finding funding presented by beth hodges april 2011
TRANSCRIPT
Finding Funding
Presented by Beth Hodges April 2011
Today’s discussion
Before you Begin: Considerations Identifying Funding Sources Online demonstration of COS Tips
Before you begin: Considerations
Make Sure You Have Clearly Defined Your Research Have a clearly defined research agenda For beginning investigators, it is essential to
define a problem that provides the foundation for a longer term effort.
Confirmatory efforts that break little new ground should be avoided.
Focus on “Transformative Research” The problem should be hypothesis driven-
What is the question? What is the rationale for asking this question?
Identifying Funding Sources
Ways to Locate Funding The Web Discussion with colleagues Searching literature & by researching where
colleagues in your area are obtaining funding– can be done through COS
Contact program officers at agencies and pitch ideas; visits to agencies are welcome. FSU has a program for faculty which supports trips to Federal agencies (Funding Agency Travel [FAT] Program http://www.research.fsu.edu/crc/fat.html )
Using the WWW for Funding Searches
FSU has resources available on the Office of Research Website Community of Science Grants.gov Individual Agency Links Federal Register Etc.
Let’s look at the pages….
www.research.fsu.edu
Community of Science
Not just for the hard sciences Arts, humanities, social science opportunities Over 25,000 records worth over $33 Billion
Not just federal opportunities Private and Non-profit funders also listed Easy to Search Storable Searches Funding Alerts
http://www.research.fsu.edu/cos/index.html
http://fundingopps.cos.com/
USER TRAINING
AVAILABLE ONLINE
Entering your Profile into COS- Why Bother? Completing your COS Expertise profile
allows others to find you– provides opportunities for partnerships
MyProfile.cos.com – Creates a home page for your CV.
Manage your Saved Funding Searches and Tracked Funding Records
Other Resources?
The Office of Research Newsletter
The Foundation Center Online Available from the FSU Foundation
Contact at the Foundation is Gabe Grass
COS Funding
LIVE SEARCH
Looking for funding…Tips
• Discuss your research proposal with the funding agency, if you have any questions about their interest in your type of research or the application process• Don’t rely on one submission---submit multiple applications for the same project (worry about turning down the award later, if you get more than one application funded)• Seek out details of grant eligibility - don’t assume you aren’t eligible by reading the title of the application notice
Be Assertive and Proactive
Grant Application Tips
• Read the proposal thoroughly before you begin. If you are applying for a limited submission program, find out what the internal deadline is.
• Start well ahead of the submission deadline(s)- Gathering supporting documents- Adequate time to solicit and
incorporate feedback from others
- Last minute revisions to proposal - Internal reviews and approvals
Grant Application Tips (cont’d)
Spend whatever time is needed to present a well-thought out proposal
Be certain to submit all of the funding agency’s required materials ON TIME
Adhere to guidelines- page length, font size/density, margins etc.
Don’t let your proposal be rejected because of an oversight on your part.
Preparing the Budget- Key Points
Ask for what you Need Low ball budget undermines your credibility;
you will appear naïve in the eyes of the reviewers and panel
Same goes for an unrealistically high budget The reviewers and panelists are usually
successful grants people. They know the costs of doing business
Develop a tough skin
Understand that MANY more proposals are declined than awarded. Overall, proposals are increasing and dollars
are decreasing At NSF & NIH, less than 25% of proposals
are awarded
Responding to the declination of a proposal Take the comments of the reviewers very seriously Panel summaries are written to be constructive (and
instructive) Contact the program officer; these individuals take
detailed notes. He/she will be able to fill in between the lines
If your proposal is deemed uncompetitive and has irreparable flaws, move on
Respond to the reviewers comments in the resubmission; point out elements that were changed and points that you agree to disagree on; avoid defensive language
Finally…
Be kind to your grants administrators
Questions or Assistance:
Beth Hodges
FSU Office of Research 3012 Westcott North Building
Tallahassee, Fl 32306-1330 [email protected] (850) 644-2257 (850) 645-0108 (FAX)