Writing Research Grant Applications Jeffrey Parsons Associate Dean Research Faculty of Business Administration

1. 1 Writing Research Grant ApplicationsJeffrey ParsonsAssociate Dean � ResearchFaculty of Business Administration

2. 2 Outline My Background (or Why Listen?) Scope Should you bother? A Researcher�s Perspective A Review Committee Member�s Perspective The Application Dealing with the Outcome

3. 3 My Background Written many grant applications Currently funded by SSHRC and NSERC Previously served on (and chaired) the Industrial Engineering Grant Selection Committee of NSERC Currently a member of the peer review college of EPSRC (UK)

4. 4 Scope �Standard research grant� applications Some comments will apply to other kinds of grant applications Comments may not apply to contract research

5. 5 Should you Bother? Grant applications can consume lots of time Funding is not guaranteed + Funding facilitates research + Funding success may affect tenure and promotion decisions

6. 6 A Researcher�s Perspective - Research Agenda Doctoral research reflects your interests Doctoral research represents substantial investment in developing an area of expertise Enables you to �hit the ground running� in your first faculty position Extensions of your doctoral research often form the basis of your tenure decision Early applications should be based on continuing with your doctoral work

7. 7 To Collaborate or Not Collaboration allows complementary expertise to be brought to bear on a research problem Agencies seem to be developing separate programs for collaborative and interdisciplinary projects But... Evidence of independent work is especially important early in a career Sometimes difficult to get collaborative work funded

8. 8 A Review Committee Member�s Perspective Workload is extremely onerous Time available to discuss each application is very limited Often dealing with proposals outside your area of expertise NOT a double-blind review process There are not enough funds to support all worthy proposals received

9. 9 The Application Preparing Writing (Theresa) Submitting (Theresa) Dealing with the outcome

10. 10 Preparing:Choosing a Topic What makes a promising research topic? Intellectual and/or Practical Promise Theoretical Underpinnings Novelty Currency

11. 11 Preparing:Assessing Potential Contribution How can you gauge the potential contribution of the proposed research? With great difficulty Recent developments in the subject area Risk-return tradeoff Knowledge of the subject area Talk to established researchers

12. 12 Preparing:Defining the Scope What is an appropriate scope for the proposal? Grand unification theories are likely to be met with scepticism �Yet another permutation on a theme� tends to be evaluated negatively when budgets are tight Talk to someone with experience in grant writing or reviewing

13. 13 Preparing:Taking Stock Are you ready to submit a major application? Establish some track record in the subject area first (e.g., conference papers) Discuss your ideas with an expert in the field first Apply for seed funding to get you started in a new area

14. 14 Writing - Miscellaneous Do�s Do edit what you�ve written Do have colleagues review the proposal with a critical eye Do start work on the application well in advance of the deadline Do select potential reviewers carefully If applicable, include letters of support from sites (e.g., companies) where you intend to conduct the research

15. 15 Writing - Miscellaneous Don�t�s Don�t submit the same application to two funding sources at the same time Don�t resubmit a rejected application without addressing problems identified in the rejected submission

16. 16 Submission Issues Include samples of your best research Don�t include an entire dissertation Other things being equal, short documents have more impact on reviewers and committees Make sure your application goes to the proper review committee

17. 17 Dealing with the Outcome - You are Funded Revise your strategy in the context of the amount of funds you were awarded Start work as soon as possible Avoid the temptation to pursue projects outside the scope of the funded research Don�t be afraid to deviate from the proposed research plan where warranted Don�t wait until the final year of the grant to start submitting papers based on it

18. 18 Dealing with the Outcome - You are not Funded Don�t despair Read the comments accompanying the decision Put it aside for a few weeks Read the comments again Consider an appeal Revise your proposal to address the concerns Resubmit a revised proposal in the next competition (particularly if you are �4A�)

19. 19 Final Comments Colleagues are generally more than willing to provide constructive criticism on your proposal Grant selection committees are composed of researchers Committees want to fund your research Agencies are sensitive to issues such as regional equity and special problems facing small universities