Volume 11, number 5: November 1, 2004
FUNDING TIPS
COS Funding Opportunities Database Announces Improvements
The Community of Science (COS) recently made improvements to the COS Funding Opportunities search interfaces. Users may now sort their search results by selected criteria: relevance, amount, deadline, sponsor, or title. The results pages now display all the sortable fields. Once you have run a search, you can re-sort the results simply by clicking on the column headings.
COS has also introduced a Search Wizard to aid those users who are new to searching databases. This new interface takes users through a step-by-step approach to search creation by asking basic questions about the individual's interests, citizenship, etc.
The COS Funding Opportunities database is available through the GrantSource Library’s web site. If you are interested in learning how to search COS Funding Opportunities or set up a customized funding alert, please contact us at gs@unc.edu or 919-962-3463 to schedule a consultation. Instructions are also available online.
Proposal Writing Tips
Jane Harrington of the National Science Foundation offers the following tips for writing NSF and other grant proposals:
- Target the best and most appropriate agency or funding source for your proposal.
- Choose the right program(s) for submission. For NSF, use the Guide to Programs.
- Confirm your choice by talking to a program officer.
- Read abstracts of current awards by program, and check general award size. (For example, use NSF awards made database.)
- Request funding for a research PROJECT—not for a research program.
- Maintain credibility for both the financial budget and the time budget.
- Follow the rules—i.e., read and comply with the Grant Proposal Guide or the specific program announcement/solicitation.
- Write with the reviewers in mind.
- Persevere, if at first you don’t succeed.
- Learn to play the system and play it well!
Remember that “a good proposal is a good idea, well expressed, with a clear indication of methods for pursuing the idea, evaluating the findings, and making them known to all who need to know.”
Other tips for writing grant proposals are available through the GrantSource Library’s web site. READ MORE
Bioinformatics Funding Information
For research and training opportunities in bioinformatics sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Biomedical Information Science and Technology Initiative (BISTI), and for funding opportunities in biomedical computing from other agencies, consult the Bioinformatics Funding Information site.
This site also provides information on funded grants and projects, advice on approaching NIH for support for a computational project, and details on what happens to a grant after it is received for peer review. Answers to frequently asked questions about NIH grants can also be found on this website.
Science’s Next Wave: Funding Tips and Resources for Early Career Scientists
Postdoctoral and other scholars can find useful information in Science's Next Wave, the career development resource for scientists. The Grant Doctor column offers monthly articles with advice on topics such as navigating the transition award maze, mentorship and collaboration, and getting independent awards. The Academic Scientists’ Toolkit includes guides to writing the research plan, getting an R01, and tips from NIH and NSF reviewers. The Postdoc Network listserv offers peer-to-peer mentoring and networking for early career scientists around the world. Want to do research abroad? See the international fellowship and grants index.
In addition, the GrantsNet database is a good resource for finding funds to train in the sciences and undergraduate science education. It contains programs that offer training and research funding for graduate and medical students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, as well as programs in science, math, engineering, and technology for undergraduate faculty and students. GrantsNet is a free service, but you must to register to search the database.