Tools & Tips | How-To Series

How to Get Funding

Get valuable insight into the process for finding, applying for and securing funding.

Sections

• Advice from the Grant Doctor
• Additional Articles

Advice from the Grant Doctor

• NIH's Center for Scientific Review
  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
  With little fanfare, NSF director Arden Bement seems to be transforming his organization to eliminate the pedestrian and to fund only cutting-edge science.
• NIH and Resubmissions
  An NIH pilot program aims to shorten the review cycle for new investigators so that they can resubmit unsuccessful proposals sooner--but is it a good idea? Also: funding for unconventional M.D./Ph.D. students.
• 'P' is for Petroleum
  The American Chemical Society has narrowed the scope of the half-billion-dollar Petroleum Research Fund. Also: Funding for science curriculum development.
• Water off a Duck's Back
  What's the best way to deal with criticism without becoming bitter or losing your confidence?
• Career Reentry and Swedish Postdocs
  The GrantDoctor writes about support for a return to science after a family leave and funding for a U.S. scientist who wants to do a postdoc in Sweden.
• NIH Electronic Submission Begins
  NIH is rolling out a new electronic proposal submission system. Will you be ready?
• Bridges to Independence
  NIH's new "pathway" program … NSF's RIG program … NIH electronic submission
• A Young Man Goes West
  For a European, it isn't easy to find a fellowship to work outside of Europe. Also: grants for postdoctoral fellows?
• Fellowships for Older Postdocs
  Experienced postdocs still qualify for some fellowships, but to get one you'll have to head off in a new direction.
• How to Get a Grant
  The GrantDoctor reviews some of the basic principles of good grantsmanship. Also: NIH's Visiting-Scholar program.
• International Funding
  The GrantDoctor answers questions about funding for scientists overseas.
• Smoke but No Fire
  Some of the money states received from their settlements with tobacco companies was supposed to pay for research. But in some states, there seems to have been a change of plans.
• NSF Troubles, and Other Depressing Topics
  The news coming out of the National Science Foundation isn't good, and a reader asks, are clinicians more competitive for grants?
• Discovery Corps and Other Transition Awards
  A means for scientist to use their training to affect society in important ways.
• Short-Term Startup
  Some thoughts on small start-up grants that don't require a tenure-track appointment.
• Small-College Shenanigans
  Redirecting indirect costs … Long-term NSF grants.
• Hey Dude, Where's My Grant?
  Sometimes, the money from funded grant applications seems to be in a state not unlike a quantum mechanical wave packet just before a measurement -- existing in principle but somehow not quite real.
• Funding International Research Collaborations
  Pretty much everyone agrees that international scientific cooperation is a good thing. Yet, getting it done can be difficult, especially the funding part.
• Navigating the Transition Award Maze
  The trick is to think like a program officer.
• PAs, RFAs, and Other Letter Combinations
  Distinguishing between program announcements and requests for applications.

Additional Articles

• Special Feature: Grant Writing for Tight Times
  Faced with falling grant-approval rates, researchers need to work harder and smarter to get their projects funded.
  • - The NIH R01 Tool Kit
  • - Getting to the Top of a Big Pile
  • - A Guide to NSF Success

Article Series: How Not to Kill a Grant Application

Take a look at these articles to improve your chances of winning those research funds.

• Part 1: Murder Most Foul
• Part 2: Abstract Killers
• Part 3: So What?
• Part 4: Lost at Sea
• Part 5: The Facts of the Case
• Part 6: Developing Your Research Plan

• GrantsNet Funding News – GrantsNet Staff
  This month's listing of funding opportunities.
• GrantsNet International Grants and Fellowship Index – GrantsNet Staff
  The International Grants and Fellowships Index offers the latest listing of funding opportunities from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
• Funding Your Research: Sources, Steps, and Strategies – G. Fowler
  A symposium held on Thursday, 22 March 2007 in Boston, Mass., taught graduate students and postdoctoral fellows the basic principles of grant writing, the submission process, and researching funding sources. The page includes links to downloadable presentation slides.
• What You Need to Know About Electronic R01 Submissions – A. Kotok
  Science Careers gives you the lowdown on electronic submission of NIH R01 grant proposals as the first deadline approaches.
• Financing Your Research in Alternative Energy – A. Kotok
  Scientists interested in alternative energy can tap government funds for their research. But private capital is also available for projects with commercial applications.
• Financing Your Research in Computational Neuroscience – A. Kotok
  Science Careers surveys several American sources of computational neuroscience research funding in the public and private-nonprofit sectors.
• Funding Your Research in High-Temperature Superconductivity – A. Kotok
  Researchers in the U.S. can find a few sources for funding basic research, as well as applied R&D in high-temperature superconductivity.
• Funding for Decision Science Research: Negotiating the Maze – A. Kotok
  Decision-science funding is divided into programs for basic decision-making research and programs that focus on a wide variety of applications.
• Funding to Be an American (Scientist) in Paris – A. Kotok
  American scientists planning to conduct their research in France can turn to a number of funding opportunities. Next Wave describes the more prominent ones, as well as a few specialized opportunities.