1. Finding Funding Presented by Beth Hodges April 2011

2. Today’s discussion Before you Begin: Considerations Identifying Funding Sources Online demonstration of COS Tips

3. Before you begin: Considerations

4. Make Sure You Have Clearly Defined Your Research Have a clearly defined research agenda For beginning investigators, it is essential to define a problem that provides the foundation for a longer term effort. Confirmatory efforts that break little new ground should be avoided. Focus on “Transformative Research” The problem should be hypothesis driven- What is the question? What is the rationale for asking this question?

5. Identifying Funding Sources

6. Ways to Locate Funding The Web Discussion with colleagues Searching literature & by researching where colleagues in your area are obtaining funding– can be done through COS Contact program officers at agencies and pitch ideas; visits to agencies are welcome. FSU has a program for faculty which supports trips to Federal agencies (Funding Agency Travel [FAT] Program http://www.research.fsu.edu/crc/fat.html ) http://www.research.fsu.edu/crc/fat.html

7. Using the WWW for Funding Searches FSU has resources available on the Office of Research Website Community of Science Grants.gov Individual Agency Links Federal Register Etc. Let’s look at the pages….

8. www.research.fsu.edu

10. Community of Science Not just for the hard sciences Arts, humanities, social science opportunities Over 25,000 records worth over $33 Billion Not just federal opportunities Private and Non-profit funders also listed Easy to Search Storable Searches Funding Alerts http://www.research.fsu.edu/cos/index.html http://fundingopps.cos.com/ USER TRAINING AVAILABLE ONLINE

11. Entering your Profile into COS- Why Bother? Completing your COS Expertise profile allows others to find you– provides opportunities for partnerships MyProfile.cos.com – Creates a home page for your CV. Manage your Saved Funding Searches and Tracked Funding Records

12. Other Resources? The Office of Research Newsletter The Foundation Center Online Available from the FSU Foundation Contact at the Foundation is Gabe Grass ggrass@fsu.edu

13. COS Funding LIVE SEARCH

14. Looking for funding…Tips

15. Discuss your research proposal with the funding agency, if you have any questions about their interest in your type of research or the application process Don’t rely on one submission---submit multiple applications for the same project (worry about turning down the award later, if you get more than one application funded) Seek out details of grant eligibility - don’t assume you aren’t eligible by reading the title of the application notice Be Assertive and Proactive

16. Grant Application Tips Read the proposal thoroughly before you begin. If you are applying for a limited submission program, find out what the internal deadline is. Start well ahead of the submission deadline(s) - Gathering supporting documents - Adequate time to solicit and incorporate feedback from others - Last minute revisions to proposal - Internal reviews and approvals

17. Grant Application Tips (cont’d) Spend whatever time is needed to present a well-thought out proposal Be certain to submit all of the funding agency’s required materials ON TIME Adhere to guidelines- page length, font size/density, margins etc. Don’t let your proposal be rejected because of an oversight on your part.

18. Preparing the Budget- Key Points Ask for what you Need Low ball budget undermines your credibility; you will appear naïve in the eyes of the reviewers and panel Same goes for an unrealistically high budget The reviewers and panelists are usually successful grants people. They know the costs of doing business

19. Develop a tough skin Understand that MANY more proposals are declined than awarded. Overall, proposals are increasing and dollars are decreasing At NSF & NIH, less than 25% of proposals are awarded

20. Responding to the declination of a proposal Take the comments of the reviewers very seriously Panel summaries are written to be constructive (and instructive) Contact the program officer; these individuals take detailed notes. He/she will be able to fill in between the lines If your proposal is deemed uncompetitive and has irreparable flaws, move on Respond to the reviewers comments in the resubmission; point out elements that were changed and points that you agree to disagree on; avoid defensive language

21. Finally… Be kind to your grants administrators

22. Questions or Assistance: Beth Hodges FSU Office of Research  3012 Westcott North Building Tallahassee, Fl 32306-1330  bhodges@fsu.edu@fsu.edu  (850) 644-2257  (850) 645-0108 (FAX)