Grantsmanship: The Art and Science of Getting Funded Ronald Margolis, Ph.D. Senior Advisor, Molecular Endocrinology National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) National Institutes of Health

Grantsmanship “Molecular and Functional Anatomy of a Grant”

Career Development Opportunities and strategies for starting and developing a research career How to interface with the NIH How to be a mentor

Career Development Paths Ph.D. –Fellowship:NRSA (F32, T32) –Transition (K01) –Early independence (R03, R21) –Independence (R01)

Career Development Paths MD -Fellowship:NRSA (F32, T32) -Career Development (K08, K23) -Transition to independence (R03, R21) -Independence (R01 )

National Research Service Awards (NRSA) Post-doctoral (F32) Senior fellowships (F33) Institutional Training Grants (T32)

Individual Fellowships Requires a sponsor Sponsor should be an expert in the area of research you wish to follow Sponsor should be funded and productive Space and resources must be available Must have appropriate citizenship status

Individual Fellowships (con’t) Grant is subjected to peer review –Candidate –Research Plan –Training Potential –Research Environment 36 month limit for Post-doctoral 60 month limit for Pre-doctoral Must be citizen or permanent resident

Institutional Training Grants (T32) Program grant with “slots” awarded to institution Candidate applies directly to Program Director at host Institution Pre- or Post-doctoral study with a T32 faculty member NRSA time limits apply Must be citizen or permanent resident

Career Development Mechanisms Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08) Mentored Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K23) Mid-Career Patient-Oriented Career Development Award (K24) Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25)

Career Development Awards: Essential Components –Career development plan must be fully documented May include coursework May be toward an advanced degree Not intended to extend training –Mentorship must be strong and appropriate –Institutional commitment to career development must be clear

Career Development Awards: Common Features All pay salary at % effort, as appropriate, up to $75K Budget includes up to $25K in funds for research 2-5 year awards, Opportunities exist for additional funding (R03/R21)

NIH Loan Repayment Programs Clinical Research Pediatric Research Clinical Research by individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds Minority Health Disparities Research

Regular Research Funding for independent research

Life Cycle of a Grant

PHS 398 Application l Face page: New Investigator Box Abstract Budget (modular if <$250K) Biographical sketch Other support Resources Research Plan (Parts a-d) Certifications

Research Plan (a-d) a) Specific aims b) Background and significance c) Preliminary studies/progress report d) Research methods and design 25 page limit

What happens to my grant when I mail it in? Center for Scientific Review (CSR): Receipt and Referral Branch Assignment to Institute for potential funding and to IRG for initial review Scientific Review Administrator (SRA) Study Section Chair and Reviewers

Peer Review: The Study Section Scientific Review Administrator (SRA) Experts with expertise in a given area One primary reviewer presents the grant One or two secondary reviewers also provide critiques A reader(s) provides further details All of the critiques are used to assemble a summary statement

Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Review Criteria Significance Innovation Approach Investigator Environment

Scoring: Part I Grants are subjected to triage –Lower half of pool = grants not deemed competitive are unscored (UN) –Competitive pool = grants deemed in the top half of grants are scored: = Outstanding = Excellent = Very Good

Scoring: Part II Most scored grants from a study section are percentile ranked: 0.1% =Best 50.0% = Worst Institutes use percentile rankings to help make funding decisions

What happens after the initial review? Second level review at the Institute: –Program Director –Grants Management –National Advisory Council –Final administrative review –Funding

What do I do if I don’t make it on the first attempt? Carefully read the summary statement Talk with your Institute PD Seek help from experienced colleagues/mentors Don’t write a rebuttal, carefully address the critiques Don’t rush back with an incompletely revised application

Do’s/Don’ts Stay focused Be succinct but not terse Novel ideas, strongly supported by data Stay within your limits of time/amount Pitfalls/Alternatives Significance Avoid overambitious aims Avoid jargon Do not leave out key details Do not be one-sided in analysis of literature Do not give ambiguous data

Awards Pending availability of funds Activation notice/Notice of grant award (NGA) Grants Management Specialist Scientific Program Officer Yearly progress reports

Endocrinology/Diabetes Research at NIDDK Nuclear hormone receptor superfamily Cell surface receptors and G-proteins Cell signaling Neuroendocrinology/HPA/HPT axis Bone and mineral research (osteoporosis) Stress/Adrenal function Growth factors Types 1 and 2 Diabetes and Complications Obesity/Neuropeptides Thyroid Disease

NIDDK Website

Bone and Endocrinology Research at the NIDDK Further information may be obtained by contacting: Ronald Margolis, Ph.D Mehrdad Tondravi, Ph.D