Strengths of Funded & Weaknesses of Unfunded MRI Proposals Helen Hansma [email protected] Joan Frye,...
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Transcript of Strengths of Funded & Weaknesses of Unfunded MRI Proposals Helen Hansma [email protected] Joan Frye,...
Strengths of Funded &
Weaknesses of UnfundedMRI Proposals
Helen [email protected]
Joan Frye, Sally O’Connor, Angela Klaus, Mark Farmer, and others
NSF
Strong Proposals have:• healthy and vigorous research• student-faculty research collaborations• externally funded research• published in peer-reviewed research journals• no doubt that the requested instrument will
be – well cared for and – put to good use for – research and research training
Weak Proposals raise Lots of Questions:
• Is the requested instrument is actually needed for the proposed research??
• Will the instrument be involved in outreach and teaching??
• How have each of the PIs used this instrument in the past??
• What about the – low funding level of current faculty
researchers, – lack of undergraduate and graduate student
researchers,– lack of publications ??
Strong Proposals have:
• Several users with a clear need for the instrument
• Preliminary data
• Research descriptions start with need for instrument
• Integration of research and education
In Strong Proposals:
• PIs have a past history of outreach activities
• Broader Impacts - strong
• Possible problems - anticipated & addressed
• Many women and underrepresented minority students
Weak Proposals:
• “If we get the instrument, users will come” = a recipe for failure
• Users describe their research and say at the end, “And if we had [the new instrument], we could do [something more].”
Weaknesses....
• Weak science:– Research proposals not well developed– Research is of relatively low-impact
• Not clear that the instrument was well justified.
• Typographical errors = careless preparation??
• Few / poor references
Strong Proposals“Walks on water”
Each investigator includes a training component in his / her research description
“I always wondered what it felt like to get an NSF award!”
-a new awardee, upon receiving her award phone call
Weak Proposals
•Vague generalizations
•Figures & images are poor or lacking
•Double spaced text
The reviewers say:
“It’s a sad little proposal.”
“It’s like reading a proposal by Charlie Brown’s teacher – it’s just noise”
“Instrumentation without a Cause”
A Strong Figure:Figure 1. Images with our current Costco microscope [left] and with the Zeus Alive! Microscope that we propose to buy [right].
Image is lighter here
Proposals MUST have:
1. Intellectual Merit AND Broader Impacts in the Project Summary
2. 15 pages or fewer of Project Description
3. Large enough font sizes and margins
4. Research - NOT medical
Weaknesses: Budget
•Instrument has too many / too few features for proposed research
•Instruments not related
•Too many instruments requested
“We figured we’d ask for TWO of the same instrument, and they’d give us ONE.”
-an unsuccessful PI
“A Ferrari isn’t good in traffic.”
-a reviewer
A Solid Management Plan describes:
• Maintenance plans for the instrument(s)
• How costs of instrument use and maintenance will be covered (user fees or ??)
• The available expertise in use of the equipment
• How new users will be trained
• How user time will be allocated (if necessary)
Pitfalls to Watch out for... • Follow guidelines carefully!
• Request the appropriate instruments (e.g. Is high throughput really needed? How does the instrument relate to the research?)
• Emphasize research – not only teaching ! • Do not request a “laundry list” of items
Strategies for Success
• Student involvement: co-authors on papers & presentations.
• Strong maintenance of existing equipment and plans for requested equipment
• Involvement of under-represented groups
Strategies....
• Wide use of instrument
• Demonstrated need, e.g., # samples
• Preliminary results/measurements
Weak Resubmissions
• Whining or angry responses to reviewers’ comments
• Project description starts with responses to reviewers’ comments
• Proposal has few changes
Strong Resubmissions:
• Good responses to reviewers’ comments – can be incorporated into the revised proposal without mentioning the reviewers’ comments
• Significant improvements in the proposal
Evaluating Proposals:
NSF Merit Review Criteria
1. Intellectual Merit
2. Broader Impacts of the Proposed Effort
MRI-Specific Criteria: Instrument Acquisition
• shared use of the instruments for research and/or research training
• availability of technical expertise
• management & maintenance plan
• effective instrument use
Summary of Review Criteria
Merit Review Criteria: Intellectual merit Broader impacts
• Integration of research and education• Integrating diversity into the proposed
activities
Additional MRI Review Criteria: for instrument acquisition - the
management plan; for instrument development - the rationale
for development of a new instrument.
Your “Holy Books”:
1. The MRI Program Announcement: NSF 05-515 http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/mri/
2. The Grant Proposal Guide – GPG:NSF 04-23 http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=gpg
To Do:
• NSF Fastlane – start using it Early!
• Other Senior Personnel – give them an early deadline for finishing their parts of the proposal.
Summary
• Start early – give yourself enough time• Read the MRI PA and the GPG, and follow their
rules• Get feedback on your proposal from your
colleagues• Proposals should be clear, appropriate, and
justified• Anticipate some frustration• Study reviews carefully• If declined - Call your Program Director after
reading your reviews (take some time to think about them)
• If awarded - follow up on reporting and find out about supplemental funding (stay in touch with PD)