Grant Research Basics

Asking the Question  Before you start, you must have both clearly stated research question and primary outcome measure.  What do we wish to learn?  Why are we conducting this research?

Asking the Question  To help guide your thinking:   If only one question could be answered by the project, what would that question be?  If the results were summarized at the top of the evening news, what would the reporter say?  If the results were written up in the local newspaper, what would the headline be?"

Asking the Question  Formulating your hypothesis/research question:  Not a predetermined conclusion – an investigative path. Recall what a hypothesis looks like in stat – got with that.

Asking the Question  Bad – “The central hypothesis is to show that components of automobile exhaust accelerate degradation of statuary in Washington D.C.”  This is not a testable statement – it’s a prejudgment.  Good – “The central hypothesis is that components of automobile exhaust accelerates degradation of statuary in Washington, D.C.”  This is a testable statement. It might or might not be true.

The plan  Define the problem you want to address  Collect and critically analyze background info related to the problem  Develop the preliminary idea (don’t force it)  Assess the idea’s potential for success and modify it if necessary  Seek constructive criticism from colleagues  Refine the idea. © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The plan  To be successful, not only in your research but in getting funding, you have to sell your idea!

The plan  Your idea is your product and you have to be a good salesperson. A good salesperson:  Makes a good first impression  Is well prepared  Is credible  Delivers a clear message  Provides supporting documentation  Has appropriate endorsements  Has something special to offer  Is persistent

The upshot Upshot –  Why is your idea so special?  Why are so special?  You’re an investment – they’re the investors. Why should they invest in you?  You need to be enthusiastic about your idea AND you need to convey that enthusiasm.

The plan  Your grant application will typically include:  Abstract or executive summary  Narrative  Budget  Vitae or resumes of investigators

The typical criteria For NIH:  Significance and innovation  Approach – feasibility of work  Investigator – quality of background, training, and independence  Environment – institutional commitment

The typical criteria For NSF:  Intellectual Merit  Advances knowledge and understanding?  Well qualified applicants?  Creative, original concepts?  Well conceived and organized?  Resources adequate to accomplish task proposed? Adapted from © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The typical criteria For NSF:  Broader Impact  Advances discovery while promoting teaching, training, learning?  Broaden participation of underrepresented?  Enhance infrastructure for research, education?  Results disseminated broadly?  Benefits to society? Adapted from © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The plan Basics – things that must be included in any proposal. These should be first summarized in an abstract, and then elaborated on in the narrative.  Overview, Aims and Objectives  Lit review and Significance  Investigator’s prior results, if any  Research design  Expected outcomes  Broader impacts

The plan Start out with an abstract or executive summary – this part will summarize all of the things shown on the last slide. Then move on to narrative – a longer piece that expounds on each of the components on the last slide.

The Overview This is the most important part.  Should be outlined first, but probably written last.  This should point out where the gap is right now – and how you will fill it.

The Overview This section should connect:  Long term goals – the broader thing you could investigate with this study and this money  Overall objective – specific objective of this study with this money  Central hypothesis

The Overview Example  Long term goals  Reduce birth defects among children of farm workers  Overall objective – specific objective of this study with this money  Determine the cause of environmentally linked cleft palate syndrome  Central hypothesis  Herbicide X is the cause  Alternative Hypothesis – pesticide Y – present later. Adapted from © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The Significance After showing current knowledge to date, document the  Gap in knowledge AND  Why that gap is important AND  Why your idea will fill the gap Adapted from © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The Design Using your hypothesis – how best to test?  First step - formulate specific aims Specific aims – focused, brief, limited in scope, collectively tests the hypothesis Adapted from © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The Design Example: Hypothesis: Components of auto exhaust accelerate degradation of statuary in Washington DC Aims: 1.Determine the content of sulfur, lead, and copper in statuary as a function of age. 2.Determine the extent to which improved condition of statuary is related to introduction of unleaded gasoline in the D.C. area © Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops

The Design  Describe briefly in the intro and more in depth in the narrative each study or experiment or analysis that will be used to test they hypothesis – each is developed from the aims.  Here, don’t focus on standard things – if you’re going to use a double-blind study, say it once – it’s not that unusual!  Focus on the important pieces of how you will be testing your hypothesis.

The Outcomes What do you believe the outcomes of your research?  Note – you are not going to prejudge the study – you are going to predict possible outcomes.  This is the return on the investment the funders will get – so summarize what the important results might be.

The Narrative  Generally, the longest piece of writing in the application.  Fleshes out what you said in the introductory part.