Volume 14, Number 12: June 4, 2008
FUNDING TIPS
Scheduling GrantSource Library Presentations on Identifying Funding Opportunities
The GrantSource Library offers customized group training sessions on identifying potential funding sources for research, training, and other scholarly endeavors. These workshops are especially useful for new investigators, grants administrators, and others unfamiliar with the process of finding funding.
Because of the many recent changes in COS , InfoEd SPIN, and other funding information sources, now is an especially good time to plan a workshop for your research team or departmental staff. The following are some new features and services that are covered in the library's presentations:
- The new COS Record Track feature which enables you to save and track changes in funding opportunities that are important to you.
- InfoEd SMARTS funding alert service, which provides an efficient way for junior faculty and postdoctoral scholars to identify funding specifically targeted to them.
- The Foundation Center Platinum Online which offers a wealth of information about foundations that is not available through COS or SPIN.
As you are planning your department's fall faculty retreats or new staff orientations, we invite you to contact one of the GrantSource librarians (962-3463) to discuss your training needs and schedule a presentation for your group. We will work with you to plan a session customized for your unit's needs and research areas.
What do you do when you know your funding will soon run out?
In the May 2008 Scientist, Alison McCook (March 14, 2008) provides useful tips on how to handle funding that is due to run out. Here is an excerpt:
"In 2006, the Whitaker Foundation decided its work was done. The philanthropic organization was formed by U.A. and Helen Whitaker with the goal of creating a worldwide field of biomedical engineering. Once it determined it had achieved its 'primary objective,' it shut down.
"The year before, 31 biomedical researchers received Whitaker grants, some close to $100,000. Trouble was, the money was guaranteed to disappear--and soon. Here, some present their advice on how to handle funding you know will run out."
- Plan ahead.
- Position funds as leverage.
- Pair up with collaborators.
- Publish.
READ MORE (free registration required)
Tips for Researching Foundation Funding
Foundation annual reports can be very useful as you are researching a foundation's appropriateness as a funder for your project. Often the annual report provides valuable insights about a funder, including:
- Details about the foundation's giving philosophy;
- An update on the foundation's program areas and priorities;
- A comprehensive list of grants and contracts awarded during the year; and
- Stories and photos from funded projects that can give you a real feel for what the foundation's interests are.
Many foundations provide a link to their annual reports from their websites. For others, you can request a copy from the foundation's program officer.
To identify potential foundation sponsors, we recommend that you try searching the Foundation Directory Platinum Online, available for use in the GrantSource Library. Updated weekly, this directory provides comprehensive data on U.S. foundations, corporate giving programs, and grantmaking public charities, and an extensive database of grants awarded.
To schedule an appointment with a GrantSource Librarian for instruction on using the Foundation Directory Platinum Online, contact the library (962-3463).
COS Funding Alert Archives
You may know that your COS Funding Opportunities Saved Searches are available on your COS Workbench, but if you have COS Funding Alert, don't forget that COS archives your weekly alert results for several weeks, too. If you go on vacation or turn off your email alert option for a while, you can still see the exact results returned by each of your saved searches for the previous three weeks. To review your archived funding alert results, simply click on the "Archives" menu option in the "Your Saved Searches" section of your COS Workbench.
For assistance in using COS or setting up a COS Funding Alert, please contact the GrantSource Library (962-3463). For online instructions, click here.
SBIR Proposal Writing Basics: Explain Yourself
The North Carolina Small Business Technology and Development Center's SBIR/STTR NEWS recently reprinted this article, "SBIR Proposal Writing Basics" by Gail & Jim Greenwood, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc., Copyright © 2008:
Whether it's a Phase 1 or 2 proposal, the first section of the SBIR/STTR proposal typically is called something like "identification and significance of the problem or opportunity." This is a great opportunity to get the reviewer excited about and committed to your project. Unfortunately, most proposers blow that opportunity.
According to JoAnne Goodnight, the SBIR/STTR Program Manager for the National Institutes of Health, "It doesn't matter how good the approach is, how innovative the idea is, how great the PI/team is, or how excellent the research facilities are if what you are proposing lacks significance or has no relevance to our mission of improving human health."
Given that, let's talk this month about what ought to be discussed in the significance section, and what too many proposers do instead.
We refer to the significance as the "so what" issue. Okay, there's a problem, and you have an innovative solution and you have the resources to see if that solution will work, but "so what" if it works? What benefit comes from it? Why should anyone care? Why should a reviewer choose this project over others? And why should taxpayer dollars support this effort?
Significance can come in several forms... READ MORE
Open and Soon to Open SBIR and STTR Solicitations
The National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Defense now have open solicitations for Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR). To help you identify SBIR/STTR funding opportunities for small businesses and partnerships between small business and research institutions, the SBIR Gateway maintains a web site with regularly updated lists of currently open solicitations and soon to be released solicitations.