More than 50 eager investigators attended the CCTS Professional Skills Development Series (PSDS) seminar in August, presented by Dr. David B. Allison, UAB associate dean for science and director, Nutrition and Obesity Research Center. The crowd packed the PCAMS library, requiring an overflow room to accommodate everyone.
The high interest was a testament to the grant expertise of the speaker and CCTS as well as the competitive nature of federal funding. Attendees left armed with both practical and “not so practical” tips, such as:
- Talk to the program officer early on
- Request reference letters early
- Do not present information that reviewers are not required to assess
- If you include preliminary data in your proposal, “be sure it’s rock solid”
- Make points easy to understand and interesting (“if you haven’t got the reviewer in the first 5 minutes, the game is over”)
- Read it out loud
- Obtain feedback on full drafts from non-scientists as well as peers
- Collaborate with others in your field (“it’s not what you don’t know, it’s who you know”)
- Contact CCTS for a project panel
Dr. Allison also busted several myths, noting “an R21 is not a mini-RO1,” “creativity is a decision and takes courage,” and the unlikely odds that one will get a grant on the 1st (or 5th or 10th) try. Tips on how to respond to rejection of a grant application were visibly reassuring to numerous attendees, drawing laughs of recognition when he described the “sordid aftermath” of a grant rejection as described by Underwood in 1957. “This is a tough game,” he reminded the group. “But know you’re in good company if you get rejected!”
He stressed it is important to take reviewer comments seriously, know the difference between a hopeless and plausible project, and prepare to resubmit in the next cycle. He ended by exhorting the crowd to remember a quote by Louis Pasteur—“My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”
This seminar video is now available on the CCTS YouTube channel. In the meantime, mark your calendar for our next PSDS on Wednesday, Sept. 14, when Dr. Thomas Huddle, professor, UAB Department of Medicine, will present on “The Ethics of Research Design: Assessing Risk and Benefit.”