grant writing: optimising the ‘other bits’ of grants · image: (c) ra 2011 russell payne;...
TRANSCRIPT
19-20 August 2017
Grant writing: optimising the ‘other bits’ of grants
Yolande Harley Research methods workshop Mthatha
Why write research grants?
• One of the main ways to fund the science you want to do • To train scientists • To develop infrastructural capacity • To build collaborations • Successfully obtaining grants improves your scientific CV • Ultimately, health research grants allow for important research
to tackle the disease burden
“Grantsmanship is the art of acquiring peer-reviewed research funding” Jacob Kraicer
For some people, the hunt for funding
is disillusioning
Image: The Upturned Microscope, Nik Papageorgiou
“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of
occasions for hope”
John Buchan
grant writing
Overview of talk • Components of a research proposal • The grant writing process • Individual components • Why do grants not succeed? • Tips
Components of a research proposal • Summary • Research plan • Budget • Facilities & resources • Ethics & regulatory • Curriculum vitae(s) • Letter(s) of support • Funder- or scheme-dependent extras
Supporting documents …the ‘other bits’
Supporting documents
The ‘other bits’, the nuts & bolts,
don’t have to be boring
Grant writing
Image: Eoin O'Sullivan (www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/grant-writers-handbook/cartoons/)
You can win a proposal and
you can lose a proposal
The grant writing process
Identify funding opportunity
• Identify funding opportunity
Establish internal process & deadlines
• Establish internal process & deadlines
Request supporting
documentation
• Request supporting documentation
Compile research proposal & budget
• Compile research proposal & budget
Submit application • Submit application
The grant writing process
Identify funding opportunity
• See calls advertised by institution (email alerts, website) • See calls advertised by funders (websites, funding alerts) • Research Professional Africa is helpful (subscription req’d) • Establish individual & institutional eligibility • Pull together your team (think carefully)
* ‘Funding opportunity’ * ‘Request for proposal (RFP)’ * ‘Request for application (RFA)’ * ‘Call’
The grant writing process
Establish internal process
& deadlines
• May need faculty/institutional review & approval • May need institutional submission • Establish internal submission deadlines, relative
to the funder’s deadline, for institutional review and signoff
Image: Calvin & Hobbes; Bill Watterson
Last-minute panic can be very effective J
But there are reasons not to leave it to the
last minute
The grant writing process
Request supporting
documentation
• Budget with justification • Facilities & resources • Ethics & regulatory • Curriculum vitaes • Letters of support
The grant writing process
Compile research proposal &
budget
• Get guidelines, read guidelines, follow guidelines • Draft proposal • Review proposal with co-applicants • Develop research budget (in consultation with
relevant people, e.g. finance staff)
The grant writing process
Submit application
• Upload all application components to funder’s online system & submit online OR
• Email full application to funder • Note: some funders (e.g. Wellcome, NIH)
require institution to submit
Before starting your application… • Read the application form and guidance notes carefully
• Anything you’re not sure of - ASK • Check deadlines (funder & institutional) • Think about application form questions & who you might need
help from to answer them • Discuss ideas with colleagues in relevant fields • If needed, confirm your sponsor’s commitment to hosting you
(& request letter of support early)
Guidelines and formatting • Get guidelines, read guidelines, follow guidelines EXACTLY • Complete all relevant sections, in order guidelines request • Use headings that correspond to guidelines • Answer the questions • Adhere EXACTLY to format instructions • Use clear, concise language
Tip: Look at the review criteria –
they often ‘tell you’ what to say
Image: Eoin O'Sullivan (www.ifm.eng.cam.ac.uk/research/grant-writers-handbook/cartoons/)
Guidelines and formatting
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!
Image: (C) RA 2011 Russell Payne; RABID.ONEUK.COM
Components of a research proposal • Summary • Research plan • Budget • Facilities & resources • Ethics & regulatory • Curriculum vitae(s) • Letter(s) of support • Funder- or scheme-dependent extras
Supporting documents …the ‘other bits’
Summary • Statement of need/problem • Aims/objectives • Brief description of proposed approach • Expected outputs
Also called an ‘abstract’
Research your funder & focus on their interests
Research plan • Research plan
• Introduction/background/statement of need • Aims/objectives • Methods • Timeline • Milestones/deliverables • References
Also called ‘strategy’ / ‘approach’
Budget • What should you budget for?
• Salaries • Materials & consumables • Travel & meetings • Equipment • Miscellaneous
• Direct & indirect costs
Budget • Key considerations:
• Adhere to funder’s allowable costs • Multi-year grant – include annual inflation • May need to add VAT to costs • Foreign currency – use conservative exchange rate • Justify the requested costs in the budget narrative
Facilities & resources • Broader environment • Clinical facilities • Laboratory facilities including equipment • Office/administrative facilities)
Also called ‘environment’
Ethics & regulatory • Ethics
• Protection of human subjects • Justification for use of vertebrate animals
• Biosafety • Regulatory (e.g. provincial approvals, MCC approvals)
Curriculum vitae(s) (CVs) • Follow funder prescribed format (may have template) • Ensure your CV is up-to-date • Request from co-applicants early (often needs revision) • Check consistency across co-applicant CVs
Also called a ‘biosketch’
Choose your co-applicants strategically
Letter(s) of support • Who might you need a letter of support (LOS) from?
• Your institution • Your sponsor • Your supervisor • Co-applicant (individual) • Co-applicant (institution) • Health ministry
Also called a ‘letter of
endorsement’
Funder- or scheme-dependent extras • Data management plan • Resource sharing plan • Monitoring & evaluation (M&E) plan • Sustainability plan • Pathways to impact • Training/capacity development • Equity/diversity • Public engagement • Collaborative programmes, centres, consortia:
• Collaboration plan • Governance plan • Management plan
Why do applications not succeed? • Ineligibility • Concerns with the project science or methods • Candidate issues (e.g. lack of suitable publications or
appropriate research experience) • Sponsor & environment are rarer reasons
Courtesy of the Wellcome Trust
“It happens to everyone, don’t get discouraged! The important thing is to learn the process of applying
for grants as early as possible in your career”
Why do applications not succeed?
“...the work described in this application is over-ambitious, it could not be achieved in the life-time of the investigator.”
“The poor writing, referencing and proof reading of this application significantly detract from its overall quality.”
“...it involves techniques with which the applicant appears to have no prior experience and for which no preliminary data are proposed.”
“I had only one problem with this application, I had no idea what they were trying to do...”
Courtesy of the Wellcome Trust
Tips/reminders • Start early! • Ask for help when you need it (after trying first yourself) • Give advance notice of anything you may need from people • Answer the funder’s questions • Get someone else to read your draft proposal • After writing your first draft, go back and re-read the call then
refine proposal to match what funder is looking for
