Category: EYE on PI

This is an excellent opportunity for researchers who have incurred significant financial debt to remove this barrier to continue to pursue a career in research. The 2010 application cycle opens September 1 and closes December 1. Our data show that individuals, who begin preparing their application early, are more likely to complete their submission by the December 1 deadline.

NIH welcomes proposals for 2010 NIH Director’s Pioneer Awards and New Innovator Awards. Both programs are part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research http://nihroadmap.nih.gov and support exceptionally creative scientists who take highly innovative, potentially high-impact approaches to major challenges in biomedical or behavioral research.

Don’t miss your opportunity to apply for the 2009-2010 Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP), designed to help selected NIH SBIR Phase II awardees develop their commercial businesses and transition their SBIR-funded technologies into the marketplace.

• Has your company had an active NIH SBIR Phase II award within the past six (6) years?
• Does your company meet current SBIR small business eligibility criteria?

If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, then read on! The application deadline is September 14, 2009.

NIH wants outstanding health professionals to pursue their careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research without feeling limited by educational loan debt. The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) aim to help investigators do just that.

There’s a lot to consider when you are developing a budget for your research grant application. While the best resources at your disposal are the sponsored research programs office at your institution, your departmental administrative officials, your mentors and your peers, we have compiled some tips and reminders that may be helpful for preparing your budget. For more detailed information, visit our Developing Your Budget webpage . We offer a brief overview below.

Implementation of many of the Enhancements to Peer Review began with the May 2009 review meetings, and some applicants are already receiving summary statements with scores determined under the new system. If you need help understanding your grant application’s review scores, read on…

Help reviewers find exactly what they are looking for in your research plan by breaking your proposal down according to the primary review criteria: significance, investigator(s), innovation, approach, and environment. Begin each section with clear, descriptive headers that effectively frame your research plan.

Learning more about projects already funded by NIH can be a great help when you are preparing your grant proposal. Using the Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT), you can craft a comprehensive search of all NIH funding activities according to your specific interests. This search will result in a list of funded projects, for each of which you will be able to view an abstract and statement of public health relevance, as well as contact information for the project’s PI.

There are lots of changes in the works related to the peer review process. Here we compare existing and new peer review processes on scoring.

The OER Extramural Nexus is pleased to introduce a new, regular feature: “Tips for Great Grant Writing.” Although we will begin by addressing the very basics of grant writing, stay tuned because we will soon advance to addressing more complex aspects of the grant writing process. This month’s inaugural column addresses the basic question: what does NIH look for in a grant application?