UCLA CTSI K-to_R Workshop, October 29, 2015 Presenter: Karol Watson, MD, PhD Professor of Medicine at UCLA Co-Director, UCLA Program in Preventive Cardiology Director, UCLA Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Health Program

1. A tactical approach to writing your
grant proposal
Karol Watson, MD, PhD
UCLA CTSI K to R Workshop
October 29, 2015

2. 4-6 month time-line: 1st month
• Pick a topic you love and get excited to be
creative
– should be natural extension of your K work
• Draft specific aims
• Start to put together scientific team
• Map out calendar
– meet with your admin team to determine key
dates
– vacations, ward attending?
– set target dates to get drafts to Co-Is

3. 3-4 months out:
Meet with your Program Official
• Remember that most PO’s love seeing K
awardees get R01s
– relationship evolves during your K
• Phone vs. email?
• Will he/she will read your specific aims?
• Suggestions re study section?
• Cover letter can mention your PO
• Send thank you email and copy of grant

4. Putting Together your Team: think both as
a reviewer and as PI
• Interdisciplinary teams increasingly attractive
• Each team member needs to be making
unique/complimentary contribution
• Consider linking with strengths of your
institution
– Will be attractive to reviewers
– Good opportunity to expand your network

5. Putting Your Team Together
(Continued)
• Think carefully about subcontracts (allow
extra time)
• Balance of seniority levels
• Choose people you want to work with

6. Don’t under-budget:
• Project Director salary
• Ground transportation for staff
• Cell phones and service
• Translations
• Data storage (consider scanning)

7. Writing the Grant
• Approach (Methods) is VERY important
– Begin writing early. Do not wait.
• Remember your audience
– Few MDs
– May know nothing about your area of research
– Make it easy on the reviewer

8. Telling your Story:
Preliminary Studies
• Purpose:
– (Findings that support your hypotheses)
– Most important: to show the reviewer your team
has experience to do the project

9. Keys to Success
• Innovation and Creativity is important
– Looking for new solutions to old problems
– How do you create creativity?
• Calling the Program Officer is a critical
element
– It is estimated that up to 85% of all successful
grant seekers have had contact with the
program officer

10. Grant Writing
• Start early
• Seek advice from colleagues
• Start with a good idea
• Talk to your NIH Program Official(s)
• Use the NIH webpage (www.nih.gov)
• Remember review criteria
• Follow instructions carefully

11. MOST IMPORTANT SLIDE!
Most common reasons for not receiving
funds:
• Lack of new or original ideas
• Diffuse, superficial or unfocused research plan
• Lack of knowledge of published relevant work
• Lack of experience in the essential methodology
• Uncertainty concerning the future directions
• Questionable reasoning in experimental approach
• Absence of acceptable scientific rationale
• Unrealistically large amount of work
• Lack of sufficient experimental detail
• Uncritical approach