Funding BioinformaticsFunding Bioinformatics
Chuong HuynhChuong Huynh
NIH/NLM/NCBI, Bethesda, MD USANIH/NLM/NCBI, Bethesda, MD USA
[email protected]@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
AcknowledgementAcknowledgement
• Beth Fischer and Michael Zigmond– University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Phelix Majiwa– International Livestock Research Institute
(ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
Outline of PresentationOutline of Presentation
• General Funding Strategy
• Discussion: Case scenario
• Opinions on funding direction in Bioinformatics
General Funding StrategyGeneral Funding Strategy
What is Bioinformatics?What is Bioinformatics?
• What is Bioinformatics? - Research, development, or application of computational tools and approaches for expanding the use of biological, medical, behavioral or health data, including those to acquire, store, organize, archive, analyze, or visualize such data.
• What is Computational Biology? - The development and application of data-analytical and theoretical methods, mathematical modeling and computational simulation techniques to the study of biological, behavioral, and social systems.
(Working Definition of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology - July 17, 2000). http://www.grants2.nih.gov/grants/bistic/CompuBioDef.pdf
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept
• Identify sources of funding
• Present your idea effectively and comprehensively
• Understand the grant process
• Be persistent
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.
The idea does not necessarily have to be original.
• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and
comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent
Does the concept FIT?Does the concept FIT?
• Fill a gap in knowledge?
• Important to a field, funding agency, your group?
• Test a hypothesis (hypothesis-driven)
• Short term investment in long term goals (resource-driven)
Indequate concept = NO FUNDING
Audience Participation!!!Audience Participation!!!
What kind of bioinformatics concept is worth funding?
Examples ….
- Identify the problem (bigger perhaps more money)- What do you want to do about the problem- Know your field very well (or create a new field) before you begin
Focus questions: Why?, So What?, Who cares? Who will benefit and when?
Before You Grant WritingBefore You Grant Writing
• Identify your role in the project: primary, catalytic or facilitator
• Identify stakeholders and potential collaborators (i.e. the interested parties) in the project
• Identify (or devise) a strategy to get others interested in getting the project done.
• Get all the relevant parties talking electronically or through a meeting if possible.
• Have a draft of the project for this purpose • Endorsement of involved parties
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.
The idea does not necessarily have to be original.
• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and
comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent
Types of FundingTypes of Funding
• Grants – funds provided, but not required to be repaid (solicited and nonsolicited)
• Loan – funds provided, and REQUIRED to be REPAID
• Investment – funds provided, for a percentage of the future returns (VC)
• Siphoning – redirected funds previously allocated from other funds
Categories of GrantsCategories of Grants
• Solicited– Institute initiated research
• Program announcements – ongoing opportunity for research (Little or No programmatic funding involvement; funds may/may not be preallocated)
• Requests for application – invitation application in well defined scientific areas to stimulate activity (High programmatic involvement during performance of the work; funds preallocated)
• Nonsolicited– Investigator initiated research
Types of GrantsTypes of Grants
Objective• Research• Training/Career
– Fellowship– Career development
• Conference• Equipment• Infrastructure• Travel
Form• Contracts• Investigator-initiated• Groups• Individual
Availability of GrantsAvailability of Grants
• Governments– US National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation; Singapore
Ministry of Economics; South African Medical Research Council; Canadian Research Challenge Funds
• Non-government organizations– WHO/TDR;
• Philanthropic Foundations– Gates Foundation; Compaq Foundation; Wellcome Trust; Jack Kent
Cook Foundation
• Corporations– Intel; IBM; Genetic Savings and Clone, Inc.; Pharmaceutical companies;
biotechnology company; Venture capitalist
• Private Individuals– John Sperling
Targeted FundingTargeted Funding
Grant Size Target Agencies URLUS$30,000-US$100,000 University Departments,
Govt Departments, National Councils, WHO/TDR, IFS, Regional Offices of Foundations, i.e., Ford, Rockefeller, etc., various Academies, etc.
http://www.ifs.se/
http://www.fordfound.org/
http://www.rockfound.org/
http://www.foundations.org/
http://www.who.int
http://www.hfsp.org/
US$100,000-US$500,000 Wellcome Trust, Burroughs Wellcome, DFID, IFAD, etc.
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/
http://www.bwfund.org/
www.dfid.gov.uk/
http://www.ifad.org/
US$1,000,000 and above NIH, MRC, EU, etc http://www.nih.gov/
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/
http://europa.eu.int/
US Bioinformatics US Bioinformatics Funding OpportuntiesFunding Opportunties
• NIH Bioinformatics Funding Informationhttp://grants.nih.gov/grants/bistic/bistic_funding.cfm
- Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative (BISTI)
• DARPA Bio-Computation Announcement BAA #01-26 http://www.darpa.mil/ito/Solicitations/CBD_01-26.htmlhttp://www.darpa.mil/DSO/solicitations/00/index.htm
• Pharma Foundation Genomics & Informatics > Center for Excellence in Integration of Genomics & Informatics http://www.phrmafoundation.org/awards/genomics/excellence.phtml
Grant Search EnginesGrant Search Engines
• http://www.grantsnet.org/
• http://www.sciencewise.com/– Funding alert via email– Funding search of gov’t, NGO, corporate,
international sources
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.
The idea does not necessarily have to be original.
• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and
comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent
How much money do you need?How much money do you need?
• Scale?• Supplies – back up tapes• Equipment cost (minor and major equipment)• Salary for personnel• Administrative cost• Taxes/Duties/Custom• Technical Support• Training/Education Cost• Travel cost• Scientific meeting cost
Keep the money coming, I’ll tell you when to stop
GrantspersonshipGrantspersonshipPreparing
1. establish frame of mind
2. develop concept
3. identify funding source
4. inform your institution
5. refine concept
Writing
6. think like a reviewer
7. outline, write, edit
8. get feedback & revise
Submitting
9. get approvals
10. obtain assignment
11. submit application
12. provide add’l material
13. ensure receipt
Responding
14. await review
15. study report
16. respond to report
Think ahead and plan backwards.
Don’t Forget the Deadline.
Present Your Idea EffectivelyPresent Your Idea Effectively
• No grammatical mistakes, no misspelled word
• No vague words
• Active voice
• Organized
• Table of contents
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.
The idea does not necessarily have to be original.
• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and
comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent
Ask program staffAsk program staff
• is concept relevant• current instructions• who reviews• what are criteria• funding
– percentage– level (amount, years)
• characteristics– strong proposals– weak proposals
• appendix material– ok?– when, to whom?
• pre-review possible
National Institute of Allergy and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• Richard Morris, Ph.D.NIAID6700-B Rockledge DriveBethesda, MD 20852TEL: 301-594-7670FAX: 301-402-2571Email: [email protected]
• Linda ShawNIAID6700-B Rockledge DriveBethesda, MD 20892TEL: 301-402-6611FAX: 301-480-3780Email: [email protected]
Forgarty International Center (FIC)Forgarty International Center (FIC)
• Joshua Rosenthal, Ph.D.FIC31 Center Drive - Room B2C39Bethesda, MD 20892-2220TEL: 301-496-1653FAX: 301-402-2056Email: [email protected]
• Silvia MandesFIC31 Center Drive - Room B2C39Bethesda, MD 20892TEL: 301-496-1653FAX: 301-402-0779Email: [email protected]
Identify Past FundingIdentify Past Funding
• Search databases for previous funded projects to determine what has been funded in the past
• CRISP – A database of biomedical research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
https://www-commons.cit.nih.gov/crisp/
SuggestionsSuggestions
• Sources of Information: internet, reference books, colleagues, acknowledgements on papers, office of research at your institution, libraries
• Communicate with program staff• Make yourself known – market yourself/group and your
project• Network• Persistent• Involvement• WHY the project should be done is more important
WHAT should be done.• Most Call for Application has a short time line. Act
quickly.
General StrategyGeneral Strategy
• Have an adequate concept – A good idea is necessary, but not sufficient.
The idea does not necessarily have to be original.
• Identify sources of funding• Present your idea effectively and
comprehensively• Understand the grant process• Be persistent
Why didn’t you get funded?Why didn’t you get funded?
• Inadequate rationale • Unoriginal concept• Poor presentation (diffuse or superficial)• Lack of knowledge• Poor reasoning• Uncertain future directions• Unrealistic workload• Uncritical approach• Poor understanding of the process• Lack of persistence• Not within scope (interest or mandate) of the funding
agency
SummarySummary
• There is money available• But getting the money:
– A good idea– A proper match– Good grants– Persistence
• It is hard work• It is worth it!!!!
Discussion: Case StudyDiscussion: Case Study
Case Study for FundingCase Study for Funding
• The director of the University of Paraguay ask you to organize a bioinformatics training course for biologist in your institution and other regional institution in South America, unfortunately the university has no money to fund the bioinformatics training course completely. So your task is to find funding for a bioinformatics training course.
• What would you do? What are the steps?
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