The document provides an overview of scientific and academic grants. It discusses several key points: 1) Academic research relies heavily on external grant funding, with over $1.9 billion in R&D expenditures at Georgia universities in 2012 coming from federal, nonprofit, and other sources. 2) Both academics and nonprofits focus on solving problems and answering important research questions, with a drive toward serving the greater good. They also emphasize sustainability, accountability, and measurable outcomes. 3) Obtaining grant funding is important for faculty careers and institutional prestige. It supports a wide variety of academic activities. However, the current state of higher education presents challenges around issues like declining federal budgets and a growing reliance on adjunct

1. Scientific and Academic
Grants
A Guide for the Curious
Deborah A. Cook PhD
The Grant Science Lab

2. A Snapshot of Science, Academic,
and Other Research Funding in
Georgia: A Few Facts of Note.
01
Table of Contents
The Academic Community Meets
the Nonprofit: Common Themes.02
The Quest for New Knowledge
and …? Faculty as Grant Writers.03
Language and Terminology: Conceptual
and Critical Differences.04
Compliance: More than Fiscal
Affairs.05
A Few Conclusions and the
Future: Scary and Unknown.06
Introduction

3. 3
Charitable Higher Education Funding
Number and Finances of Reporting Public Charities : 2010
No. % Revenue Expenses Assets
All 366,086 100 100 100 100
Education 66,769 18.2 16.4 16.6 29.8
Higher Ed 2,179 0.6 10.5 10.7 18.7
Other 64,640 17.7 5.9 5.9 11.1
Giving to higher
education reached
a record high of
$34 billion in
2013.
Introduction
Source: The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2012: The Urban Institute & Inside Higher Ed February 12, 2014

4. A Few Facts of Note
Academic
Funding in
Georgia

5. 5
Carnegie Classification
Size and money, along
with number of degree
programs, matter when it
come to R &D funding.
A research university awards at least
20 research doctorate degrees and
has significant R & D funding from
many sources.
Classifications and examples include:
 Very High Research Activity
 Tech, Emory, UGA, Ga State
 High Research Activity
 Clemson, University of Alabama -
Tuscaloosa
 Doctoral/Research Universities
 Clark Atlanta, Ga Southern
Master’s Colleges and
Universities awarded fewer
than 20 research doctorates,
but at least 50 MS degrees
per year. Baccalaureate
Colleges granted 50 or fewer
MS degrees.
A Few Facts of Note
Source: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 2010
section 01

6. 6
R & D Funding In Georgia Research Universities1
Grand Total for all R & D
funding expenditures in
Georgia for 2012 is $1.9
billion.
A Few Facts of Note
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
Institution Total Federal Nonprofit
Georgia Tech 668904 484212 14788
UGA 351395 137710 24487
Emory 552707 361165 40917
Georgia State 91148 34075 6299
Clark Atlanta 10406 8477 1
Georgia Sou. 5719 1359 219
THOUSANDS OF $ FOR FY 2012.
section 01

7. 7
Distribution of R & D Expenditures at UGA in 2012
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
A Few Facts of Note
Envir. Sci.
Life Sci.
Math & Comp. Sci.
Phys. Sci.
Psych.
Soc. Sci.
Other Sci.
Engineering
Non Sci. Fields
section 01

8. 8
Federal Non-Science Funding in Georgia
The National Endowment for the Arts
awarded 161 grants in Georgia from 2010
– 2013. Twenty-four awards went to
academic institutions. Award amounts
ranged from $9000 to over $140,000.
Most of these grants fell between $9000
and $20,000.
Similarly, the National Endowment for the
Humanities awarded 65 grants in the state
during the same period. Forty-six grants
went to colleges and universities. These
awards ranged from a low of $2,500 to
over $180,000. With some exceptions,
academic grants were in the low 5 figures.
A Few Facts of Note
Sources: The National Endowment for the Arts and The National Endowment for the Humanitiessection 01

9. Common Themes
The Academic
Community
Meets the
Nonprofit

10. 10
Why the Need? Or Why at all?
It is about the freedom to ask questions. Academics and
nonprofits ask the hard questions about relationships, the natural
world, and societal needs. Questions challenge the status quo,
revealing new problems that require solutions. Problems have
solutions. Needs can be met. Questions have answers. Research
and action strive to solve problems, meet needs, and answer
questions serves a greater good.
Striving toward a GREATER
GOOD of needs met or
knowledge revealed drives
both groups.
Common Themes
The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 02

11. 11
Sustainability and Accountability
Funding needs are very similar. Large
problems with significant unmet needs,
even when broken into smaller projects,
require long-term solutions. Research
questions are open ended, but separated
into specific projects with experiments.
Both should have long-term visions for
personnel and projects.
• Evaluation Plans
• Statistics
• Surveys
• Measureable Outcomes
• Reports
• Publications
• Presentations
Common Themes
The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 02

12. 12
University Administration
College or School A
Department
A1
Department
A2
College or
School B
Department
B1
Grants
arise from
any level in
the
university.
Individual Faculty Are Nonprofit Centers
The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
Common Themes
Faculty
initiate
grants as
individuals
or groups.
section 02

13. 13
Collaboration Happens
Scientific and other
academic research is
collaborative by nature.
Interdisciplinary research
in the academy is a rising
trend.
Faculty regularly collaborate with each other within and across
departments, schools, and colleges in their higher education
setting. More importantly faculty collaborate with colleagues at
other national and international institutions of higher education.
These relationships take the following forms:
 Co-principal Investigator
 Subcontract to a Lead Institution
 Consortia, Large and Small
Common Themes
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 02

14. 14
The Questions Remain the Same
Defining the Problem
What do you want or
need to do?
Why do you want or
need to do it?
Organizing for Action
Who will do the work?
How will the work get
done?
What will be the likely
results?
Estimating the Cost
What is it going to cost?
Why does it cost that?
Common Themes
The Grant Science Lab –Deborah A. Cook PhD
Honest Evaluation
Were the desired results
attained?
Why or why not were the
desired results
achieved?
section 02

15. Faculty as Grant Writers
The Quest
for New
Knowledge
and…?

16. 16
Focus and Variety
Extramural grant funds
support education,
research, outreach, and
economic development.
Grant funds support an almost endless list of academic
and public service activities including scholarships,
research, travel, fellowships, teaching, learning, exhibits,
performances, equipment, and more.
Faculty as Grant Writers
Grant Seeking in Higher Education, Mary M. Licklider, et al., John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
section 03

17. 17
Grants in the Academy: Administration
Faculty are grant writers.
Faculty have some grant
management responsibilities.
Limited roles include:
 Personnel
 Supplies & Equipment
 Reporting
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is
responsible for grant administration.
Staff assist with proposal initiation, signature routing, submission,
pre-award matters, compliance, reporting, budgets, purchasing,
award closeout, and other issues according to policies.
Faculty as Grant Writers
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 03

18. 18
Academic Grantsmanship
Grantsmanship is the
ability to write grant
proposals that get
funded.
Faculty as Grant Writers
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD.
section 03
Grantsmanship matters because it is tied to long-term
employment for many, personal reputation, and status of
the university.
Funded grant proposals support projects that generate results or
products. Products include:
Books, Research Articles, Scholarly
Works, and More Grants.

19. 19
Academic Writing vs. Storytelling
Academics are
professional writers, but
not always the best
communicators in grant
proposals.
Grant Proposals Tell
Stories.
Stories showing how research
overcomes some challenge.
Stories that show creative
solutions to research
questions.
Stories connecting the
research to a bigger picture.
Great research proposals
have elements of all three
types of stories.
Faculty as Grant Writers
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 03

20. Conceptual and Critical
Differences
Language
and
Terminology

21. “The goal of a grant writing position is to
support the research, instruction, and public
service endeavors of the faculty.”
Grant Seeking in Higher Education, Mary M. Licklider, et al. John Wiley &
Sons, 2012.

22. 22
Different Words – Same Meaning
While Academics Use These Words –
Hypothesis or Question
Sponsor or Agency
Principal Investigator
Extramural Funding
Development or Advancement
Sponsored Research Office
Direct Costs
Indirect Costs or Facilities and Administration
Curriculum Vitae or Biographical Sketch
Nonprofits Translate Them To Mean These –
Needs Statement
Funders
Project Director
Grant Support
Gifts or Donations
Accounting
Project Costs
Overhead
Resume
Conceptual and Critical Differences
Rick Redfearn PhD., Univ. of AK, 2013 GPA Meeting, Wkshp 408. Grant Seeking in Higher Education, Mary M. Licklider, et al., John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
section 04

23. 23
Basic Proposal Format
Total length is less than 6
pages not including
supplemental documents or
information required by the
funder.
Conceptual and Critical Differences
Source: The Foundation Center
Sections & Pages
Executive Summary
Needs Statement
Project Description
Budget
Organizational
Information
Conclusion
section 04

24. 24
National Science Foundation Proposal
Source: The National Science Foundation Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, NSF 14-1, OMB 3145-0058. The Grant Science Lab
Conceptual and Critical Differences
Sections & Page Limits
Cover Sheet Project Summary Table of Contents
Project Description References Cited Biographical Sketch(es)
Budget & Justification Current & Pending Support Facillities & Other Resources
Special Info. Or Supplementary Doc.
section 04
NSF limits
the
narrative to
15 pages
and must
address the
“broader
impacts” of
the work.

25. “Research with disease-related goals, including
work on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of
physical or mental disease, abnormality, or
malfunction in human beings or animals, is
normally not supported.”
The National Science Foundation
Grant Proposal Guide
February 24, 2014

26. 26
National Institutes of Health Proposal
Source: PHS424 (R&R) Application Guide . The Grant Science Lab –Deborah A. Cook PhD
Conceptual and Critical Differences
Sections & Page LimitsCover Page
Project Site Info
Senior/Key Personnel
Other Project Info
Budget & Justification
Cover Page Supplement
Biosketch
Project Summary
Specific Aims
Significance
Innovation
Approach
section 04
Required
Sections – 12 Pages

27. 27
A Few Lessons
A faculty member, a
research scientist, a
laboratory group, or a
larger collaborative effort
are really nonprofit
centers that function
within the huge nonprofit
that is the university.
Research grants are
hybrids of project grants
and operating support
grants.
They are hybrids because
principle investigators can
receive partial salary from
grant awards.
All research grants are
evidence-based.
Evidence arises from:
 Previous Studies
 Prior Experimental Results
Research grants almost always
include tables, graphs, or pictures in
the narrative to demonstrate prior
results and the credibility of the
proposer.
Conceptual and Critical Differences
Source: The Grant Science Lab
section 04

28. More than Fiscal Affairs
Compliance

29. 29
Following All the Rules for Research
Compliance is “Adherence to all applicable federal, state,
and institutional research-related rules and regulations.”
Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and
Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
Certifications: Lobbying, Drug-free Workplace, Conflict of
Interest, … Responsible Conduct of Research
More than Fiscal Affairs
Source: Grant Seeking in Higher Education, Mary M. Licklider, et al., John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
Research Integrity
section 05

30. 30
Research Integrity
“The AOR is required to complete a certification
that the institution has a plan to provide
appropriate training and oversight in the
responsible and ethical conduct of research to
undergraduates, graduate students, and
postdoctoral researchers who will be supported
by NSF to conduct research.”
More than Fiscal Affairs
Source: The National Science Foundation Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, NSF 14-1, OMB 3145-0058
Human Subjects – Institutional Review
Board (IRB)
Animal Use and Care – Institutional Animal
Use and Care Committee (IACUC)
Biosafety and Biohazards
Radiation Safety
Materials Transfer Agreements
section 05

31. Scary and Unknown
A Few
Conclusions
and the
Future

32. 32
The Adjunct Crisis
About 70% of all college
and university faculty are
part-time employees.
For the most part, adjunct faculty are not eligible to apply
for extramural research funds.
Except for teaching and some service, part-time faculty are not
contributing to the greater public good that colleges and
universities strive for.
Adjunct faculty frequently have no office space, no access to lab space, and no
access to specialized resources or intramural funds.
Scary and Unknown
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
section 06

33. 33
Science, the Sequester, and Budget Woes
What does this mean for scientific
research?
Scary and Unknown
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD
The short answer is fewer grants to fewer
investigators.
New investigators likely will be affected the
most. Novel ideas from either new or
established scientists will be set aside in favor of
less risky research. Projects will go unfunded.
Personnel will be let go. Labs will be downsized.
section 06

34. 34
How History Set the Stage for the Public Research
University
On July 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, chartering the
Land Grant Universities. Many of our public universities began or received a
boost though this legislation.
Countless faculty share in that vision because they were trained at or are now employed by an
1862 Morrill Act Land Grant University.
Concluding Hope
Source: The Grant Science Lab – Deborah A. Cook PhD.
section 06

35. 35
The “Real” Way to Write a Research Grant
Source: Clay Clark PhD, NCSU Department of Biochemistry
Concluding Humor
section 06

36. Thank You
Questions? Deborah A. Cook PhD
The Grant Science Lab