Key Elements in Applying for a Clinical Research Grant Niloofar Afari, PhD Associate Professor University of CA, San Diego Director of Clinical Affairs VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health

Key Elements  Finding the right collaborators  Refining your idea  Finding the right granting agency and mechanism  Telling a good story or the “Art of Grantsmanship”

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Collaboration  Grant writing is an inherently collaborative process  Co-investigators are important  Lots of input from different people  Mentor  Program officer  Co-investigators  Respected researchers in the field  Feedback is necessary to refine the idea  Give ample time for feedback  Don’t be shy about asking for help

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Agencies and Mechanisms  Proposal has to fit with the mission and objectives of the agency  Contact granting agency program officers to ask questions and get clarification  Find information about funding levels so that you can come up with a reasonable budget  Talk to colleagues who have served on or have received grants from the agency  Find models of successful applications  Keep an eye out for relevant PAs and RFAs

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Granting Agencies  National Institutes of Health   Veteran’s Administration Office of Research and Development   Department of Defense  cdmrp.army.mil  National Science Foundation   Private Foundations

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health NIH Institutes & Centers NIH Institutes & Centers

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health NIH Mechanisms  Predoctoral and Postdoctoral training grants (NRSA)  Career Development Awards  Research Grants  R01 – Funding up to 5 years for discrete, specified, circumscribed research projects  R03 – Funding up to 2 years for pilot study or secondary analysis of existing data  R21 – Funding up to 2 years for exploratory and developmental research  R34 – Funding up to 3 years for development of essential elements of a clinical trial  K99/R00 - Pathway to Independence

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health VA R&D Programs

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health VA R&D Mechanisms  Career Development Award  Merit Award  Pilot Grants  Implementation Grants

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Telling a Good Story  The goal is to write an application that is:  Clear  Focused  Logical  Original, novel, innovative  Feasible  With testable hypotheses  Make it obvious for the reviewers

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health The Proposal  Start early  Follow the instructions carefully and exactly  Pay attention to details  A sloppy application = a sloppy researcher  Organize with headings and subheadings

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health Key Sections  Title  Abstract  Specific Aims  Critical literature review  Preliminary data if necessary  Research Design details

VA Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. ~Author Unknown ~Author Unknown