Kalavathy Ramasamy

Faculty of Pharmacy

LRGS GRANT BRIEFING

1. THE APPLICATION PROCESS

2. PRACTICAL TIPS

3. SPLENDID IDEA, STRONG SCIENCE, SOUND PROPOSAL

4. THE STRUCTURE OF THE CONCEPT PAPER

(Title, Abstract, Literature Review, Objectives, Description of Research

Projects, Research Methods, Track record and Expected Outcome)

4. ADDITIONAL HELPFUL TIPS

2

Overview

• Lack of sleep

• Loss of appetite

• Chaotic

• Stressful

What was it like to write LRGS proposal …

• LRGS adalah penyelidikan fundamental yang melibatkan skop lebih ekstensif; dan tempoh masa yang panjang serta memerlukan komitmen yang tinggi.

• Penyelidikan yang merangkumi isu-isu kemanusiaan dan kemasyarakatan bagi tujuan peningkatan nilai kehidupan dalam negara dan sejagat; atau Penyelidikan yang benar-benar berpotensi untuk menyumbang kepada agenda strategik negara.

• Program mestilah melibatkan sekurang-kurangnya tiga (3) institusi.

• Program mestilah bersifat multi disiplin, melibatkan korpus ilmu sains & teknologi dan sains sosial & kemanusiaan.

• Jumlah peruntukan yang dipohon hendaklah tidak melebihi siling yang telah ditetapkan iaitu RM3 juta setahun.

• Tempoh Penyelidikan adalah di antara tiga (3) hingga lima (5) tahun.

1. THE APPLICATION PROCESS

5

Overview

Application Process

Phase 1

• Submission of LRGS concept paper (online through MyGrants)

Short listed

• Evaluation by KPT and feedback will be given

• Presentation by the team (PI and head of projects) at KPT if concept paper is short listed

Phase 2

• Successful applicants must fill the LRGS-A1(R) (program and projects)

T

TUA project (Phase 1)

• Concept paper from :

• 1 from UiTM (from UM, Monash, UPM and IMU)

• 2 from UKM

• 1 from UPM

• All the universities proposed to work on Aging

Population

• Merge with UKM as the leader and present

T

The Science of Collaborative and Multidisciplinary

Research

• Collaborate with investigators from other universities of different

research areas

– Fill gaps in your expertise

– Add critical skills to your team

• Help collaborators stay on same channel you are tuned into

– keeps your team focused

• Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work?

• Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the

principal investigator and other researchers?

• Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated multidisciplinary expertise to the project?

2. PRACTICAL TIPS

9

Overview

Website: http://www.medic.usm.my/neurosciences/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=264:discussion-on-long-term-research-

grant-lrgs&catid=96:department-activities&Itemid=633

• Develop a timeline for proposal preparation

• Read the application instructions carefully

Sort out things that are under your control

3. SPLENDID IDEA, STRONG SCIENCE, SOUND

PROPOSAL

14

Overview

The triple “S” strategy:

•Splendid Idea

•Strong Science

•Sound Proposal

T .

What does it take to make the cut?

Kendall Powell, 23 September 2010, Nature,| VOL 467

• Getting attention!

• If you're generating a fundamental

insight, what is the importance?

• How does it help the whole field?

• How might it go on to be utilized?

• How will it impact the science

community and the public at large?

• Themes getting attention include

cancer, HIV/ AIDS, pediatric and adult

obesity, and aging-related topics.

16

Lighting the creative spark!

New mask design to reduce

upper respiratory tract infection

during hajj

FUTURE BIOREFINERIES:

UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL

OF FINE CHEMICALS AND

VALUE ADDED BYPRODUCTS

Youth4U

• Good ideas are often

not funded because

they are not packaged

well.

• For every good idea

that is funded, there are

others that aren’t – not

packaged well.

• Improve the packaging!

17 T

Marketing the idea

4. THE STUCTURE OF THE CONCEPT PAPER

(Title, ES, Res Background and Rationale, Description of Research

Projects, Methodology, Expected Outcome, Impact on Society,

Economy and Nation )

18

Overview

• Must be clear and descriptive.

• Must capture the essence of goals and objectives

• Title should answer the following:

What will you do?

How will you do it?

What will the outcome of the research be?

25

How to craft a winning title?

• The only section that every reviewer reads.

• That presents the whole picture concisely.

- Concise, well articulated, logical and clear

- Statement of significance

- Hypotheses and research questions

- Methods and analyses

26

ABSTRACT: the most important section

• 10 PhD students, 50 publications with at least

10 Q1, 3 patented products

27

Expected results/ output

Obtain critical input from experienced and

successful colleagues:

• One who has significant expertise in the

topic area

• Another who has only passing familiarity

(or less) with the subject matter

• A third who is an excellent writer

The “Must Do”

• Avoid typographical, grammatical, spelling errors

• Minimize “author defined acronyms”

• Overly ambitious, too much or too difficult to

accomplish in reasonable time-frame

• Time-line unrealistic for successful completion of

proposed project

• Resubmitted proposal did not address concerns

identified during previous review

Additional tips

Thank you!