Long-Term Research Planning

What if you were given $200,000 today to be spent on your research however you wanted?  What would you do?  Would you be ready, poised to launch a major project that aligned with your research trajectory? Or would you be somewhat dumbfounded by your great luck and be at a loss for what to do with your new research fortune?

Many early career investigators have not considered the big picture of their research and all of the possibilities open to them. This is quite natural as one starts his/her research career, but if you remain in that space for long, what opportunities will you be missing?

Many faculty we talk to are focused on the bare minimum, thinking, "if only I had enough money to hire a graduate student or get this piece of equipment, or could participate in that conference." This is certainly understandable given our funding climate and the reality of the dearth of funds for most researchers. However, if you continue to think of your research in terms of the bare minimum, you ensure that you will never be able to get any more than that.

You may miss big opportunities when you are so focused on small ones. So, what to do? We suggest a couple of things:

First: have a pie in the sky plan. Know what you would do if you were given big funding for your research. Do this, not because someone is actually going to come around handing out that kind of money, but so that you notice the opportunities for partnerships and funding opportunities that may be a fit for your big project. Then when you find yourself at a reception with donors or program officers, and they ask about your research interests, you don't come back with wanting to hire a graduate student.

Second: Make a 5-10 year realistic research career plan. One that is feasible without the miracle funding I talk about in my first suggestion, but one that depends on more than the bare minimum in terms of funding and support. Your plan should be a stretch, but be possible.

Once you've set your five year goals, work backward to set benchmarks that you must achieve and when to get you to your goal.  Think about when you must collect data or run pilot projects, when should you be applying for external funding (and resubmitting grants)?  How and when should you publish? These three threads are not mutually exclusive, of course. Nor do they get placed on one point of your timeline. For instance, determine when you need funding (besides immediately), and then give yourself six months before to be identifying sponsors and beginning to do background work to prepare you to write your grant. If you need pilot data before you can be competitive for a grant, back up even further in your timeline to identify how you will run your pilot... and so on.

Many researchers are uncomfortable thinking of themselves as fundraisers, but that's often to their disadvantage. One core element that the best fundraisers understand is that major donors or major grant funders do not tend to give major funds to a need or a deficit. They think of those funds as an investment, and they don't want to make it in a sinking ship.  They do want to invest those funds in a vision, in a game-changing or world-changing project that makes a real impact. So, make sure you have one!

Resources:
Planning Your Research Program - Carleton University (see Worksheets)
Charting a Course For a Successful Research Career - Professor Alan M. Johnson