CRC Grant Writing Workshop DOE Session

1. CRC Grant Writing WorkshopDOE Session Harrison B. Prosper Department of Physics April 30, 2009 CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

2. Topics • Department of Energy – Office of Science • Program Offices • An Example • Office of High Energy Physics • Some Advice • Summary CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

3. DOE – Office of Science CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

4. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

5. Office of Science • Provides 40% of funding for basic science • FY2008 $3,973M • FY2009 $4,722M (requested) • ~ 1/3 goes directly to > 300 colleges and universities • Funding Opportunity Announcements • A general announcement is published annually For this year, the due date for proposals is: • September 30, 2009, 8 PM EST • Solicitations for specific areas occur from time to time CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

6. Office of Science • Proposal Submission • Must be to one of several Program Offices • Submitted (on your behalf by C&G) through Grants.gov (http://grants.gov) • Program Offices • Advanced Scientific Computing Research • Basic Energy Sciences • Biological and Environmental Research • Fusion Energy Sciences • High Energy Physics • Nuclear Physics CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

7. Office of Science • Research Areas • Each Program Office supports several research areas. • Every grant is assigned to a Technical Program Manager, who is associated with a particular research area. • Technical Program Managers • All questions regarding the program or research area must be directed to the Technical Program Manager for your grant. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

8. Typical Structure of Proposals • Front matter • DOE Face Page • Budget Pages (1 for each year + total) • Budget Explanations • Abstract • Narrative • Introduction, …, Publications • University Support, Current and Pending Support • CVs, • Current Budget, Current Budget Explanation CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

9. An ExampleHigh Energy Physics CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

10. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

11. Funding • How much funding is reasonable? • Ask for what you genuinely believe you need to do excellent research… • …but, be mindful of the funding profile for your Program Office CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

12. Funding Profile (FY 2004) CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

13. Funding Profile (FY 2004) CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

14. Some Advice CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

15. Some Advice • Introduction • A proposal is a request to use other people’s money, to which none of us is entitled. • If you want to have a serious chance of success, you must put serious thought into making the case: “why I should be given other people’s money”. • Be persistent: good proposals do, eventually, get funded. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

16. Some Advice • General Advice • Learn from those who have had recent success • By all means read proposals of old fogeys, but be warned: many are funded in large measure because they are already established. • Know the hand that feeds you • Get to know your Program Manager and get informal feedback before you submit a proposal. • Be complete • Ask for everything you need. But make sure you justify every item. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

17. Some Advice • General Advice • Double your money • Try to secure matching funds from the University for capital expenditures; e.g., from the Office of the Vice President. • Write engagingly • Some poor souls will read this. Don’t annoy them! • Tell a coherent, interesting, story. This is the key to success. Laundry lists irritate. • Use the active voice • Use a spell checker CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

18. Some Advice • General Advice • Write engagingly • Make it clear, within the first page or two, what you intend to do. • Since you are not yet established, describe some of your documented research accomplishments as a post doc, or a new faculty member. Your goal is to convince several reviewers that you have what it takes to execute the proposed program of work. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

19. Some Advice • General Advice • Write engagingly • If the proposal is the work of several co-PIs, make such it is clear who is to do what. • Keep the prose to the point. Absolutely do not pad. If the proposal is written by several people, assign the job of editor to the best writer on your team. • The editor’s job is to give the proposal the illusion that it was written by a single mind. • Repetition is fine, up to a point, so long as it has a useful purpose, such as: making the reviewers’ job easier. CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper

20. Summary • Proposals • with bad ideas invariably fail. • with good ideas, but that are badly written often fail. • that are well written and have good ideas will eventually succeed, so don’t give up! • Learn from others • Do what you are doing today. • Learn from those in your peer group who have had recent success. • Get to know your Program Manager CRC Grant Writing Workshop - 2009 Harrison B. Prosper