How to get funded from the National Institutes of

Health

Minda R. Lynch, Ph.D., ChiefBehavioral and Cognitive Science Research

NIDA

What’s NIH? National Cancer Institute National Eye Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Inst. National Human Genome Research Inst National Institute on Aging National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders John E. Fogarty International Center Center for Scientific Review

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institute of Mental Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Institute of Nursing Research National Library of Medicine Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center Center for Information Technology National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine National Center for Research Resources

What Grant Is Right?

- what stage of research career

- what are your research needs- do you need a mentor or collaborators?

- how big is the project?

Talk with the Institute Program staff, they can help match your needs to the right funding mechanism

Research Career Development Timetable

Graduate StudentNRSA F30, F31, T32, R03

Post-docNRSA F32, T32

Early CareerK01, K08, K23, R03, R01, R15, K22

Mid CareerR01, K02, P01

Senior InvestigatorK05, P50, P60

NRSA Pre-doctoral Fellowships

Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (F31)

Individual Predoctoral Fellowship for MD/PhD Students (F30)

FEATURESDuration Up 5 yrs (F31),

6yrs (F30)Mentor YesStipend $15,060 Tuition, Fees, Health

Insurance U.S. Citizen or Naturalized

Resident

NRSA Post-doctoral Fellowships (F32)

Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Stipend based upon the number of years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of the award.

FEATURES

Duration - 3 Years

Mentor - Yes

Stipend - Up to $42,300

Renew - No

Eligibility - US Citizen or naturalized resident

NRSA Traineeships Pre and Post-doctoral (T32)

Institutional Training Grants.

Focus varies at each institution.

Applications go directly to training site.

UB currently has four

T32’s from NIAAA, NIDCR (2), and NIAID

Mentored Career Development Awards (K Awards)

Mentored Research Scientist Development (K01)

Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08)

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development (K23)

Mentored Career Development Award (K25)

FEATURES

Duration - 3,4 or 5 yearsMentor - YesSalary - Up to $90,000

Res. Costs - Up to $50,000Renew - NoReceipt Dates – Feb 1, June 1, Oct

1

Mentored Research Scientist Development

K 01 Research or health professional

doctorate. Needs additional period to gain

expertise in area new to the candidate.

Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award

K 08 Clinicians who are committed to

career in research. Methodologies, theories,

conceptualizations.

Patient-Oriented Research

POR is defined as research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens, and cognitive phenomena) for which an investigator directly interacts with human subjects. This area of research includes: 1) mechanisms of human disease; 2) therapeutic interventions; 3) clinical trials, and ; 4) the development of new technologies.

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development

K 12 Educational Institutions or

Professional Organization Support career development for

clinicians leading to research independence.

Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development

K 23 MD, PhD, DDS, DNSc interested in

patient-oriented research.

Research Development Support

K01, K08, K23 NIH allows for funds up to $50,000

per year for research-related costs outlined in each program announcement.

Other Awards

Small Grant (R03) R01 R15

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM: RO3

Research relevant to any area of the Institute's programmatic mission.

FEATURES

Duration: Up to 2 years.

Research support:

up to $50,000 per year (direct costs) plus

allowable indirect costs.

Not renewable.

* Not all Institutes support this

Behavioral Science Track Award for Rapid Transition NIDA, NIMH, NIAAA

Newly independent behavioral scientists

B/START

FEATURES

Duration - 1 year

Mentor - No

Support - $50,000

Renew - No

Pages - 10 pgs.

Resubmit- No

67

46 53

92

0102030405060708090

100

% F

und

ed

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Fiscal Year

B-START Success Rate at NIDA

*

* * estimatedestimated

Research Awards

Regular Research Awards (R01) FEATURES.

Duration - Up to 5 years.

Mentor - No.

Res. Costs - Not limited.

Renew - Yes.

Pages - 25 pgs.

Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)

To stimulate research in educational institutions that provide baccalaureate training but that have not been major recipients of NIH support.

All health professional schools/colleges and other academic institutions except those that have received research grants and/or cooperative agreements from the NIH totaling more than $2 million per year (in both direct and indirect costs) in each of 4 or more of the last 7years.

Research Awards

Academic Research Enhancement Award AREA (R15)

FEATURES

Duration - up to 3 years

Mentor - No

Res. Costs - $100,000 total

Renew - Yes

Pages - 25 pgs.

Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21)

Explore feasibility of an innovative research question

Doesn’t require preliminary data

FEATURES

Duration - 3 yearsMentor - NoSupport - $100, 000/ yearRenew - NoReceipt Dates – Feb 1, June 1,

Oct 1

Requests for Applications (RFA)Requests for Applications (RFA)

Formal announcement describing an Formal announcement describing an

institute initiative in a well-defined institute initiative in a well-defined

scientific areascientific area

Invitation to the field to submit Invitation to the field to submit

research grant applications for a research grant applications for a

one-time competitionone-time competition

Set-aside of funds for a certain Set-aside of funds for a certain

number of awardsnumber of awards

Program AnnouncementProgram Announcement Invites grant applications in a given Invites grant applications in a given

research arearesearch area

May describe new or expanded interest May describe new or expanded interest in a particular extramural programin a particular extramural program

May be a reminder of a continuing May be a reminder of a continuing interest in a particular extramural interest in a particular extramural programprogram

Generally has no funds set asideGenerally has no funds set aside

Applications reviewed in CSR along with Applications reviewed in CSR along with unsolicited grant applicationsunsolicited grant applications

NIH GUIDENIH GUIDE for Grants and Contractsfor Grants and Contracts

Announces NIH Scientific Announces NIH Scientific InitiativesInitiatives

Provides NIH Policy and Provides NIH Policy and Administrative InformationAdministrative Information

Available on the NIH Web Site : Available on the NIH Web Site : http://www.nih.gov http://www.nih.gov

How are funding decisions made?

Based on priority score

and programmatic need

Who/What is a Grants Management Officer?

Implements the funding process

Watches over the budgetEnsures compliance of

grantee with Institute policies and regulations

You should have sponsored programs call your GMO

Review Criteria

Significance

Approach

Innovation

Investigator

EnvironmentHot “TIP” # 1: Reviewers are asked to identify the STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES of your proposal---USE those words to guide the reviewers

Hot “TIP” # 2: Include basic information where necessary. Only a few of the reviewers will be EXPERTS in all aspects of your application.

Successful Writing Strategies

• Audience: remember your proposal is one of many—20-40 proposals/meeting; one reviewer is responsible for 4 to 8 reviews at 2 to 4 hours per review = a lot of time

• Make your proposal easy to read: larger print, preserve white space; be concise

Concept DevelopmentWhat should you write about?

• Focused sequence of studies that build on one another• Planned studies that:

• are hypothesis-based• provide useful info regardless of outcome• info from one study sets stage for others• have contingency plans if they don’t work

• Questions:• what will be learned• why is it important?

• Common problems--• studies lack cohesiveness

• sequence of experiments is not logical• results of a study results in a dead end• contingency plans either not stated or ill

conceived and are not feasible

Hot “TIP” # 4: Follow the instructions on the 398 form

Common Pitfalls

Be patient – It’s a long processThere are three overlapping cycles per year:

FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN

Cycle 1

Receipt Review Council

Referral Award

Cycle 2

Receipt Review Council

Referral Award

Cycle 3

Receipt

Referral

Review Council

Award

Council

Your application is here.

Finally…..

You won’t get a grant if…..

You Don’t Apply

You won’t get a grant if…..

You Don’t Re-Apply!