Steven M. Dubinett, Director, UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Senior Associate Dean for Translational Research

1. Steven Dubinett, MD
Director, UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
GETTING FUNDED
WHERE TO BEGIN AND WHAT TO CONSIDER
K Workshop
July 9, 2015
THE TOP 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING
UCLA
CTSI

2. • Graduate and medical students
• Postdoctoral and clinical fellows
• Junior faculty
GRANT WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS

3. • An experienced mentor is key
to your success
• A specific mentorship plan is
absolutely required.
• Describe how this mentored
research plan will benefit YOU!
MENTORSHIP

4. • Criteria for reviewers
– Significance
– Investigator and mentor
– Innovation
– Approach
– Environment
REVIEW CRITERIA

5. 1. Organize goals and priorities
2. Mentorship: get advice from
experienced investigators EARLY!
3. Choose your funding agency and
know your audience
4. Be up-to-date with the literature
5. Establish collaborations
THE TOP 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING

6. 6. Be aware of the overly ambitious pitfall
7. Respond to and learn from the critiques
8. Ideas are cheap but research is expensive
9. Advertise your results to leaders in the field
10.Writing a grant is creative and inseparable
from ongoing research
THE TOP 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING

7. Organize goals and priorities
• Establish an overall hypothesis
• Draft specific aims that address the
hypothesis
• Draft, refine and edit with your mentor
1

8. Mentorship: get advice from
experienced investigators EARLY!
• Review all aspects of proposal with
your mentor
• Review your ideas with other
experienced investigators
2

9. Choose your funding agency and
know your audience
• Know your study section
• Follow requirements
• Think outside the NIH box
3

10. • Think outside the NIH box
State agencies
• Cancer Prevention and Research
Institute of Texas (CPRIT)
• Tobacco-Related Disease Research
Program (TRDRP)
International agencies
• Cancer Research UK
• Israel Science Foundation
• Dutch Cancer Society
• Wellcome Trust
• Swiss National Foundation
Industry
Other government
agencies
• DOD
• FDA
• VA
Foundations &
non-government agencies
• ACS
• Komen Foundation
• LungEVITY

11. Be up-to-date with the literature
• Is my idea new? To determine novelty,
read what’s been done in your field
• You learn something new each time
you prepare a proposal
44

12. Establish collaborations
5

13. Be aware of the overly ambitious pitfall
• Don’t include every good idea you’ve
ever had in a proposal
• Have a theme and stick to it
• Anticipated problems and alternative
plans
6

14. Respond to and learn from the critiques
• Critiques are suggestions to improve
your study
• Everyone will experience rejection
• Think about your revision as an
opportunity to improve your study
7

15. Respond to the critiques
• Praise and thank the reviewer
“We appreciate the reviewers’ comments. We have
thoroughly revised the proposal in accord with their
suggestions.
Our response to each of the reviewer’s comments is
summarized below, and changes to the research
plan are indicated in the proposal by a vertical line in
the right margin.”
7

16. Respond to the critiques
• Go through the summary statement
making a list of each criticism
• Respond to each point with specific
answers
• State that each of these is addressed
in the revised proposal
7

17. Respond to the critiques
• Review your responses with an
experienced senior investigator
• Your response is the most important
section of a revised proposal
7

18. Ideas are cheap,
research is expensive
• Good ideas are fundable ideas
• Start by getting on first base
8

19. Advertise your results
to leaders in your field
• Present at meetings
• Engage with colleagues and
senior investigators at your poster
• Each proposal tells the scientific
community who you are
9

20. Writing a grant proposal is creative
and inseparable from ongoing research
RESEARCH
GRANT
WRITING
10

21. “I got a rejection notice.
Is my career over?”
Answer:
No, your career is just starting.
EVERYONE gets rejected.
Question #1

22. Question #2
“I’m angry with
those reviewers.
Are they out to get
me?”
Answer:
No, the reviewers are trying to help
you. Answer the critiques politely and
be respectful.

23. Question #3
“I’ll re-apply. Should I
put in every good
idea I’ve ever had to
impress them?”
Answer:
No, the reviewers’ most common criticism
of a junior investigator’s application is
that it is OVERLY ambitious.

24. “Hooray! I just got
funded. Now do I
get to celebrate?”
Question #4
Yes!

25. 1. Organize goals and priorities
2. Mentorship: get advice from
experienced investigators EARLY!
3. Choose your funding agency and
know your audience
4. Be up-to-date with the literature
5. Establish collaborations
THE TOP 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING

26. 6. Be aware of the overly ambitious pitfall
7. Respond to and learn from the critiques
8. Ideas are cheap but research is expensive
9. Advertise your results to leaders in the field
10.Writing a grant is creative and inseparable
from ongoing research
THE TOP 10 REQUIREMENTS FOR FUNDING

27. Everyone gets rejected Being angry won’t help
Think of new ideas for revision Celebrate success