2019 Fall ORDE Seminars

Well, although I'm still in denial, summer is ending, and it's time to gear up and focus on the research you're doing and planning for in the 2019-2020 academic year. As you start to consider what grants you want to go after to keep your research moving, please join us for our seminars to make you more competitive for those grants. Here's what's coming up!

Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC): NIH K Awardees Panel

September 17, 2019

12:00 – 2:00

Faculty Experts: Karen Hampanda, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Community and Behavioral Health; Jean Mulcahy Levy, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine; Minghua Tang, Assistant Professor, School of Medicine

The mentored NIH Research Career Development Award or K Award is unique among NIH grants. Successful candidates not only have to propose an excellent research plan but also have to show that they need mentoring and that they have the potential to be independent investigators. Join us to better understand the NIH K Awards and hear from recent awardees of the K01, K99, and K08.

Denver: Know Your Agency Lunch: Department of Education

September 25, 2019

12:00 – 1:30

Faculty Experts: Ritu Chopra, Executive Director, The Paraprofessional Research and Resource Center & Project Director, NxtGEN Teachers, Teacher Quality Partnerships Project; Barbara Seidl, Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Undergraduate Experiences, School of Education and Human Development

In the Know Your Agency Lunches, we feature a specific agency and ask either an investigator funded by the agency or an agency insider to give an overview of the agency and offer some of the nuances that might not be readily available on the website or program announcement. These lunches also offer an opportunity for investigators interested in applying to the agency the chance to ask questions of someone more experienced with the agency.

AMC: Know Your Agency Lunch: DOD

October 4, 2019

12:00 – 2:00 pm

Faculty Experts: Vikhyat Bebarta, Professor of Emergency Medicine; J. David Beckham, Associate Professor of Medicine, Neurology, & Immunology/Microbiology; Joe Larsen, Senior Vice President for Life Science, Strategic Marketing Innovations (SMI), Inc.; Rosemary Rochford, Professor of Immunology & Microbiology

In partnership with the CU Office of Government Relations, in this Know Your Agency Lunch, we will hear from Dr. Joe Larsen on how to approach the Department of Defense (DoD) and apply for funding. We will then hear from a panel of faculty who have been successfully funded by the DoD to learn more about the unique aspects of this funder.

AMC: Grant Writing Symposium

October 17, 2019

9:30 – 1:00

Faculty Experts: Jennifer Kemp, Director, Research Office, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine; Andrew Thorburn, Chair, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine; Adit Ginde, Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine

Grant writing is an essential skill for a successful and productive researcher, but one that takes work and experience to hone. Join us for our 2019 Grant Writing Symposium and hear from seasoned researchers and grant writers on how to work with Program Officers, write your Specific Aims, and get insights about the review process and what reviewers are looking for in your grant. You’ll leave with best practices in grant writing, as well as resources to help you start your academic year off on the right foot!

Denver: Grant Writing Symposium

October 30, 2019

9:30 – 1:00

Faculty Experts: Cathy Bodine, Associate Professor, Dept of Bioengineering and the CU School of Medicine Center for Bioengineering; Brian Buma, Assistant Professor, Integrative Biology; Ron Tzur, Professor, Math Education

Grant writing is an essential skill for a successful and productive researcher, but one that takes work and experience to hone. Join us for our 2019 Denver Grant Writing Symposium and hear from seasoned researchers and grant writers on how to work with Program Officers, pitch your project for a grant, and get insights about the grant review process and what reviewers are looking for in your proposal. You’ll leave with best practices in grant writing, as well as resources to help you start your academic year off on the right foot!

Denver: Revising and Resubmitting your Grant Proposal

November 5, 2019

12:00 – 2:00

Faculty Experts: Jean Scandlyn, Clinical Associate Professor, Health and Behavioral Sciences and Anthropology

Few things are as disappointing as not getting your grant proposal funded, but it’s important to remember that all of the most funded researchers have had many proposals declined. What makes them successful, though, is that they didn’t let those rejections stop them. They listened to their reviewers, worked with their Program Officer, went back to the drawing board, and resubmitted a better proposal. Join us for this seminar where a faculty expert will discuss the resubmission process and how to be successful through it.

Please register on our website!

Resources:

ORDE seminar registration

ORDE seminar video archive

Justifying Your Budget

The body of your research proposal is meant to demonstrate that your project is sorely needed and an innovative approach to research. It's also meant to position you, the PI, as the quintessential researcher to pull it off. But, the budget and budget justification are where you build credibility and confidence in your reviewers and the agency that you will be able to pull this off. It's where you show that you're also the quintessential project manager.

Follow the rules:
Sponsors usually outline the format they want to see in your budget justification. Be sure to read through your grant application guide and to include all the information the sponsor asks for in the budget justification. The sponsor and your institution also have rules around allowable costs. Be sure to check that all of your budget items are allowed, or they'll be a no-go and make it look like you didn't do your homework if unallowable costs slip through in your submission.

Connect your budget with goals:
If your budget doesn't outline and prioritize costs that directly allow you to meet your project goals, that is a red flag. Make sure that your budget reflects your project and what you've said was important and then make those links between goals and costs in your budget justification.

Stick to your budget order:
Again, check your application guide for the format for your budget and budget justification and follow those rules to a T. But, in addition to that, if the guidelines do not offer you rules on order of budget and budget justification, make sure to follow the same order in both. This makes it easy for your reviewers to go back and forth between budget and budget justification.

Elaborate on costs that may not be clear:
If there are items in your budget where your need for them isn't abundantly clear, take extra time to communicate your need and/or describe the items. Or, if you need equipment at a certain quality level that costs more than other versions, you may want to explain in your justification why you need the version you need.

Make sure all costs are reasonable:
It's true that oftentimes when you're awarded a grant, it comes with a budget cut in a negotiation with your Program Officer. This reality can make it tempting for PIs to pad their budget to soften the blow when they're cut. But, resist padding! The truth is that your budget and budget justification are a reflection of you as a project manager and if your budget isn't frugal, that will reflect on you. Most reviewers and POs know when something is padding, so it's more likely your budget will get cut more significantly when they see it.

The budget justification is certainly not an exciting part of your proposal, but it is still essential in showing your competence and skill-level, so make it clear and informative!

Resources:
Grant Writing: How to Build Credibility with Your Budget Narrative - Grants.gov
Budget Justifications - University of California, Irvine

Creating a timeline for your grant proposal

Starting the application process for a new grant can be daunting. There are so many rules, requests, and criteria to wrap your head around, it can be tempting to set it all aside and get back to it a little closer to the deadline, but resist that urge! ORDE recommends that PIs spend six months developing their project and then their proposal. So, usually, you do not have time to waste!

So, instead of giving in to a mild panic attack at the thought of beginning a grant proposal, consider using the following solid steps to get you started.

Create a timeline and work plan:
Once you've found the deadline and requirements for a grant application, create a timeline. Mark the deadline on your calendar and prepare to have the application finished a week ahead of time. Then work back week by week. When do you need to get a polished draft to your internal reviewers? How long will it take you to revise? When will you have each section drafted in enough time to set it aside and then come back to it with fresh eyes? Putting together this timeline and work plan can help you stay realistic about what you need to accomplish when and can help you chop up the seemingly insurmountable proposal into smaller, manageable tasks.

Read everything you can find:
When you've read the program announcement and guidelines for the proposal, go back and read them again. Then start reading everything else available. Go through the sponsor's website. Read the abstracts of past funded projects. Read the sponsor's strategic plan. Read the FAQ page. Read their "tips for success" page. Watch the old webcast they've made available to you. Then, go back and read the program announcement and guidelines again. Also, consider reaching out to past funded PIs and ask them if they're willing to share their proposal.

Create a proposal template:
Before you start to write, it's a good idea to go through the program announcement and guidelines and pull out the requirements and/or criteria in the call and to make those the sections of your project description. Oftentimes, when reading a call, you find yourself going through a series of requirements they want you to address, whether this list is a series, separated by commas or a bulleted list. The sponsor is telling you what they want you to respond to in your proposal and what they'll be looking for. So, take the hint and format your project description to respond to requests explicitly.

Secure letter writers and internal reviewers:
Usually, grant applications include requirements of letters of support or something like it. Identify what the sponsor wants in these letters, who they want them to be from, and identify your letter-writers as soon as possible. Reach out to them to make sure they're willing to write a letter. Offer to draft the letter for them that they can revise.

In addition to contacting letter writers, you also want to secure internal reviewers. Folks in your discipline or even laypeople who can give you valuable feedback on a polished draft of your proposal. ORDE suggests that you have three people review your grant, including one layperson and two people in your field. Ask these folks early if they will review your proposal and agree on a timeline for this review, i.e., when will you send them a draft and when can they get feedback back to you.

If you bear in mind these things to do as you get started applying for a grant, it can help you to get past that feeling of being overwhelmed and set you up for success right away!

Resources:
ORDE Proposal Development Timeline
On the art of writing proposals - Adam Przeworski and Frank Salomon

Funding Your Sabbatical

Most faculty who take their first sabbatical do so right after they receive tenure. At CU, tenured faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after six years of service. Although it makes sense that faculty are given time to refresh right after a herculean effort to earn tenure, because it happens so close to the award of tenure, faculty are often ill-prepared for their sabbatical when it comes to funding.

At CU, faculty applying for sabbatical are eligible for one semester off at full pay or two semesters off at half-pay.  Many who plan to take off one academic year seek funding to help cover salary and other expenses.  Yet, many of the fellowships and funds designed for sabbaticals must have applications submitted at least a year in advance of funding. Thus, if faculty wait to look for and apply for sabbatical funding once they've received tenure, oftentimes they've missed out on some opportunities.

It may feel strange to be planning for your sabbatical when you're still in the throes of going up for tenure. But, considering that those you're competing with for sabbatical funding are likely in the same boat, planning ahead can give you an edge. Another consideration, if you are too pressed in pulling together your dossier for tenure review, is postponing your sabbatical for a semester or two to give you a chance to search and apply for funding to allow for a full sabbatical. Other sabbatical-planning faculty include more seasoned Associate Professors or Professors who are once again eligible, and sabbaticals can sneak up on these folks too.

Sabbatical funding can come in many different forms. Oftentimes, it is in the form of a fellowship or residency, allowing for you to get away from it all to do your work in a new space. Or, it can allow you to develop a new skill. Some sabbatical funding opportunities allow you to work at and/or with federal agency staff on new projects using their data and resources.

While many faculty going on sabbatical think about starting or writing a book, there are a limited number of opportunities that will fund you to do that outright. But, if you can make a case for a fellowship or the need to travel and/or collaborate in conjunction with a book project, there may be greater opportunity.

When it comes to sabbatical funding, the most important thing to remember is to start early, and probably even earlier than you think is early. To get started, use the link below to start digging through our updated e-book on Sabbatical funding!

Resources:
Sabbatical Funding e-book - ORDE
Five Steps to a Successful Sabbatical -  Science Careers