Connecting Research, Policy and Practice SEEKING FUNDING AT THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES ELIZABETH R. ALBRO, Ph.D. JACQUELYN BUCKLEY, Ph.D. GRC Funding Competitiveness Conference February 19, 2016 1
What is IES? Research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, non-partisan by law. We provide rigorous & relevant evidence on which to ground education practice and policy. We share this information broadly. By identifying what works, what doesn't, and why, we aim to improve educational outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk of failure. 2
Organizational Structure Standards & Review Office Office of the Director National Board for Education Sciences National Center for Education Research National Center for Special Education Research National Center for Education Evaluation National Center for Education Statistics 305 324 3
Grant Writing Is A Process 4
Start Your Search For Funding Here http:///funding 5
FY 2016 NCER Funding Opportunities* Research Education Research Programs Statistical & Research Methodology Research & Development Centers Partnerships & Collaborations Focused on Problems of Practice & Policy Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice Research Training Pathways to the Education Sciences Research Training Program Other Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluation of Education Interventions Unsolicited *Note, these are closed competitions. 6
FY 2016 NSCER Funding Opportunities* Research Special Education Research Programs Research Training Postdoctoral Research Training Program Early Career Development and Mentoring Methods Training Using Single-Case Designs Other Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluation of Education/Special Education Interventions Unsolicited *Note, these are closed competitions. 7
Still to be determined FY 2017 Want to be the first to know when the RFAs are posted? Sign up for the IES Newsflash http:///newsflash/ Follow us on Twitter @IESResearch 8
Regular Research Competitions NCER & NCSER 5 Goals 10 or 11 Topics 9
In each RFA Overview and General Requirements Topic Requirements Research Goals Competition Regulations and Review Criteria Preparing your Application Submitting your Application 10
Who Should Read the RFA? Principal Investigator All Key Personnel Sponsored Projects and Grant Officers 11
Dissemination Be cognizant of the particular research goal of your project and how this affects the type and use of your findings. Describe your capacity to disseminate information about the findings from your research. Identify the audiences that you expect will be most likely to benefit from your research. Discuss the ways in which you intend to reach these audiences through the major publications, presentations, and products you expect from your project. 12
Public Access Requirements Expanding Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research Memo from John Holdren IES Grantees will provide public access to Publications (via ERIC) Final Research Data (for some project types) http:///funding/researchaccess.asp 13
IES Peer Review Process Overseen by the Standards & Review Office Initial review by 2-4 independent reviewers Most competitive applications are then reviewed by the full panel of ~18-20 reviewers Final scientific merit scores used to make funding recommendations 14
Who Are Our Peer Reviewers? http:///director/sro/peer_review/reviewers.asp 15
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Building an Application Read the RFA carefully Build a good team Talk to your Program Officer Write a well-crafted proposal 17
Writing Clearly Be specific: Reviewers notice overly general significance sections Add detail: Reviewers want to know HOW you will carry out the proposed research. Especially re intervention, development cycle, or data analysis Don t use jargon and assume prior knowledge Find a good editor: Poor writing (e.g., grammar) & awkward constructions can harm an application. 18
Remember You can t get funded if you don t submit an application Revise and resubmit is the rule, not the exception Persistence (often) pays off 19
Help Us Help You Read the Request for Applications carefully. Send IES program officers a one-page description of your proposed project. Talk with a program officer. Send the program officer your draft, so that s/he can provide feedback as time permits. 20
Any Questions? Thanks! Elizabeth Albro Elizabeth.albro@ed.gov Jacquelyn Buckley Jacquelyn.Buckley@ed.gov @IESResearch 21