To Debate or Not Debate in Grant Development

In the spirit of our final presidential debate last week, I will spare you any political commentary, but will stay with the theme of debate to look at it within grant development.

Researchers are great at debate and why shouldn't you be, you've built a career on making an argument. You need to justify your hypothesis or angle, build a case for funding or other support, convince colleagues of the value of your contributions, etc.

But, even in a seemingly natural field of debate like research, there are still some areas where you should avoid it, as well as at least one place where you can let your debate skills shine. Below are some do's and don'ts when it comes to debate in grant development.

Don't debate with reviewers
Few things are as frustrating as having an anonymous reviewer not "get" your proposal or misinterpret some element of your research and to score you accordingly. Certainly, if your reviews were an opening statement in a debate, you'd be revving to go. However, they're not. They're feedback on your proposal, and the truth is when a reviewer misunderstands your proposal or an element therein, it's unfortunately on you to revise your proposal to better or more clearly address any misunderstandings. When you respond to reviewer comments in your resubmission, be gracious, and describe how you've responded to their comments. Resist  the urge to debate the reviewers or be argumentative. It won't work to your advantage if you frustrate your reviewers.

Don't debate with Program Officers
The same "don't debate" rule holds for conversations and other correspondence with POs. This does not mean that you shouldn't make a case for your research with POs. Nor does it mean that you shouldn't ask questions. It does mean that you want to listen carefully to the feedback and information your PO shares with you. And, it does mean that because the PO is inside the sponsoring agency in which you're interested, you should accept what they tell you are funding priorities. Do not try to debate or change their minds about what sorts of research they should be supporting.

Do debate in your proposal
When writing your grant proposal, you should employ all of your best debate strategies. This means you need to build your case and successfully defend your path forward. Additionally, like any good debater, you need to anticipate what your opponent, or, ahem, reviewer will argue against you. What are the questions or concerns your reviewers might have? Once identified, include responses to those potential questions and concerns.

So, in ending, do bring your best debate skills into the grant development process, but keep them in your grant proposal and do not get into a debate with any representative at the sponsoring agency.

Resources:
Resubmissions: Seeking Feedback - ORDE Video
Can We Talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers - Robert Porter