Grantscrafting for graduate students Ryan E. Rhodes Director, Behavioural Medicine Laboratory Associate Director, Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health University of Victoria rhodes@uvic.ca

What is CIHR? CIHR promotes a solutions-focused, multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to health research that is underpinned by high ethical standards. Its unique structure comprising 13 virtual Institutes brings together researchers and knowledge users from across disciplines, professions, sectors and geographic borders. CIHR currently supports the health research and knowledge translation activities of over 13,700 health researchers and trainees in universities, teaching hospitals and other health organizations and research centres across the country. Investment decisions are guided by a rigorous and transparent peer review process that selects for and meets the highest international standards of excellence.

CIHR Themes You must make a selection from the following list: Biomedical Clinical Health systems services Social, cultural, environmental and population health Award is 35k per year

Begin early; follow directions! Begin drafting your proposal well in advance of the deadline. This means weeks or months in advance, not days (internal deadline is October 4). Get a researchnet account, CIHR PIN, and common CV Make sure your supervisor has these too Starting early means plenty of time to ask for help from others. Give your supervisor(s) plenty of time for their input…and provide dates.

Complete the application on researchnet Tasks required for completing a Doctoral Research Award application Complete common cv Complete the application on researchnet Submit

Pay attention to the details follow instructions exactly adhere to format guidelines (e.g., font, page limits) use the full page allowances familiarize yourself with the Guide for Reviewers

Preview - Criteria Used by Reviewers for Doctoral Awards Criterion Weights for each criterion Achievements and Activities of the Candidate Publication Activity 10 % 35 % Other Research Activity Academic Performance 15 % Characteristics and Abilities of the Candidate Critical thinking Independence Perseverance Originality Organizational skills Interest in discovery Research Ability Leadership 40 % The Research Training Environment Training program for the candidate 25 % Scientific Activity 5 % Research resources Training record   100%

CIHR CV Common cv is an online system Publications – 10% (in preparation, submitted) Other scholarship – 10% (need to put things here) Transcripts – 15%

CIHR Sponsor’s Assessments (40%) Candidates should choose sponsors that know them well enough to be able to assess their potential and to provide specific examples of their behaviour with respect to each characteristic on the sponsor assessment form. Detail is everything….. You should help your sponsor prepare their letter by providing examples that match the evaluation criteria (excellence, productivity, etc.). All aspects need coverage…. An automatic e-mail will be sent through ResearchNet to the chosen sponsors. After all three sponsors have submitted their assessments, this task will be marked as Complete in the ResearchNet Application Task List. Sponsors must submit their assessments by the deadline date. You need to make sure this happens!

Outline of Proposed Research(approx. 10%) “Provide a detailed description of your proposed research project for the period during which you will hold the award. Be as specific as possible. Provide: 1)Context of the current knowledge in the field. 2)Objectives and hypotheses 3)Methods and procedures to be used 4)Significance of the proposed research to a field or fields in the health sciences...”

Identify your audience Your application will be adjudicated by a committee that will likely not have content knowledge of your proposal. Examples of the diversity: Medical Sciences, Biochemistry, Law, Health Information Science, History, Sociology, Exercise Science, Geography, Indigenous Education, Linguistics, Neuroscience, Nursing, Psychology, Child and Youth Care… Write for a multidisciplinary audience!

Specify research questions What are the goals of your work? Why should your work be funded when only a small percentage of worthy applications can be supported? How is your research original and significant? How does your research contribute to the field?

Literature review Demonstrate your knowledge of existing scholarship. How does your research complement it, and contribute to the development of knowledge? If a critique of existing approaches is appropriate, the tone should remain objective rather than partisan. Use parenthetical references, then refer to your list of references, which may be one page long.

Methodology What is your working hypothesis? How are your research questions conceptualized and addressed? include the design, and theoretical justification for the approach inclusion/exclusion criteria, and sampling power analysis, measures, and analysis where relevant The key is to balance strong research with a feasible proposal…

Dissemination What are your plans for publishing your research results? In what sort of journal? Do you envisage knowledge transfer to communities outside academe? Which ones? If you are involved in community-based research, demonstrate your familiarity with research ethics and protocols.

Style matters Write with clarity and concision. Avoid jargon and run-on sentences. Use correct grammar and spelling. Test for clarity by asking non-specialists to read your proposal. Pay attention to formatting. Make your proposal easy on the eyes by using bullets, bold, underline, italics where appropriate for division of the text or emphasis. Stand out! Explain why this research needs to be funded

Research Training Environment (approx. 15%) A strong training environment where you will get exposure to research and have research networking and mentoring opportunities is essential Aspect least under your control after supervisor selection.

Who are the Reviewers and How do they Review? Most are non-specialists (jargon and highly technical language will not work well) Most are tired and all do this work as volunteers. Reviewers may scan it fast (clarity of essential information) Grant competitions are still going to be, on occasion, unfair. Take the advice that makes sense to you; ponder the rest, and then accept or reject it.

It’s never a waste of time… Most of us have had applications rejected—that’s part of the process. Writing a grant application has its own rewards: it focuses your thoughts about your research program. If your proposal is not funded, use any feedback that comes with a negative decision to improve and re-submit if possible, either to the same competition or a different one.

Help is available Use all of the assistance your institution has to offer. Talk to your supervisor and committee members about your proposal before you begin writing. Get in touch with UVic grantscrafters Ask your friends and family to read your proposal for clarity. Not all feedback will be useful, but the more you receive, the more you can perfect your proposal.

Questions?