Funding for Research Unravelling the process, A-Zish. October 29, 2015 Dr. Danielle Thomas

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1 Funding for Research Unravelling the process, A-Zish October 29, 2015 Dr. Danielle Thomas

2 A: General rules of funding (from reliable sources) B: Sourcing funding & LOIs C: Preparing to write, background & pilot research, ethics, network D: Preparing complete proposal E: Knowledge Transfer (KT) Plan & Personnel E: Preparing a realistic (and acceptable) budget F: Timeline & Feasibility

3 General rules of funding in an increasingly competitive field 10% rule: For your 100% effort, you will get a 10% return. IE: The more you ask for $, the more likely you are to get some.

4 General rules of funding in an increasingly competitive field Expect to be rejected on first attempt. IE: Funding depends on many variables out of your control: the review panel, the pool of applicants, the fight the reviewer had with their spouse that morning. Attend to specific feedback, and try again. -depending on funding agency, you may get rejected the 2 nd & 3 rd time too

5 General rules of funding in an increasingly competitive field Spend some time (months?) getting to know the sources and the trends. IE: Review weighting shifts from funder to funder, and according to current trends. For example, in last 5 years knowledge transfer or KT plans have been weighted more heavily than ever search: successful & unsuccessful proposals use: resources recommended by the funder (e.g. advisors, on-line seminars, etc.)

6 General rules of funding in an increasingly competitive field Reputation matters. IE: Feasibility often scored heavily according to PI (Principal Investigator) background, especially publications (journal impact) & previous funding OPTIONS: 1) Seek collaborations with strong PIs 2) Start small: seed funding, pilot funding, partial funding, and where relevant, early career funding 3) Start publishing in high impact journals

7 General rules of funding in an increasingly competitive field A good proposal takes up to a year to prepare. IE: Writing a proposal at the last minute rarely results in funding HOWEVER: may be a good place to start?

8 Sourcing funding & LOIs In general: very few domestic/african sources for RESEARCH Foreign Governmental (DFID, Danida, USAid) & Foundation programs (Ford, VW, Bill & Melinda Gates, etc) somewhat available BEST OPTION? International Collaborations on other national research funding schemes Eg. Partnership Grant, SSHRC (Canada) Research Grants, ESRC (UK)

9 Sourcing funding & LOIs LOIs: Letters of Intent, Expression of Interest, Outline Application, etc Two purposes: 1) LOIs (often optional & deadlined): to indicate to funder the resources they will need at deadline time 2) Outline Apps (often rolling): on multiple phase applications invitation to 2 nd phase *even though brief, some thought and great care is required 1 st impression & often pigeon-holes the work

10 Beginning: Background, pilot, ethics & network A strong application requires months/years? of prep: 1) Strong rationale, including background research ( lit review, connections to practice) 2) Pilot data, preliminary related work exemplifying need for/feasibility of bigger study 3) Ethics approval, or other institutional approvals may be required by funder where relevant 4) Network to access data/research must be wellestablished prior to applying for funding > letters of support may be required

11 Preparing Complete Proposal (see: templates by funders) 1) Introduction & Background (theoretical models, applied benefits, etc.) 2) Rationale for continuing research > practical & theoretical importance careful of theoretical imp. 3) Outlining Proposed Study/Project Narrative -methods, data analysis, timelines -where relevant, very detailed statistical modeling/reasoning 4) Knowledge Transfer (KT) Plan 5) Personnel 6) Budget 7) Timeline & Feasibility 8) Supporting materials

12 Preparing Complete Proposal Wording & Framing FRAME each proposal differently according to background and scope of funder USE wording that is publicly accessible (readability: grade 10-11), and not technical

13 Microsoft Word Readability Statistics 1) Turn on Readability Statistics (Options) 2) Perform Spelling/Grammar Check 3) When check is complete, readability stats appear: Readability is easier: -less passive voice -less sentences per paragraph <20 words/sentence

14 Preparing Complete Proposal Wording & Framing FRAME each proposal differently according to background and scope of funder USE wording that is publicly accessible (readability: grade 10-11), and not technical REVIEW wording of call for proposals AND all publicly available material of funder USE key expressions and key words relevant to funder and call for proposals FRAME proposal according to mission of funder, call for proposal &, if possible, background of reviewers ie. advancement of theoretical knowledge? practical knowledge? governmental institution? private funder with particular background? reviewers with particular background?

15 Preparing Complete Proposal: Formatting 1) Carefully review formatting (including word count) and referencing requirements by funder 2) REMEMBER: word count often includes bibliography AND SO text should be 10-20% less than total allowed count be efficient with referencing 3) Format initial drafts, references, tables, charts, graphs, etc. according to instructions FROM THE BEGINNING will save a lot of time 4) Plan proportional length of each section according to % weighting by funder.

16 Preparing Complete Proposal: Timeline Aim to have draft complete (with bibliography) 2-3 MONTHS before submission deadline 1) submit to funding advisors for review 2) submit to colleagues in field for feedback 3) put to side, and revisit 1 month before deadline > use funder criteria to review (usually published)

17 KT plan Identifying Knowledge Users (stakeholders): -Researchers -Educators/Clinicians -Policy Makers/Decision Makers -Private Sector/Industry -Volunteer Sector/NGOs -Service Providers -Media -Public/Consumers

18 KT plan Identifying KT strategy, types of KT Academic: conferences, publications, seminars Institutional: meetings, reports, consultations Mass Media: media releases, mass media publications, press conferences, media events Public: media-related (incl. website, social media, etc), interactive forums, outreach, written materials (pamphlets, educational material, etc)

19 Identifying KT goals KT plan Inform: research, interventions, decision-making Impart: knowledge, tools, methodologies Generate: awareness, interest, behavioural change, policy action

20 KT plan Don t forget to budget for KT! > Travel for conferences, meetings, etc. PLUS invite for others to visit you > Website, Social media development > Personnel for KT activities > Outreach events, printed materials

21 Personnel 1) Key Personnel: PI(s) with strong background(s), reputation CV focus: publications (journal quality), previous funding, and research skills/networks 2) Other Personnel: Research Manager, Research Associates, Research Assistants, etc. 3) Consultants: statistician, field experts, other collaborators > demonstration of network (letters of support) *specific outline of who is responsible for what, % work **NOTE: funder will not permit you to use project funds to pay a proportion of your already-existing staff salaries you can directly pay staff members (say, as Research Associates or Managers) for work rendered to the project (e.g. hire them on a part-time basis and pay them for hours of project work) this will be in addition to their already-existing salary > indirect costs are where your institutional costs (use of staff, office space, computer resources, etc. are factored in

22 Budgeting Common Subheadings: 1) Key Personnel (Principal Investigators) 2) Other personnel 3) Consultants 4) Equipment Costs 5) Travel Costs 6) Materials & Supplies 7) Participant Support Costs 8) Other Direct Costs 9) Indirect Costs > costs to institution for use of staff, office space, computer resources, etc. (% of total funds, usually determined by funder)

23 Budgeting CAREFULLY review budget constraints, especially, -key personnel allowances (if any) -equipment allowances -personnel allowances (including to PI, if any) -travel allowances -indirect allowances *different funds for different purposes! AND template often provided, but not always

24 Budgeting Good to review a budget of a successful application funded by the target institution often provided by funding advisor OR available on-line consult with funding advisor on generally acceptable amounts for personnel, etc. (often unwritten, but understood)

25 Budgeting In a complete application, you must provide: 1) Budget, quantitative (usually year by year) 2) Budget justification *budget often reviewed separate from proposal, and so should read as its own document

26 Timeline Some templates will specifically ask for this OR if not explicitly asked for, should be included in the project narrative/methodology explicit timelines (days, weeks) dedicated to each project task/phase BE REALISTIC: can significantly affect feasibility rating GANTT chart?

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28 Feasibility Tricky: Balancing innovation & creativity without sacrificing feasibility 1) Reputation & other responsibilities of key personnel PLUS dedicated personnel network to accomplish timeline Project management experience & skill/experience balance Ideal institutional locations and access to project resources/equipment. 2) Budgeting is realistic & linked to a strong methodology Closely & clearly aligned with steps of project methodology 3) How it reads, quiet confidence: intellectual significance I have to say that I usually make my decision about whether I want a project to be funded within the first five minutes with an application. The feel of the document momentum, clarity of framework and process, confidence with conveying the concepts and their relevance comes through very quickly. A clumsy, waffly or arrogant style in the project description can kill an application. One of my key triggers for wanting to nix an application is over-selling the team or project.

29 Summary 1) Give yourself enough TIME to a) do proper background research on funder & funding opportunity b) to request letters of support, other documents c) to prepare text & budget d) to request reviews from funder contact & knowledgeable colleagues

30 Summary 2) Consider research collaborations to a) Widen the funding opportunity net b) Include a PI with a strong record of high impact publication, previous funding & project management experience c) Have access to/share institutional resources