Grantwriting: Who Reviews Grants? Janet E. Hall, MD Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital
Postdoc Association
Office for Research Career Development
Grantwriting:
Who Reviews Grants?
Janet E. Hall, MD
Reproductive Endocrine Unit
Department of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA
Today’s Goals
1. Understanding the Review Process
– what happens when you submit a grant to the
NIH (or other agency)?
– how does this influence how you prepare your
application?
– who can you talk to?
2. Resources
Understanding the Review Process
Submission of a Grant
Grant Application
PI
Initiates
Research
Idea
Institution
Reviews the
Application
Submits the
Application
Conducts
Research
Allocates
Funds
NIH
What’s in the Box?
• NIH is one of eight health agencies that are part of the US DHHS
• NIH is composed of 27 separate Institutes or Centers
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Office of the Director
Nat’l Cancer Institute
Nat’l Eye Institute
Nat’l Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
Nat’l Human Genome Research
Institute
Nat’l Institute on Aging
Nat’l Institute on Alcohol Abuse &
Alcoholism
National Institute of Allergy &
Infectious Diseases
Nat’l Institute of Arthritis &
Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases
Nat’l Institute of Child Health &
Human Development
Nat’l Institute on Deafness & Other
Communication Disorders
Nat’l Institute of Dental Research
• Nat’l Institute of Diabetes & Digestive &
Kidney Diseases
• Nat’l Institute on Drug Abuse
• Nat’l Institute of Environ Hlth Sciences
• Nat’l Institute of General Medical
Sciences
• Nat’l Institute of Mental Health
• Nat’l Institute of Neurological
Disorders & Stroke
• Nat’l Institute of Nursing Research
• Nat’l Library of Medicine
• Nat’l Center for Research Resources
• John E. Fogarty International Center
• Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical
Center
• Center for Information Technology
• Center for Scientific Review (CRS,
formerly DRG)
Know your NIH Institute!
• Look at NIH Institute-specific websites
(www.niddk.nih.gov)
• Learn Institute’s research priorities
• Look at Institute’s application success rates
(# applications; # awards):
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/award/success.htm
Types of Scientific Review Groups
ScientificGroups (SRG)
CSR
• Regular Study Sections
• Special Study Sections
• Special Emphasis
Panels
Institutes
• Scientific Review
Groups
• Contract Review
Committees
Applications Reviewed
• Research Project Grant
• Academic Research Enhancement
Awards
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Small Business Innovation
Research
• Shared Instrumentation
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Program Projects
Centers
Institutional Training Grants
Contracts
RFA’s
Conference Grants
Career Awards
Some Small Grants
NIH System of Peer Review
Center for Scientific Review
• assigns to Study Section & Institute/Center
Study Section
• evaluates for Scientific Merit
Institute
• evaluates for Program Relevance
Advisory Councils and Boards
• recommends action
Institute Director
• takes final action for NIH Director ($)
Initial Review: Scientific Merit
Assignment to Study Section
Information Sent to Investigator
• assignment number
• name, address and telephone number of the
scientific review administrator (SRA) of the
Review Group to which the application is
assigned
• assigned Institute contact and telephone
number (s)
Who Assigns the Applications?
• Referral Officers
• Professional Scientists most of whom also
serve as Scientific Review Administrators of
CSR Study Sections
Can I Influence the Assignment?
• Cover Letter
• indicate the Study Section which you think is
most appropriate
• study section rosters and overall
interests are posted
• Reorganization is ongoing
• indicate the Institute(s) likely to be interested
in funding your work
Initial Review: Scientific Merit
Constitution of Study Section by SRA
• ensures expertise to review all grants
• distributes grants among reviewers
Grants Forwarded to Reviewers
• reviewed for conflict of interest and
appropriateness of assignment
• each reviewer will have 8-12 grants to review
in full as primary, secondary or reader
• reviewers will receive all grants (60-75 in total)
Initial Review: Scientific Merit
• CSR Study Sections
• review 80,000 applications per year
~ 70-75% of applications reviewed by NIH
• uses ~18,000 external reviewers
• Study Section Membership
• ~ 16 members - regular and ‘ad hoc’
• term is 3-4 years with staggered appointments
• Criteria for Selection to Study Section
• demonstrated scientific expertise
• mature judgement, balanced perspective, and
objectivity
• personal integrity - critical re confidentiality
• representation - women, minority, clinical
Initial Review: Scientific Merit
Preparation of Review
• scientific review using established criteria
• Streamlined Review - bottom half
Study Section Meeting
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3 times/year x 2 days
members/chair, SRA, Institute Representatives
review bottom half grants
individual discussion of all top half grants
primary, secondary, reader, full group and final
vote by all members (1 high --- 5 low)
Criteria-Based Review
• attempt to emphasize more innovative concepts and
approaches rather than safe science
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SIGNIFICANCE
APPROACH
INNOVATION
INVESTIGATOR
ENVIRONMENT
Council Review
Priority Score
• average of all scores x 100
• ranking tabulated from the results of the current and
two previous review meetings
percentiles
• preparation of summary statement (pink sheet)
Institute’s National Advisory Council
• scientific and public representatives ~12-15
• meet 3x/yr to advise the Institute on its programs and
priorities and review research applications
• review of application based on scientific merit and
relevance to the Institute’s programs and priorities
Awarding of Grants
Institute
• acts on recommendations of the Initial
Review Group and Council
• scientific merit
• programmatic considerations
• availability of funds
INSTITUTION
INVESTIGATOR
How Long Does it Take?
CHECK
Submission
Jan-May
May-Sept
Sept-Jan
Initial Review
Group (IRG)
June-Jul
Oct-Nov
Feb-Mar
National Advisory
Council Board
Sept-Oct
Jan-Feb
May-Jun
Earliest Possible
Funding
Dec 1
Apr 1
July 1
*** Dates are changing so stay current
CSR is considering new ways to shorten the review cycle.
CSR is considering novel grant and review formats.
R01 Applications are now Electronic
CHECK
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No paper applications will be allowed
*
Applicants and grants offices should prepare
Now!
*
BIG process change
-- Involves change in application form
-- Must use application form from specific
Funding Opportunity Announcement in the NIH
Guide
* Grants offices must submit applications
Get more info at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt
Grant Mechanisms
Grants for Different Career Stages: PhD
R03
T32
Graduate
Student
F32
or
T32
F31
PhD
K22
R21
R01 K02
Faculty
Position
R37
Independent
PI
T32 - Institutional Training Grant
K02 - Independent Scientist
- pre & post doctoral slots
Award
F32 - Individual Minority Pre-Doc
R37 - Merit Award
F32 - Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship
K22 - Research Scholar Dev’t Award
*R03 – Small Grant *R21 – Exploratory Grant
NIH Career Development
Programs (“K” Awards)
• fourteen different mechanisms
• articulate with Career Stage:
Mentored, Mid-career, Senior
• interact with other NIH Awards
• use “K Kiosk” or “Career Award Wizard”:
http://grants.nih.gov/training
“Career” or K-series Awards
• designed to “protect” time, i.e., free up time
currently spent in clinic or on administrative
or teaching duties
• most are for early career development
• provide ‘salary’ not ‘stipend’
• meant to train U.S. citizens/permanent
residents
– K99 is an exception to this policy
• limited to U.S. research/clinical institutions
K-series Awards
• K01 – Mentored Research Scientist Development
Award (Ph.D.)- usually basic research
• K08 – Mentored Clinical Scientist Development
Award (M.D. or other clinical degree)- usually basic
research
• K23 – Mentored Patient-oriented Research Career
Development Award (M.D. or other clinical degree)
• K99/R00 – Pathway to Independence (PI) Awards
• K22- Transition Award- 2-3 years at NIH; 2-3 years at
extramural academic institution in U.S.
• K24 – Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patientoriented Research (M.D.)
Elements Reviewed in Mentored K Award
Applications
• Qualifications of candidate
– prior training
– letters of recommendation
– publications**
• Mentors
– previous mentoring experience
– expertise in area of research
– current funding
• Research project
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hypothesis driven
preliminary data
reasonable in time frame
logical sequence of studies
appropriate safeguards
• Career development
plan
– ‘enrichment’
– training
– future plans
• Environment
Mentored Clinical Scientist Career
Development Award (K08/K23/K99)
• Essential components of grant application:
– career development plan must be carefully
documented
• may include coursework
• may work toward a graduate degree
– mentorship must be strong and appropriate
– Institutional commitment to career
development must be clear
Who reviews K award applications?
• K award applications are generally reviewed
by Institute-specific study sections, NOT the
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
• check the roster of study section members
BEFORE the review
• http://era.nih.gov/roster/index.cfm
R-series grants
• R01s – Research project grants unsolicited
and in response to Funding Opportunity
Announcements (e.g. PAs and RFAs)
• R21s – Exploratory/Developmental grants
usually only in response to FOAs
• R03s – Small grants only in response to
FOAs
Resources
Use the Institutional Resources Available to You
• Clinical Research Program
– Statistical Support
• Clinical Research Center
– Scientific Review Committee
• Research Affairs Administration
Ask your colleagues!
Ask your mentors!
Grant Resources
Sample K award applications
• K08:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/training/r
edbook/k08model.htm
• K23:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/funding/training/r
edbook/k23models.htm
Use the Resources Available to You
• NIH (www.nih.gov)
• Office of Extramural Research
• Grants Policy
• Institute Personnel
• New Investigators
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/reso
urces.htm
• Center for Scientific Review
• Referral & Review
• overview of Peer Review Process
• SRG Study Section Rosters
• NIH Peer Review Notes
• Grants Net www.grantsnet.org
• Private Foundations (examples):
• ADA www.diabetes.org , JDRF www.jdrf.org