Small grants possible for fellows

Finding the right kind of grant is key for young researchers.

Issue: October 1, 2007

As a research or clinical fellow, obtaining funding and small grants may seem like a daunting task, but it does not have to be.

Some grants may be more difficult for fellows to obtain because they are competing against senior researchers and faculty. However, there are some categories and grants that are meant specifically for fellows. The only competition for these grants is other fellows.

According to Faris Farassati, PhD, assistant professor in the division of hematology, oncology and transplantation at the University of Minnesota Medical School, specialized grants are a good place for fellows to start.

“When fellows apply in the right categories, it is not that difficult for them to receive a grant,” Farassati said in an interview. “There are research grants dedicated to fellows, which are the best opportunities. Grants with open competition, in which there are applicants of all levels of experience, are much harder to obtain.”

Options for funding

According to Farassati, there are two different categories of research funding available for people in training. The first is private agencies, which usually have a mission statement and a very focused research interest, such as brain tumors or breast cancer. Farassati recommends that fellows start with grants of this type. First, it is a good place for fellows to start building their careers, and, second, there are not as many applications for these grant types as there are for larger grants.

“These are very focused grants, and actually help fellows establish their research interests,” he said. “If a fellow obtains a grant for brain tumor research, for example, the fellow will likely develop more interest in brain tumors and likely continue his or her career in brain tumor research. These grants are a great place for fellows to start developing a profile.”

The second type of grant is one from a federal agency such as the NIH or the Department of Defense. Some of these provide limited funding for fellows, and the research options are fairly broad. The criteria for these grants are more stringent, however, and they are more difficult to get, Farassati said.

Finding the opportunities

Fellows should begin their search for funding by thinking about what they want their research focus to be for the next 20 or 30 years. What many physicians do in clinic is usually in tight correlation with what they do in research, Farassati said, but sometimes research interests deviate from clinical interests.

“Look at your own career agenda, and think about what interests you,” Farassati said. “Early in the career, you do not need to have a very specific research focus. For example, you could start with an interest in hematologic malignancies, which is broader than leukemia. It is not necessary to be that focused at this point because there is a lot of room to grow and differentiate.”

After developing a research interest, the next step is searching for the grants. Farassati recommends using the internet, specifically grant search engines such as the federal government at grants.gov or the Community of Science at www.cos.com. The search engines on these sites will narrow down grants available by field of interest, level of experience and type of research. Some web sites will send e-mail about when new grants meeting specific criteria become available.

Google and Google Scholar are also powerful tools, Farassati said, because these search engines may identify grants from agencies that are not listed at grant-specific web sites.

The third step to finding funding opportunities is asking colleagues and mentors for suggestions on where to get grants. People that have similar research interests usually know of particular agencies that offer small grants in that area. Farassati also recommends paying close attention to presenters at conferences and talks for more grant ideas.

“Talk to the presenters who give talks in your research area, and ask them about their funding source and what they did to get that funding,” he said. “Find out where the money came from and duplicate the research presented, but customize it to your own interest.”

Writing a proposal

Before writing the proposal, fellows should review the application requirements of the agencies, and follow three main steps:

Familiarize themselves with the mission statement, especially of private agencies.
Customize their research so that it satisfies the mission of the agency and the fellows’ curiosity.
Familiarize themselves with the required paperwork and the format of the application.

There are usually a specific number of pages required for the application. Farassati said it is important for the message to be well-transmitted within the first one-third of the required page numbers. For example, if an agency wants a 10-page application, the message should come across clearly in the first three pages. The point of this is to get the reviewer’s attention.

The first three pages of the proposal should include a very brief introduction and an explanation of the idea and how it fills the gap of knowledge. It should be clear, exciting and to the point, Farassati said.

“The reviewers will likely read the entire application, but if you are not successful in getting their attention very early, you probably won’t get the grant,” he said. “Also, explain why it is interesting to you. Regardless of your topic, the first three pages are the most important. It is your first chance to impress the scientific reviewer and release his enthusiasm to approve your funding.”

The most common mistakes in writing a proposal are wanting to do things beyond the capacity of the research proposal or not being able to explain the idea in a clear matter that everyone can understand. The proposal should be technical, but simple and easy to read, Farassati said.

“Do not stretch your idea to 100 words if you can express it in 50 words,” he said. “If it is too complex, it may detract from what you are trying to do.”

Minor details, such as page limitations and margins, can also hurt an application, so it is important to read the application requirements very carefully.

What next?

Preparations for grant proposals should begin at least two months ahead of a deadline. Farassati said it is important for fellows to apply for several grants at once and not get discouraged if their proposals are rejected once, twice or three or four times. The secret to getting a grant is to keep applying and not give up.

“Getting a grant is a work in progress,” he said. Every time you apply for a grant, you make some changes to make the proposal better. If you stay at it, you will get a grant. Getting a grant the first or second time you apply is a long shot.”

The chance of senior researchers getting a grant is about one in five or one in six, Farassati said. Those odds are worse for junior researchers, who have a one in eight or one in 10 chance of getting a grant. This ratio is what fellows should keep in mind. By applying to 10 places, a fellow might get one grant.

“Do not apply to only one agency at a time and wait several months for a response,” Farassati said. “Apply to several at once and keep applying. If you do get a grant, you can then let the other agencies know you are funded.” – by Emily Shafer