I have to write a WHAT????
MadmCurie
03-12-2005, 19:46
Ok, so....I have to write a grant proposal. If i want to post-doc for a certain professor doing biomolecular NMR and if I want to get paid, I have to write a grant proposal as well as have it get accepted. Most likely, it will be an NIH proposal.
I have never written one before, and while I have the advice of my esteemed adviser, who has written and has had several accepted, I have NO IDEA where to start, or if it is even worth it.
So, for any NSer who has had the pleasure of writing a grant proposal, please respond with any tips, pointers, cases of beer, places to get started, anything at this point would be appreciated and will probably help, if not, it'll make me laugh.
Ogalalla
03-12-2005, 19:49
Use the NHL format as seen as in www.purplepeople.com Use a FIHD introduction and it would probably be best to follow the specifications set out in the DAR handbook, available at your local John Figgersons' Book Shop.
[NS:::]Elgesh
03-12-2005, 19:56
Double check what sort of person'll be reading your proposal; nowt turns off a layperson like jargon, or an expert like oversimplification :) Assuming it's for a reasonably well-informed layperson, remember to:
summarise the purpose of the research in a sentence; say why it's important; reveal where the idea came from theoretically with a couple well-aimed references (to show it's in the mainstream, but that you're not just another dullard treading water); stress any benefits it will have, including commercial; say who it'll effect and why. Basically, give them reasons, excuses, to give you the money!
Elgesh, victor of many ethics committee proposals!
Ashmoria
03-12-2005, 19:59
why not ask your advisor where to start?
MadmCurie
03-12-2005, 20:14
why not ask your advisor where to start?
I have. I am. He's an old pro, though, and forgets what it was like to write the first one. To him, writing a grant is no big thing. To him, its like riding a bike. He couldn't tell you how to balance on the bike, but to just do it. If that makes sense. Just wanted the advice from people who are a little more "green", i guess....
Read some applications that were accepted. Shamelessly steal their formatting and set-up, substituting your own information. That should get you a rough draft that should be enough to show your advisor, who will no doubt understand that you need help and will help you.
Der Drache
04-12-2005, 06:59
Ok, so....I have to write a grant proposal. If i want to post-doc for a certain professor doing biomolecular NMR and if I want to get paid, I have to write a grant proposal as well as have it get accepted. Most likely, it will be an NIH proposal.
I have never written one before, and while I have the advice of my esteemed adviser, who has written and has had several accepted, I have NO IDEA where to start, or if it is even worth it.
So, for any NSer who has had the pleasure of writing a grant proposal, please respond with any tips, pointers, cases of beer, places to get started, anything at this point would be appreciated and will probably help, if not, it'll make me laugh.
I'm in the same boat. I have prelims later this school year and not only have to write an NIH style grant proposal, but the subject is not allowed to be something I'll be researching for my thesis (it can't be anything I've research before either). So I have to write a grant, which I've never done before, on a topic that I'm not knowledgable in. I did write a minigrant proposal once for a class but that is much different then this.
I'm not sure I can give you any advice. I can look into how to format it, but I'm sure your advisor can tell you about formating. It's really knowing in what detail to describe experiements and what not that you probably want to know and I can't help you much there.
My best understanding is to think of what you would need to write a paper or two on the subject. Make an argument as to why you are doing this then describe a couple papers worth of experiments that you would expect to give you an answer (I could be way off here, I'm not really sure how many experiments to talk about). Make sure you describe controls, but don't worry about specific details (such as exact amounts, etc, just overal procedure).
I'm sort of surprised you hadn't had to do this allready. I thought it was pretty standard in graduate school to make you write a grant proposal at one time or another. Where did you go to graduate school?