected

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Maintaining the Study Schedule

Timetable submitted with proposal needs to be adhered to, in order to maintain pace

Timetable adjusted if project falls behind schedule and cannot be caught up

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Coordinating Activities

Meetings of all grant workers at intervals Problem-solving, in addition to

communication about progress, events Minutes of these meeting discussions

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Submitting Reports

Updates on study progress required if a federal grant

Grant activities and timing for reports is set by the grant award notification

Interim activities reports require statistics, tables, and take time

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Planning Your Next Grant

Several concurrent and same-topic projects characterize the professional researcher.

Example: Planning study 1 Writing proposal for study 2 Data-collection for study 3 Data-analysis for study 4 Research report writing for study 5 Presentation at conferences for study 6

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Planning Your Next Grant (Cont’d)

Some funding renewable, based on interim reports

Timelines essential In writing proposals, one May reference one’s

own work, both completed and in progress