Funding Opportunities “Starter” Grants Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery & Center for Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri Marc R. Moon, M.D. Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery AATS Grant Writing Workshop, March 2011

“Starter” Grants How to be successful Typical sequence: – Submit two grants – Get discouraged – Revert to a clinical career Research career requires persistence / progress The best way to learn to write a grant: – Read old grants – successful and unsuccessful – Review old “pink sheets” – Find a mentor (someone who does research)

“Starter” Grants How to be successful NIH: New investigators get a scoring benefit New investigator  Novice investigator How do we prove that we are not novice investigators? – Previous research experience – Preliminary data – Publications in peer-reviewed journals as primary author (case reports and book chapters are useless) New investigator MUST demonstrate his capability to perform the proposed research independently Independent investigator  working alone

“Starter” Grants Impact of Collaboration Co-investigators are essential to your cause “All ‘Basic Science’ today is multidisciplinary.” (D. Jones) – Go to other department research conferences – Meet other scientists – Talk about your project – Ask others about their projects – Collaborate – develop ideas together Find experts in fields in which you are not an expert With co-investigators, your proposal can use the term “we” to demonstrate expertise – Co-investigator data becomes preliminary data for your grant

“Starter” Grants Impact of Collaboration Co-investigator, Dr. X, has extensive experience with the BARK knockout mouse model. Her molecular biology laboratory has a distinguished record of funding and publication in high-level scientific journals. Her addition as a collaborator in this project is a positive. Co-investigator, Dr. X, has an international reputation in lung transplant for pulmonary hypertension. It is highly likely that he would provide some of the senior leadership necessary for Dr. Y to complete this research. Impact of co-investigators – To a new investigator: – To an experienced investigator adding a new dimension to his research:

“Starter” Grants Potential Benefits Potential benefits of Starter grants: – To get salary support – To get financial support (supplies, animals, tech) – To generate preliminary data – To develop the skills (and appearance) of an independent investigator – Peer validation of your work

“Starter” Grants Available Options Post-Doc Research Scholarships – NRSA (NIH), TSFRE fellowship, others (ACS/ASA/AHA) Intramural Grants – Hospital / University funds – Department funds Foundation / Society Grants – AATS, TSFRE, others (ACS / ASA) K08, K23 – Mentored NIH grant

“Starter” Grants Postdoctoral Research Scholarship Post-Doc Research Scholarships – NRSA (NIH), TSFRE fellowship, others (ACS/ASA/AHA) – Research proposals are generally a subset of mentor’s work – Preliminary data not essential (but always helpful) – Track record of mentor is important – T32 training grant position – no peer validation salary supportYES financial support for labNO preliminary dataYES independent investigatorNO peer validationYES

“Starter” Grants Intramural Grants Intramural Grants – Hospital / University / Department funds – Demonstrates commitment from your institution – Provides funds to develop preliminary data (2-3 yrs) – Essential for developing a successful research career – Ideally 1-2 papers as primary author salary supportNO financial support for labYES preliminary dataYES independent investigatorYES peer validationNO

“Starter” Grants Foundation / Society Grants Foundation / Society Grants – TSFRE, AATS others (ACS / ASA) – Research proposal describes new ideas – Previous research experience is very helpful – Preliminary data / publications are very helpful salary supportYES/NO financial support for labYES/NO preliminary dataYES independent investigatorYES peer validationYES

“Starter” Grants K08, K23 K08 – Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Grant – 3-5 years of support (75% effort) – Research proposal describes new ideas – NIH funded mentor is essential – Previous research experience / data are helpful salary supportYES financial support for labYES preliminary dataYES independent investigatorYES peer validationYES

“Starter” Grants Impact of a Mentor Starter grants invariably require a Mentor Find the right Scientific Mentor – Rarely your division chief – Track record of NIH funding (associate/full professor) – Look outside your department – biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, cardiology, genetics – How is he/she going to help you become an independent investigator? (not just a cog in their research wheel!) – Letter of recommendation is very important

Letter of recommendation from the Mentor – Mentors track record of research / previous mentees – How is he/she going to help you become an independent investigator? – Comprehensive training plan – timeline is a plus – Describe previous lab experience of applicant and/or initial, preliminary work that demonstrates PI competence – Letter should describe how your research will differ from mentor (demonstrate innovation) “Starter” Grants Impact of a Mentor

Starter grants invariably require the right Department / Chief – Chief needs to be dedicated to supporting research – Department with a track record of research is helpful (we do not want to waste funds) – “Culture of Research” – Chief must be willing to support research endeavors financially – tech support, animals, supplies for 2-3 years – Chief must realize important of preliminary data that HE HAS TO FUND “Starter” Grants Impact of the Chief

Letter of recommendation from the Chief – How is he/she going to support you so that you can become an independent investigator (financially) – Must supply funds for all research needs (cannot be dependent on the starter grant) – dedication to research – Protected time is absolutely essential (  40% is ideal) – We do not care about your clinical experience – We do not care about your clinical workload (except to demonstrate that it is not going to interfere with your research) “Starter” Grants Impact of the Chief

“Starter” Grants How to be successful The PI has received outstanding basic research training in the molecular biology laboratory at University X with Dr. X. The PI is currently Assistant Professor at University Y, and while he appears well-poised to proceed with the experiments proposed, some preliminary data from his current institution demonstrating feasibility would be helpful. Progression to independent investigator: – Learn research skills as a postdoc performing mentor’s studies – Develop ability as an independent investigator using a mentored starter grant to perform your own studies Previous experience and preliminary data are both important:

The PI received the Michael DeBakey Research Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in He used this funding to develop the novel model of Disease X described in this grant and published two manuscripts describing his unique methodology. As a postdoctoral research fellow, the PI received a NIH NRSA and coauthored 15 manuscript in peer-reviewed journals, 8 as primary author. This experience provided the applicant a solid research foundation. Impact of “starter” grants to the next level – Applying for a mentored foundation grant (not yet an independent investigator): – Applying for R01 funding (demonstrating capability to be an independent investigator): “Starter” Grants How to be successful

This is a study that should be performed, but it is unclear how the findings from this study will guide future investigation or promote a career in translational research. Starter grants should describe a line of investigation that leads to future studies - No dead-end studies PI should be able to build on results to submit NIH grant (R01) Clinical studies (with no basic or epidemiologic science) are never funded as extramural starter grants The clinical rational for pursuing this line of investigation is appropriate, although it is difficult to imagine how this study will stimulate future growth in the research arena for the PI.

“Starter” Grants How to be successful “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” The odds of getting a grant are low (but the odds are zero if you give up) Read the reviews carefully and thoughtfully Do not take reviews personally Address EVERY suggested change when you resubmit (even if to a different agency – the reviewers may still be the same!)

Funding Opportunities “Starter” Grants Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery & Center for Diseases of the Thoracic Aorta Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri Marc R. Moon, M.D. Joseph C. Bancroft Professor of Surgery AATS Grant Writing Workshop, March 2011