How the NIH Can Help You Get Funded takes a novel, non-formulaic approach in teaching readers how to "write a grant" -- and much more. The authors draw on their decades of experience working with both investigators and NIH personnel to anticipate their questions and concerns and help establish a comfortable, productive partnership between them.With this book's focus on applying this knowledge to their personal grant strategy, readers will learn:? how the NIH operates at the corporate level, as well as the culture and policies of individual institutes and centers? how the NIH budget evolves over the course of a fiscal year and why the timing is important? how to customize NIH Web site searches and use the data to increase chances of success? how to identify appropriate program officers, study sections, and funding opportunitiesThe authors advise readers on developing each component of the grant application in order of the components' influence on the final impact score. Individual funding mechanisms are reviewed along with grantsmanship tips specific to each. Readers learn the importance of reviewer-friendly formatting and organization of the text.The final chapters cover next steps after the application has been submitted-before, during, and after the review and funding decision. Strategies for resubmitting or repurposing applications are provided for those readers whose applications do not receive awards. The authors likewise anticipate the needs of readers who do receive funding but have questions on managing and maintaining their award.Amid ever-increasing competition for government research grants, How the NIH Can Help You Get Funded is an invaluable manual for how to pursue -- and sustain -- NIH funding.

Table of ContentsForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsEssential Steps for Securing NIH Funding: A Quick Guide to Key ConceptsAbbreviationsChapter 1: National Institutes of Health? Overview of agency organization and activities? Congressional authorization and appropriations? Office of the Director components and oversight? Overview of grant application and award process, including timeline over three fiscal yearsChapter 2: Institutes and Centers? Overview of each institute and center, with a common data set for each (key links, contact information, details on how funding decisions are made)? Advisory Council role? Funding trend data where available (number of applications scored and funded at each percentile for FY12 and in some cases FY11)Chapter 3: Center for Scientific Review and the Peer Review Process? Overview of CSR and its activities? Application referral to an IC and study section? Picking the right reviewers? How your application is reviewed (in person and on the Internet)? Tips for crafting your application to help the reviewers? How your application is scored and what the score means? How percentiles are calculated and the difference between percentile, payline, and success rate? Becoming a reviewerChapter 4: Office of Extramural Research? Overview of OER and its activities? Finding and understanding funding opportunities? Preparing the application package? Overview of eRA Commons? Overview of NIH grants policyChapter 5: Federal Budget Process? Impact of federal budget status on NIH funding decisions? Process of proposing and passing the federal budget (and NIH appropriation)? How you can advocate for more NIH funding? What ICs do once they have their final appropriationChapter 6: NIH Funding Data and Trends? Overview of available funding data? Change in success rate by R01 application type and submission (FY03, FY12)? Using NIH data to enhance your grant strategyChapter 7: Getting at Mechanism? Overview of NIH funding mechanisms? Research grants (R)? Small business research project grant mechanisms? Research programs (P)? Career development (K)? Research training (F, T)? Supplements and bridge fundingChapter 8: Telling Your Story Well? Overview of developing your proposal, including where to put preliminary data? Correlation between individual criterion scores and impact score? Specific aims? Approach? Significance? Innovation? Introduction? Protection of research subjects? Project summary (abstract)? Investigators and environment? Cover letter? BudgetChapter 9: Presenting Your Message Well? Organizing your ideas in parallel with review process? Reader-friendly formatting tips? Science of communicating (rhetoric)? Videos in NIH applicationsChapter 10: Getting by with a Little Help from Your Friends? Interacting with POs (tips and etiquette)? Importance of having others read your narrativeChapter 11: Before and After the Review? Interacting with the SRO before the review? What to expect the week your application is reviewed? When and how to interact with your PO after the review? Council actions after the review? Why appeals are rarely a good idea (and what to do when one is warranted)? Administrative review of the application and award processingChapter 12: Is the Check in the Mail?? Understanding what your score and, if included, percentile mean? Timing of payline setting and funding decisions? Interacting with your POChapter 13: The Check is Not in the Mail? Next-steps if your application was not discussed or did not make the paylist? Strategies for resubmission? Timing of resubmission? Whether to change study sections? Repurposing your application? Long-term grant application strategyChapter 14: The Check is in the Mail, BUT? Reduction in budget and/or number of years? If you relocate to another institution? Carrying funds over from one FY to the next and no-cost extensions? Compliance with NIH Public Access Policy required for non-competing renewal and citing NIH support in manuscriptsAppendix AIndex