Jan 26, 2015 1

Some Science Funding Sources in the US

Iddo FriedbergMiami University

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Funding Sources

● Public funding– Federal

– State

● Intramural– Within you institute

● Private– Industry

– Non-profit foundations

● Crowdfunding– Power of the

interwebz

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Federal Funding

● Serve the different missions of Federal agencies

● Major source of science funding in the US

● NIH: health● NSF: general science,

engineering, education● DOE: genomics,

environment, microbial ecology – National labs.

● NASA: genomics, climate● DHS: national security,

pathogens● USDA: agriculture

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Get Ready...

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“to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.”

http://www.nih.gov/about/mission.htm

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● Largest: $30.1 billion (2010)● Intramural & extramural● Many programs and institutes● Research-high institutes

favored*● No overt educational mission*● Mostly in US*

* Exceptions apply

● A few institutes:– National Library of Medicine

– National Cancer Institute

– National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

– National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

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National Science Foundation

● $7.03B (2012)● Single lab grants generally

lower than NIH● Anything but health* ● Emphasize education,

outreach, diversity● Science quality counts● Funds many scientific fields● Mostly in US**

* Exception apply: disease ecology** Binational foundations & collaborations

"to strengthen research and education in science and engineering throughout the United States and to avoid undue concentration of such research and education."

"to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense…"

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US Department of Agriculture

● Seven priority research topics:– Global Food Supply and Security

– Climate and Energy Needs

– Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

– Nutrition and Childhood Obesity

– Food Safety

– Education and Science Literacy

– Rural-urban Interdependence/Rural Prosperity

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US Department of Agriculture

● Education, outreach and research● Funding: largely in the Land Grant

university system● Microbiology: Soil microbiome, plant

and animal pathogens● CSREES: Cooperative State

Research Education and Extension Service

● Competitive grants– Eligibility determined

case-by-case

● Formula grants– Eligibility: Land grant

system

● Non-competitive grant

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US Department of Energy

● Closely tied to research in National Labs (get to know people there)

● Biology & Environment Research (BER): main source for biology funding

● Genomics, remediation, bioenergy

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Joint Genome Institute Community Science Program

● CSP Annual: large-scale genomics

● JGI-EMSL: biofeuls, plant-microbe interactions

● Small scale ● Synthetic biology:

genomics + functional screening & bioprospecting

“The Community Science Program (CSP) was created to provide the scientific community at large with access to high-throughput sequencing and other resources at the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (JGI) for projects of relevance to DOE missions.”

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NASA

● Astrobiology: extremeophiles

● Human health in space● Climate change● Cryogenics● STEM education● Source: NSPIRES

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Federal Contracts (all agencies)

● Different than grants

● Well-defined goals and budgets

● Funds the development of: instrumentation, software and methods

“A contract is a legally binding agreement with which federal agencies may solicit particular terms and conditions in order to acquire a desired service or good furnished by the selected awardee who demonstrates the best proposal to achieve the service or good technically and economically. The award instrument for a contract is an acquisition mechanism. Whereas, a grant is awarded via an assistance mechanism.”

Two components to a contract submission:

1. The Technical Proposal -Project planPersonnel and facilities descriptionSummary budget

2. The Business Proposal -Detailed budget information with backup pricing data

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SBIR/STTR (Almost all Federal agencies)

● Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer

● The business is the main grantee, but money can go to the university

● FOA via the Federal agencies● < 500 employees● 3 Phases: Phase I & II require

collaboration with a research institute

● Phase I. establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed R/R&D efforts <= $150,000 total costs for 6 months.

● Phase II. continue the R/R&D efforts initiated in Phase I. Funding is based on the results achieved in Phase I and the scientific and technical merit and commercial potential of the project proposed in Phase II. < $1,000,000 total costs for 2 years.

● Phase III. pursue commercialization objectives resulting from the Phase I/II R/R&D activities. The SBIR program does not fund Phase III. Federal agency may decide to fund outside the program.

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Understanding Federal grant (Opportunities & Fit)

Institute type (R1, R2, teaching, land/sea/space

grant)

State: EPSCoR? Your career stage (early investigators

can double-dip)

DiversityResearch question

Apply to appropriate programs

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Private Foundations

● Mission-specific● Calls on different

dates● Some don't have

RFA's● IDC negotiable● Less transparent

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Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

● Grants: medium/large (>$1M)

● Data science● Ecology● Science learning

assessment● Plant science with

HHMI

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Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Global Health Global Development US Program

$3.6M in 2013

● Vaccine Discovery● Drug discovery● Maternal & child health● Rotavirus, shigella,

Typhoid, Cholera● Treatment & delivery● HIV: vaccine R&D, anti-RV

prevention● Malaria● Pneumonia● Tuberculosis

● Agriculture development● Emergency response● Family planning● Nutrition● Polio● Vaccine delivery● Water sanitation

Access to college education

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Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

● Young Investigator Fellowships: for early career, tenure track scientists. $50,000 / 2 years

● Other:

– Basic Research

– STEM Higher Education

– Public Understanding of Science, Technology and Economics

– Digital information Technology

– Economic Performance and the Quality of Life

– Select National Issues

– Civic Initiatives

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Intramural Opportunities

● Get on the right email lists in your institutes

● Talk with potential collaborators early – gain trust

● Push the right buttons in the application: what does your institute care about?

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Crowdfunding

● Need high public appeal:– Understandable &

relevant problem

– “Coolness” factor

– Educational aspect

● Need high social media presence (Twitter, reddit)

● Understand funding site overheads

● Prenegotiate your uni's policy vs. crowdfunding (matching $$, IDC requirements)

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Crowdfunding

● Well-defined finite projects

● Fewer $$$● Can't sustain a multi-

year program (yet)

● Citizen science / crowdsourced science particularly appealing

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Grantsmanship 101What do I want to do?

Which agency / program / section?

Browse programs carefully

Consult:PO (at agency program)Grants & contracts (your institute)Colleagues

Convince the program that 1. your research fits their mission!2. You are able to accomplish the outlined goals

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URL's

● Federal– http://grants.gov

● Contracts:– http://fedbizops.gov

● NIH:– http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm

● NSF– http://www.nsf.gov/funding/

● NASA– http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/

● DOE/BER– http://science.energy.gov/ber/

● USDA– http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/funding.cfm

● GBMF– http://www.moore.org/programs/science

● Gates– http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

● Blogs– Drug Monkey (independent)

http://drugmonkey.scientopia.org/

– Rock talk (NIH) http://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/category/blog/

● Crowdfunding– Experiment.com

– Sciencedonors.com

– Petridish.org

– Useed.org

– Consano.org