Nerves shot, furrowed brow, jittery reflexes, feverish--symptoms that point to only one diagnosis--you have Grantitis! You need help and you need it fast. Want to know how to find information about funding or how to write a winning grant? Need advice on how to plan and prepare an application? What happens to your proposal during the review? How do you balance your budget? Who should you call!? Wh...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,Is there somewhere I can get a glossary of the terms used in NIH funding opportunities? I am looking for a definition list for all the different funding mechanisms. I have searched several places and haven't found exactly what I am looking for. I am now keeping notes as I locate information but there has got to be something somewhere already put toget...
PREVIOUS ADVICE 1. Where can a Canadian get funds to do a postdoc in the U.S.? 2. I need to find a freelance editor to help me with a grant application. question.gif Dear GrantDoctor, I'm a Canadian citizen planning on going to the U.S. next year for a postdoc. Most funding agencies will offer postdoc fellowships only to American citizens, landed immigrants, or permanent residents. I am none of t...
PREVIOUS ADVICE How can I get a telescope for teaching an astronomy course? We are looking for freelance grant writers. question.gif Dear GrantDoctor, I am an instructor at a community college and I am currently developing an astronomy course. As part of the lab requirements, I wanted to have the students spend time using a telescope. Where do I look for small grants (under $6000) that would help...
PREVIOUS ADVICE Dear Readers, Lately I have received several e-mails from NIH research grant applicants who've started to get a little nervous. At least two of them, both new investigators, received great priority scores at the October meetings, so they fully expect their grants to be funded. But they were hoping to have their money by now; instead, they haven't even been notified of a funding de...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,I'm wondering about the new review process for National Research Service Awards (NRSAs). I'm concerned that my fellowship grant, which is going in for a re-review, is going to fall through the cracks. Could you tell me how the review process has changed and what the process for re-reviews is? Who should I contact for more information?L Dear L, The NIH...
PREVIOUS ADVICE Dear Readers, In recent days I've had the opportunity to observe a young scientist as she prepares to serve on an NSF grant-reviewing panel for the first time. I've learned a bit by watching, but the effect has been mainly to reinforce old lessons, one in particular. A grant proposal is not a collection of technical information. It is an argument. Your job as a proposal writer is ...
PREVIOUS ADVICE 1. Grants for plants 2. Funding for foreign collaborations question.gif Dear GrantDoctor, I?m seeking funding for research isolating the active constituents of medicinal plants used in folk remedies. Does the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) fund this kind of thing? Mike, from Colorado answer.gif Mike, Short answer: Yes, but you shouldn't limit yo...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,The demand for cytogenetic testing as an adjunct to clinical diagnosis has increased dramatically in recent years, particularly in the diagnosis of hematopoietic cancers. Chromosome analysis, as well as new molecular cytogenetic techniques such as spectral karyotyping, are labor intensive and must be performed by highly trained personnel. At present, ...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor:I have applied for and am awaiting my green card. I had assumed that I was ineligible to receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants (R01) until I got my green card. Recently, a senior colleague told me that this may not be true because permanent residency requirements are not specified in the R01 instructions. Is this true?Thanks for your advi...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,I graduated from the department of geophysics at the Tel-Aviv University a year ago. I am now applying to Ph.D. programs in geophysics at several U.S. universities, including MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and others.I wanted to ask about funding possibilities for the first stages of my studies--whom should I contact, what documents are required, for what fu...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,I am a minority undergraduate science student looking for scholarships, grants, research, internship, or educational opportunities. Can you possibly help me in my search?Thank you,--Patrick I've asked Minority Scientists Network editor Sibrina Collins to respond to this one. Her response follows. Best Wishes, The GrantDoctor Dear Patrick, It is always...
NIH's Center for Scientific Review 10 November 2006 Our resident funding expert talks with the director of the world's largest scientific review organization and asks: Is CSR biased against new investigators? No More Boring Science 10 August 2006 With little fanfare, NSF director Arden Bement seems to be transforming his organization to eliminate the pedestrian and to fund only cutting-edge scien...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,Our university tried to get a grant for our modest science division from the Pittsburgh Conference (Pittcon) for 2 years in a row, but in vain. Our initial guess is that our enrollment is too small to justify the request for the full amount of $9000 from Pittcon. On contacting Pittcon for advice, we got no feedback as to the reasons for the rejection ...
PREVIOUS ADVICE How can I find general gene therapy grants for foreign postdocs in the U.S.? Help the GrantDoctor Select Grant Resource Topics question.gif Dear GrantDoctor, I am starting a postdoc in the U.S.A. I cannot apply for many U.S. fellowships since I am not a U.S. citizen. How can I find fellowship for Europeans that are doing their postdoc in the U.S.A.? How can I find general gene the...
PREVIOUS ADVICE 1: Feedback from a former program officer 2: How can I fund my Italy-based international collaboration? 3: I'm from Brazil and I want to work in Italy. Where can I find the dough? Dear GrantDoctor,I enjoy reading your column. You provide a valuable service.When speaking about grant-craft, I often expand on the question that program people always get: "Are you interested in [my are...
PREVIOUS ADVICE question.gif Dear GrantDoctor,I am a British citizen currently working as a senior research associate in a U.S. laboratory. I am in the midst of negotiating a move back to the U.K. toward the beginning of 2005, in order to establish my own lab, basic research of which will focus on developmental biology. I will have done 7 years of postdoctoral studies at that time. I would like t...
PREVIOUS ADVICE 1.Where do I find money for medical school? 2.Can foreign nationals be supported by U.S. research grants? question.gif Dear GrantDoctor, I am a second-year medical student. In order to pay for my tuition and expenses, I was receiving federal student loans as well as help from my father. My father was recently in an accident and is now unable to work, so I cannot expect to receive ...
