 In
addition to the tips listed below, our PI
Institue seminar series is an excellent resource to
help prospective and current Principal Investigators understand the
issues and
topics of sponsored funding and research administration. Visit
the PI Institue page to
register for upcoming seminars and to view informative presentations
from past
seminars.
Top Tips from Grant Professionals
- Develop
Partnerships
- Speak with
the Program Officer
- Be Flexible
- Be Open to
Feedback
- Be confident
- Start NOW
- Don't be
intimidated by deadlines
- Have fun
- Get to know
your resources
- Work with Sponsored
Research Services
- Persevere
- Develop
Partnerships. Let's be honest, developing partnerships can be difficult
and take a great deal of time. You should know, however, that the most
innovative and successful grant proposals are collaborative efforts.
Often, that means you need to put the time and effort into developing
partnerships. A collaboration with industry, other universities or other
non-profit agencies, and government organizations can enhance a grant
proposal a great deal. In some cases, partnerships are required.
- Speak
with the Program Officer. The role of the program officer is different
in every situation, even sometimes within the same agency. In some situations
program officers facilitate the grants process. In other cases, they
may serve as your advocate in the decision process. In still other cases,
they make decisions on funding. The one major advantage these people
have in every situation is that they know more about the particular
grant program than anybody else. You need to tap this wealth of information.
In the July 26, 1999 edition of Grantseeker Tips, Lynn Minor
of Marquette University states that "you can increase your likelihood
of getting funded by as much as 300% by engaging in a pre-proposal contact."
Once again, you can work with Sponsored Research Services
as they often know the program officers or can advise you about the
process. SRS has experience with these types of interactions and can
help to make sure that these interactions are efficient and effective.
- Be Flexible. This is not an exact science. No matter how far in advance you start
preparing your proposal, things are going to change, be rushed, not
work out, fall apart, computers will crash, people won't respond to
your phone calls, someone may get upset, you're going to get nervous
about making the deadline, and your e-mail won't work. This is okay,
should be expected, and one more reason to work with Sponsored Research Services.
- Be Open
to Feedback. Constructive criticism can be helpful. Turn to your
peers in your department and ask them to read a draft of your proposal.
By receiving feedback from more experienced grant writers, you will
be able to improve the quality of your proposal.
- Be
confident. Seeking a grant can be a humbling experience. You need
to have confidence in your ideas, in yourself, and in RIT. RIT faculty
and staff succeed about 50% of the time on their grant proposals.
- Start NOW. The process of procuring a grant can be very lengthy. In some cases
the turnaround time from submission to notice is 7-8 months. If you
are not successful on your first attempt and this is an annual competition,
there is another 4 months until the next deadline, then another 7-8
until you are notified again. If you feel you don't have the time now,
odds are good you won't have the time a year from now.
- Don't
be intimidated by deadlines. It is never going to seem like enough
time. For the majority of people, even with knowing about a deadline
a year in advance, the bulk of the work will get done in the last month
anyway. Keep an open mind when you get a grant opportunity with a deadline
that is a month (or less) away. You can do it!
- Have fun. Grants are successful because they are innovative, cutting-edge and
exciting. Don't let the pragmatics take away from the fun and excitement
of doing something new.
- Get
to know your resources. The third most useful resource for you to
utilize in seeking grant funds is the Internet. Use this Web site, go
to the Web sites of funding agencies.surf. This is usually how everyone
starts.
- Work with
Sponsored Research Services. We are your second
most valuable resource. Get to know us. First, we have to know that
you exist in order for us to help you. Come see us, call us, stop by, drop us a line. If you have no ideas
for
funding, but want to learn more.talk
to us. If you have too many ideas
and don't know where to start, talk
to us. Once
you get a grant you will want to work with us and university accounting.
Once you hear your project is funded, contact
us and we will begin
the
process of implementing your grant.
- Persevere. You are your best resource and your best advocate. You will
need to make pursuing a grant high on your priority list if you are
serious, or it will get lost in the business of everyday life. The first
grant is always the most difficult, but it gets easier after that. Don't
take failure personally. Failures not only provide learning experiences,
in this business they also provide some feedback to use the next time
around.
Last Edited: 2003-12-17 ac |
