Dissecting the critical “Specific Aims” page of an NIH grant The Specific Aims section is the most vital part of any NIH grant application. Like a book jacket… if you are in a hurry and get a few minutes to decide which book to purchase in an airport… those few paragraphs can make or break your decision to purchase and read what is inside. The Specific Aims page is just that for reviewers… In a single page you must quickly gain the reviewers’ trust and confidence while also convincing them that your work is important to fund. You must convince them that you (or your client) are the best people to complete the work you proposed. For this reason, the Specific Aims section can be the most difficult to write… Madison Hedrick, MA MLHEDrick@uams.edu

Session plan Discuss the importance of the Specific Aims page Provide tools for preparing to write the Specific Aims page (and the entire proposal, in fact) Review the elements of the Specific Aims section Describe a framework for organizing the Specific Aims page based on its parts Discuss a sample Specific Aims page.

“No amount of grantsmanship will turn a bad idea into a good one… But there are many ways to disguise a good idea.” – Dr. William Raub; Past Deputy Director, NIH Modified from original table by James Ferrara, MD; http://health.usnews.com/top-doctors/

General Guidelines: Grant Writing and Structure It’s all about selling your ideas! Deliver a clear message. Offer something special. Make it similar to a good news article: Concise Good headlines Visually appealing Easy to read Comprehensible to a wide audience Remember your audience: ALL reviewers! Ideas Support for the ideas Details of the plan Support for the science and your ability to carry out the plan Specific Aims - If you don’t draw the reader in here, they won’t make it to the details.

General Guidelines: Care and feeding of reviewers Reviewers are… Overworked Will only spend a few hours on your grant. Mindful of the need to further their own careers. Translation: Don’t waste their time! Intelligent about research… Perhaps have little in-depth experience the specific area of your grant. … are not interested in doing “homework” to understand your proposal. Avoid abbreviations and jargon. Many reviewers will only read the Specific Aims. Inouye, SK., Fiellin, DA. An Evidence-Based Guide to Writing Grant Proposals for Clinical Research, Ann Intern Med. 2005; 142:274-282.

Scientific Sections Project Summary / Abstract (often written last) Specific Aims (1 page) Research Strategy (often 12 pages) Significance, Innovation, Approach Other: References, Human Subjects, Animals… The SA page is crucial for setting the frame of mind of the reviewers. An SA page that leaves reviewers feeling distinctly not excited will likely color how they will consider the sections that follow. http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms_page_limits.htm

Preparing to Write the Specific Aims Page Proposal worksheet

Proposal Worksheet You cannot begin to write the Significance and Innovation sections, or the Specific Aims page, without first having sorted out and refined, in writing, the issues that are critical for the review of your proposal. These issues concern the NIH review criteria: significance, investigator, innovation, approach, and environment. The Worksheet includes a series of questions derived from the review criteria that is grouped into five main topics. Consider using a “sample” idea for the proposal worksheet…

Main Topics of the Worksheet and the Framework for the Specific Aims Page Overarching problem: big picture and overall goal Context and setting Central hypothesis Specific aims and overview of experimental design Expected outcomes and impact These topics provide a framework for organizing your SA page.

Writing the Specific Aims Page Now what…?

NIH Guidelines for the Specific Aims Page “State concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will exert on the research field(s) involved.” “List succinctly the specific objectives of the research proposed, e.g., to test a state hypothesis, create a novel design, solve a specific problem, challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice, address a critical barrier to profess in the field, or develop new technology.” It isn’t that this NIH guideline is really that helpful for constructing the aims page, but it is placed right at the beginning of this ections to emphasize ALWAYS CONSULTS TO GUIDELINES.

Specific Aims Page Contents: 1) Intro Introductory paragraph: convince the reviewers of a significant problem. Opening Sentence: identifies what the proposal is about and immediately relates it to the mission of the funding agency. Knowns: brings the reviewer up-to-speed on the “current literature” and state of the field in < 5 sentences; ALL key points need to be introduced here (this is the framework for your concept). Unknowns: problem(s) that need to be addressed Frame the problem: the problem points to that critical need that serves as the driving force for the proposal. Conclude with WHY the lack of a solution is an issue for this funding agency. Introductory paragraph: convince the reviewers of a significant problem. This will scaffold your argument for your solution that is relevant to the mission of the funding agency. NIH proposals should have a public health spin to them. Opening Sentence: identifies what the proposal is about and immediately relates it to the mission of the funding agency. Knowns: brings the reviewer up-to-speed on the “current literature” and state of the field in < 5 sentences; ALL key points need to be introduced here (this is the framework for your concept). Unknowns: problem(s) that need to be addressed Frame the problem: the problem points to that critical need that serves as the driving force for the proposal. Conclude with WHY the lack of a solution is an issue for this funding agency.

Specific Aims Page Contents: 2) “What, Why, Whom” Paragraph Explain How You Will Solve the Problem Identified in the First Paragraph. Long-range goal: (broad) PI’s career goal, which should match the funding agency Objective of this application: (narrow) purpose of the project described to meet the critical need; must have a well-defined end point Central hypothesis—most narrow Rationale: what will be possible after completion of the aims that is not possible now; what is the underlying reason to complete the project, as it relates to the agency’s mission? Well-prepared: collective basis for the competitive advantage of your group. Convince the reviewers that you and your team have the solution to this critical need. The “What, Why, Whom” Paragraph: Explain How You Will Solve the Problem Identified in the First Paragraph.

Page Contents: 3) The Specific Aims Aims paragraph: provide a logical, step-by-step development of key hypotheses and activities through which you will fulfill the objectives to address the critical need or problem. Each should collectively address the objectives. Be conceptual, but not descriptive; avoid aims that are dependent on the outcome of other aims. Specific Aim 1 –brief, focused statement subtext with more details, including measurements and comparisons. Specific Aim 2 –brief, focused statement Specific Aim 3 –brief, focused statement

Specific Aims Page Contents: 4) Impact (Payoff) Payoff Paragraph: Identify The Return On Investment to The Funding Agency Innovative/Transformative Statement: should directly follow the aims/goals/objectives and build advocacy for the project. Expectations: make sure these are specific and credible Impact: how these outcomes will meet the identified need Inspirational: how will this “change the world?” (don’t overdo it, though!) These topics provide a framework for organizing your SA page.

Let’s look at examples… Chad A. Rappleye, PhD. “Forward genetics-based discovery of Histoplasma virulence genes” (R03). From NIAID Sample Applications and Summary Statements. Peter John Myler, PhD, and Marilyn Parson, PhD. “Ribosome profiling of Trypanosoma brucei” (R21). From NIAID Sample Applications and Summary Statements.