Researchers, please give your input re the NIH request for information on a proposed revision of the framework for evaluating and scoring NIH research grants.

Deadline for providing input is March 10, 2023. Link below:

#NIHgrants #researchers

https://rfi.grants.nih.gov/?s=638509b5409baa49f803e572

One thing I love about mastodon is how easy it is to follow tags, especially in @icecubesapp ❤️

One thing that makes me sad is how few posts are tagged #NIHgrants

i’m going to work on changing that—help me if you’re able! 👍

KEEP YOUR GRANT ADMINISTRATOR HAPPY

(that’s the person who helps you put together your application and navigate both NIH and institutional requirements and preferences)

If they want you to update your biosketch to a "new" form that is literally identical to the old one, do it.

If they want PMCIDs added to your references, do it.

If they want everything a week earlier than you think they need it, do it.

Being on their good side is worth it.

(This is all assuming they aren't a disaster...which hopefully they aren't. I've been lucky to have excellent ones.)

#GrantWritng #NIHgrants

The evolution of grant length

1 week before deadline: my grant is too short but that’s OK I'm writing
2 days before deadline: still a little short…😬
1 day before deadline: omg too long! too long! cut cut cut
2 hours before deadline: wait how do I have half a page left to fill
deadline: it just so happens that everything I have to say fits in exactly 12 pages and if you even think about resizing a figure I will end your life

#GrantWriting #NIHgrants

The evolution of grant length

1 week before deadline: my grant is too short but that’s OK I'm writing
2 days before deadline: still a little short…😬
1 day before deadline: omg too long! too long! cut cut cut
2 hours before deadline: wait how do I have half a page left to fill
deadline: it just so happens that everything I have to say fits in exactly 12 pages

#GrantWriting #NIHgrants

Attendees will be able to connect with NIA staff during 20-minute, 1:1 “Meet the Expert” sessions by appointment only. #NIHgrants

https://https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/2023-nih-grants-conference-funding-policies-processes?utm_source=nia-twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=funding-202302

Use styles. For example, headings.

All you LaTeX people are used to this (\sec, \subsec, etc.) but I am always shocked at how many users of Word (etc.) style everything by hand.

Is it a top level heading? Heading 1.

Next level? Heading 2.

And so on. My grants usually go down 5 levels.

The beauty is not only consistency (although that's nice, too) but that if you need to change something, you just change it one place (the style) and it magically changes everywhere in your document.

I first became aware of the content vs. presentation thinking when working with HTML and CSS in the olden days, followed by LaTeX - so styles in word processors seemed only natural. But I realize that's not true for everyone!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_content_and_presentation

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

When possible, before and during writing look at 5-10 examples of grants written for the same mechanism (funded or not). This will help inspre you both positively and negatively. The specific topic may not be as important as overall style.

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

I was today years old when I learned that

1. NIH grant instructions say all public access articles need a NIHMS or PMCID in your Bibliography and References Cited section and

2. Some grant administrators enforce this rule 😱

#NIHgrants #GrantWriting

Sometimes, when I’m writing a grant, I have a huge sense of accomplishmen once I’m happy with the specific aims, and the budget is finalized. After I get to that point, I almost feel like the whole grant is written.

This is not necessarily a good thing, because I still have to, you know, write the grant.

and no, there is no particular reason I mention this now with a February 5 deadline coming up why would you even think that

#NIHgrants #GrantWriting

NIH funding is not a meritocracy. Luck — both good and bad — plays a huge role, as does bias. This truth can be depressing to acknowledge but can also set you free (e.g., from being too hard on yourself).

Corollary: until we fix the system, submit a lot of (respectable, if not perfect) grants if you want to get funded.

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

Make the reviewer's job easy. You want them to know what the goal of the grant is? Include a sentence that says "The goal of this grant is to...".

Reviewers judging innovation? Include a heading called "Innovation" and have a bulleted list of innovative aspects.

This isn't a Jedi mind trick and can backfire if what you make clear isn't convincing. But in general I like this strategy.

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

Make the reviewer's job easy. You want them to know what the goal of the grant is? Include a sentence that says "The goal of this grant is to...".

Reviewers judging innovation? Include a heading called "Innovation" and have a bulleted list of innovative aspects.

This isn't a Jedi mind trick and can backfire if what you make clear isn't convincing. But in general I like this strategy.

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

The difference between study sections and institutes/centers was also confusing for me at first. Understanding the different kinds of science reviewed by different study sections, and the fact that my study section request would not always be honored, were critical points in my development.

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

A big step for me was understanding my audience. I wrote my first R01 envisioning an expert in my little subdomain reading it, and as a result spent far too much time on small details at the expense of the big picture. (That grant, not surprisingly, was Not Discussed.)

#NIHgrants #ECRgrantAdvice

What are the most important pieces of advice for early career researchers thinking about writing an NIH grant? What was most useful to you, or what do you wish you had known but didn’t?

Happy to hear the worst advice also… 😬

#GrantWriting #NIHgrants #science #neuroscience

Let the me like the cool kids are doing a hashtag post. I wonder how many of these I’ll have to do to think of everything
#TBI #TBIresearch #concussion #research #stem #scientist #researchscientist #PhD #steminist #queerscientist #academia #academicscience #neuroscience #postdoc #postdoctoralfellow #nihgrants #immunohistochemistry #ihc

Research Project Grant Funding Rates and Principal Investigator Race and Ethnicity
https://diversity.nih.gov/blog/2022-06-15-research-project-grant-funding-rates-and-principal-investigator-race-and-ethnicity #ginthergap #BlackinSTEM #NIH #NIHGrants