Specific Aims: Fitting your grant on one page

Specific Aims: Fitting your grant on one page

Laura RanumDirector, Center for NeuroGenetics

Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology

What I look for in a Grant and on the Aims Page

• Who • What• Why • How• What will you do with the information– – Will it make an impact?– Is it incremental or transformative?

Structure

• Background• Rationale for your proposal• List of specific aims– 1.) Hypotheses– 2.) General description of approach

The foundation of your proposal: The Hypothesis

http://medicine.emory.edu/research/R_series.cfm

My experience

• Keep it simple – expect that your reviewers will be smart but not necessarily experts in your field.

• I have never reviewed a grant directly in my field for the NIH

Aims Page: Revise Revise Revise

• As you write your ideas down they will become clearer

• As your ideas become clearer revise your aims page

• Writing a grant is a wonderful opportunity to focus the efforts of your lab– What is most important– What has to get done quickly

Consider a diagram of your aims

Final thoughts• Start early• Grant writing is hard work• Administrative stuff takes A LOT OF TIME

– Get it done early!!!!!!• Talk through your aims with your colleagues• Refine and revise your aims as you write the body of the grant

– it is okay if they change• Writing a grant is fun – it is an opportunity to refocus and take

your research to the next level!!!!• Talk with your NIH Program Officer – they have great advice

and are your advocate

Good Luck!!!!