Elements of a Successful NIH Grant Application: Peer Review ...

1. Elements of a Successful NIH Grant Application: Peer Review Perspectives Society for Personality and Social Psychology 22 February 2005

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3. Center for Scientific Review Responsible for review of ~70% of the research grant applications submitted to NIH 4 Divisions, each with own Director 22 Integrated Review Groups (IRGs), each with own Chief 5-10+ study sections/IRG, each with own SRA (Scientific Review Administrator)

4. Study Section Organization Study section vs. Special Emphasis Panel Study sections meet 3 times/year SRA manages study section 16-24+ study section members (4-year terms; one member serves as Chair) Temporary members vary each meeting Typical study section reviews 60-100 applications per meeting

5. Pre-Meeting Review Process SRA assigns appropriate reviewers to each application Conflicts of interest identified Applications sent 6 weeks prior to meeting Reviewers post critiques and provisional scores on NIH web site 3-4 days prior to meeting Reviewers read colleagues’ critiques (excluding conflicts) prior to meeting

6. Meeting Review Process I Approximate lower half applications identified, not discussed (“streamlined”) Remaining applications discussed in order Typically 3 reviewers Conflicts absent from room Reviewers assess adequacy of inclusion of women, minorities, & children & protection of human subjects Assigned reviewers establish range of priority scores, but all present vote Confidentiality of review a high priority

7. Meeting Review Process II Standard review criteria: significance; approach; innovation; investigator; environment Human subjects inclusion and protection can affect the score Priority scores can range from 1.0 to 5.0 CSR median is 2.5 Scores in regular study sections percentiled against 2 prior study section meeting distributions Special consideration for “new investigators’” (no prior R01 or R29 as PI) R01 submissions Unpaid applications, including those streamlined, can be resubmitted twice

8. Post Meeting Review Process Reviewers have opportunity to revise written critiques based on discussion & reading of colleagues’ critiques SRA writes Resume & Summary of Discussion for scored applications’ summary statements Unscored applications receive critiques only Summary statements available within 4-6 weeks For post meeting information Contact IC program official, NOT SRA

9. The Social Psychological Imagination: Elements of a Compelling Argument for Research Funding Joel Cooper Princeton University NIH (and NIMH) review panel “retired”

10. Reviewers review a proposal A proposal for grant funding is a matter of persuasion. The proposal needs to be “sold” to a group of mostly smart, mostly sympathetic, and mostly overworked reviewers. There is very little room for peripheral route persuasion in a grant proposal

12. This is central route stuff. Make the words matter!

13. How we write reviews:Persuasion and the priority score What are the criteria that the committee considers to assign priority scores? The approach. Reviewers will carefully analyze the methods and techniques you use. Do the methods adequately address the issues you raised? Are the plans for quantitative analysis sufficient? But: There are two other criteria that are crucial for a good score that emphasize the imagination and creativity you bring to the request: Significance and Innovation

14. What sells? What convinces the readers that the proposal is significant and innovative? Excite the readers about the importance of the topic Excite the readers about the innovative new methods you have devised for studying a topic better Speak to the Big Picture Convince the reader that there is something new, broad and interesting in the research you will propose.

15. Where is the big picture communicated? In an NIH grant application, you will write an abstract You are also asked to write a bizarre-sounding section on “Specific Aims” This is the primacy effect in persuasion. As readers, our interest is piqued by these early sections. You can get us back later You can lose us later But this is the primary opportunity to convince the reader that the proposal is unique, imaginative and significant.

16. You tell the reviewers: Why you think your total body of work is new, important, integrative. Do it early and do it often. Don’t ask the reviewers to make your case for you. It’s your research area. You know why it’s important, groundbreaking or innovative. You should tell the reviewers (while avoiding the impression of arrogance.)

27. Preparing Students to Write Successful Grant Applications Jennifer Crocker University of Michigan

28. Why is that Important? Because we want our students to be successful, and to make contributions to the fieldBecause we want our students to be successful, and to make contributions to the field

29. Benefits of Applying for Grant Support Programmatic thinking is a benefit whether the project is funded or notProgrammatic thinking is a benefit whether the project is funded or not

30. Benefits of Receiving Grant Support Programmatic thinking is a benefit whether the project is funded or notProgrammatic thinking is a benefit whether the project is funded or not

31. How Can We Teach Students this Skill? These have benefits for you, as well as your students, but also costs. What is the student up to? Delegate tasks but don’t dump it on them These have benefits for you, as well as your students, but also costs. What is the student up to? Delegate tasks but don’t dump it on them

32. Thinking Programmatically: Start with the Big Picture This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

33. Who Might Fund this Work? This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

34. Writing the Proposal This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

35. Deciding on the Studies This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

36. Writing the Method This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

37. Obstacles: Things that Derail Say that you will randomly assign to conditions, counterbalance order, debrief, etc.Say that you will randomly assign to conditions, counterbalance order, debrief, etc.

38. Goals that will Help This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

39. Review Proposals This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the This is your life; what do you want to do with it? What difference do you want to make through your scholarship and research? When I was starting out as an assistant professor, I was in survival mode; what do I need to do to make it here? At least in my case, it didn’t help me take the larger perspective. I want all my students who are finishing this year to write a research statement, focused not on what they have done, but on what they want to contribute through their research. It’s the

50. Assigning Reviewers to Grant Applications: An SRA Perspective Anna L. Riley, Ph.D. Scientific Review Administrator Social Psychology, Personality, and Interpersonal Processes Study Section Center for Scientific Review

51. Finding the Expertise Needed Abstract: provides the basic or general information Specific Aims- purpose of the research Research Design and Methods: hypotheses, sample, special analyses/procedures, measures/scales Citations- who is cited ?

52. The Reviewers Regular Members: quite often the regular study section members will have the expertise needed. Adhoc Members: In addition to regular study section members, adhoc reviewers are recruited to provide additional or special expertise on applications. Telephone Reviewer- Reviewers that cannot attend the meeting in person--- but have needed expertise for applications

53. Multidisciplinary Applications Multidisciplinary applications – can be a challenge. It is sometimes difficult to cover all the application---- identify the principle parts.

54. Finding Reviewers IMPAC II or CRISP- NIH databases Library Database – Ovid, PsycINFO, etc. Colleges and Universities Websites Recommendation from other reviewers