1. After your First Award: Next Steps in Your Journey with NIH
Dr. Anita Bechtholt NIAAA
Dr. Danielle Carlin (NIEHS)
Dr. Ron Kohanski (NIA)
Dr. Grace Shen (NEI)

2. You Got the grant, now what
Leadership

3. Other funds
Diversity supplements: to improve the diversity of the research workforce by supporting and recruiting students, postdocs, and eligible investigators from groups that are underrepresented in health-related research.
Administrative supplements: to meet unforeseen increased costs within the scope of the approved award.
Private foundations

4. Making Hotdogs
Once you have the formula for a successful grant

5. Seek Leadership Training
Maybe there are courses you can take, or books you can read. There are certainly people you can talk to. Who do you see as good leaders. Talk with them.

6. Develop a Leadership Philosophy
What kind of leader do you want to be?
Authentic
Positive energy
Accountability
Decisive
Listen and follow through
Visionary (goal focused, willing to risk)
What are your core values?

7. How could you have been helped?
Be a Good Mentor
Emulate yours
Suggest direction
Provide feedback and praise
Consider the needs of the individual
Look for growth opportunities
Don’t be equals
How could you have been helped?

8. Progress Reports
We really do read them

9. Got results? Where do the data lead?
Prioritize your tasks and set goals.

10. How do you get there? Chart your course Do you need: Funding
Collaborators
Staff
Equipment
Resources

11. What’s right for your stage?

12. Funding: Choosing the right grant
R21/R03
R03 or R21

13. Competing Continuation vs New Application?

14. Funding: Choosing the right grant
Finding Program Announcements
Moving away from PAs

15. Finding Contacts/Mentors
Use Reporter to find program staff, collaborators, mentors, program announcements, study sections

16. Foster Your Network Your friends may become your collaborators
Science is a small world
Don’t burn bridges

17. A side note about mentors…
We don’t all find good formal mentors
mentors can be informal (family, friends, colleagues, program staff)
Good mentors
your best interests
successful
honest
communicators
Good mentors point you toward opportunities: e.g. Apply for this award. A large part of getting an award is applying.
Ask around – who believes mentoring is important?

18. Be careful about former mentors
Collaborators
Be clear about the relationship
maximize your network
chose people you respect
put it in writing
authorship agreement
clear boundaries
Don’t put people on for their name, make sure they have a necessary and well defined role
Be careful about former mentors

19. Staff: Choose Your People
Who do you need?
Technician – Do you know exactly what science you want to do?
Student – Do you have time to dedicate to mentorship?
Postdoc – Do you have enough projects to share ownership of ideas?
Consider active recruiting

20. Physical Resources
Do you need equipment, resources, subjects, or techniques to get where you want to go?
Equipment/Resources – can you share or buy second hand or are there public resources?
Subjects – animal models may be available if they were funded by NIH. Secondary analysis?
Techniques – is there a class or another group to learn from?
Online second hand sources
Does the NIH provide them (e.g. drugs )
Animal developed with NIH funding
Cold spring harbor courses or going to another lab

21. Reaching out to program staff
Idea
Submission
IC and SRG assignment
Council Concurrence
Score and Summary Statement
Peer Review
Prepare Funding Recommendations
Revision
Funds Allocated -
Notice of award
Progress Report

22. Secret to success Final points Learn the rules
Cultivate relationships with program staff
If a PO isn’t helpful, find one who is
Take progress reports seriously
Secret to
success
NIH

23. Are You at risk?
Risky Drinking

24. Thank you! Questions? For more information, please contact us:
Anita Bechtholt