1. Grant Writing: Seeing the Big Picture
Jodie M. Plumert
Department of Psychology

2. My areas of expertise Research Foci Funding Reviewing
Behavioral sciences
Interdisciplinary research
Funding
National Science Foundation (NSF)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department of Transportation (DOT)
UI Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC)
Industry (Toyota)
Reviewing
NSF UI
Behavioral sciences: Psychology (developmental psychology, cognitive science), Educational Psychology
Interdisciplinary research: collaborative research with Joe Kearney in CS, SAFER-SIM UTC

3. Why apply for grants?
Once startup money is gone, you need funds to continue your research
Writing grants is very helpful for developing your program of research
Crystallizing your ideas
Figuring out the next steps
1. But what if my research isn’t very costly? Having grant funding will allow you to do cooler stuff more easily and quickly.

4. Collaborative proposals
Team Science
Shift toward collaborative research
Multiple types of expertise often necessary
More fun!
Don’t be afraid to submit proposals with colleagues both at the UI and elsewhere
Practical tips
Need more lead time (set up weekly or bi-weekly meetings)
Clearly designate a PI, but divide up the work

5. Where to start? Get advice from colleagues
What agencies make sense?
Should I write a small grant or a large grant?
Which panel/program is right for this grant?
Read other people’s successful proposals
Start writing!
Ask for advice from colleagues (here and elsewhere) all along the way

6. Selling the big idea The first page or two of the proposal is critical
Must convince your readers why the proposed research is important and cool (interesting). Essentially, you are selling a product
If reviewers like the basic idea, they will overlook picky details
Selling your ideas more broadly to the research community
Go to national conferences and workshops
Do not alienate other researchers (especially senior ones)
Helpful for people on review panels to know you and your work
If reviewers like the basic idea, they will overlook some picky details. If they don’t like or understand the idea, they will look for details to pick on. However, you still have to provide a detailed description of the proposed research methods
By “friend,” I mean someone who likes and respects your work.

7. Quality over quantity Submit quality proposals Follow directions
More is not necessarily better
The importance of good writing
Follow directions
Directly address each point in the proposal instructions
Critical for internal proposals too!
Put yourself in the place of the reviewer
Can someone else understand what I’m talking about?
Helpful to put the proposal down for a few days and come back to it later
Having more quality proposals out there will increase chances of funding, but just having more proposals out there will not increase your chances of funding.
Don’t develop a reputation for writing bad quality proposals. Also remember that you will likely have to revise the proposal, so you want to create the best possible impression the first time around.
Reviewers get annoyed real quick at bad writing.

8. Be proactive Do your homework ahead of time
Talk to colleagues about pros and cons of different agencies and review panels
Talk to program officers about appropriateness of review panel
At NIH, indicate the kinds of expertise necessary to review your grant
After the fact, it is too late!
Very important that your grant is reviewed by the right panel or program
After the review process is complete, it is too late to do anything about the review of your grant. You can cry about how unjust and unfair the reviews are, but it doesn’t matter.

9. Be persistent Don’t expect to get funded on the first round
Send the same/similar proposal to different agencies (e.g., NIH & NSF)
When you get the reviews, try to figure out what the problem was (after you freak out)
Keep submitting grant proposals!
Very few people get funded on the first round. Be happy if you get a decent score.
Not always easy to tell what the problem was on the surface. You can usually tell from the tone of the reviews and panel summary whether the panel is generally interested in funding your proposal at some point in the future. If it doesn’t look promising, you probably need to work harder at selling the big idea.
It’s hard to believe that persistence pays off after you’ve had 3 proposals rejected, but those who continue to submit eventually get funded.