If the university has invested in valuable laboratory space for a scientist, they want to see them succeed and move up the ranks to become a respected faculty member. To help them succeed, they will offer some assistance with grant applications. It’s not until someone applies for post-doctoral work that they’re pretty much on their own when it comes to drafting their federal grant applications. Previously they were protected and nurtured, then they take steps to leave the nest and launch their own careers.
In a university, there might occasionally be a seminar held on grantsmanship to help post-doctoral candidates apply for grants. This can help junior investigators and assistant professors understand the grant process and learn how to use it to their best advantage. State money for grants to public universities has been steadily shrinking, so schools have been raising their tuition and fees to compensate for that loss.
Before submitting a grant application, the candidate needs to do some preliminary work and take some steps in the lab so that what they are proposing to do is grounded in some evidence. They can share their early results with the granting agency to show that what they plan to do isn’t just pure fantasy. They must demonstrate that putting money into their research is justified, and that’s not an easy feat given how scarce funding is. Some people levy criticism on this system because in order to justify the funding to conduct research, you practically have to do the research first. It’s a tricky balance for an investigator. If they choose to use grant money on a moonshot project, that could lead to allegations that they are misusing funds. They might be able to get a seed grant – a small amount of seed funding earmarked for blue-sky type of research. Then if it looks like the project worth pursuing, they can take the data from the seed grant research and roll it into a more developed researched plan for an agency such as the NIH.
Investigators submit grant applications to federal agencies that offer funding for the type of work they are doing. If the application is approved and the grant is awarded, it gets awarded to the university in the name of the applicant. The grants and contracts office acts as the interface between the investigator and the granting agency. They make certain the funds are remitted to the investigator and that the money is being used appropriately.
The largest federal agency is the National Institute of Health (NIH). The National Science Foundation is also a significant organization. The military has a program that funds research in areas such as life sciences or physical sciences, or inventions that might have utility for national security and defense. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) also offers research funds to private and public universities.
When investigators submit grant applications to funding agencies, a peer review model is used. The review body assembles a panel of well-established reviewers from both industry and academia. They will critique the application and pass judgment on it, giving it a numerical ranking. As funds become available, it may receive funding or get passed over. In theory, funds should be allocated according to merit, but the system isn’t always perfect. Someone who is unscrupulous or ethically challenged might try to block a grant or publication of a research paper for their own benefit if they are conducting research in the same area.
- How can an investigator get their ducks in a row to prepare for submitting a grant application?
- What are some common mistakes investigators make when seeking grants?
- What are all the top agencies offering funding in the USA?
- What should you do if your grant application is refused?