Catherine Sarkisian speaks on the topic of How to Write the “Specific Aims” Section of a Grant Application at the R Award Workshop on November 09, 2017 at UCLA.

1. How to write the "Specific Aims"
section of a grant application
Catherine A. Sarkisian, MD, MSHS
UCLA CTSI R Workshop
November 9, 2017

2. Specific Aims
• This is arguably the most important section of your
application
• Write early and circulate
• Length: 1 page. Format can vary but suggest:
– Intro paragraph – capture attention
– 2nd paragraph - introduce solution
– Aims
– Final Summary Paragraph
• Style: Non-technical.
– Write this section for ALL study section members, since they’ll all
read it.
• This section must include everything that is important
and exciting about your project – but without a lot of
detail.

3. 1st paragraph: Introduce Subject and
Capture Attention
• First Sentence = HOOK. What this proposal is
about/why important
– reference NIH/IOM reports
• What is known (~3-5 sentences) CONCISE
– Just enough to educate reviewer
• GAP in knowledge that your research will fill
• Final sentence: critical need
– Need = hypothesis-driven
knowledge/technique/treatment you will develop
– Should read as logical next step to advance the field

4. Your team’s path towards this project
• can mention prelim studies (not too much detail)
• Show that your team has the expertise to fill that
critical gap you identified in first paragraph
• Include:
– Long-term goal
– Hypothesis and Rationale
– Proposal objectives
– Team’s qualifications
2nd paragraph:
Proposed Solution

5. Aims
• Keep the number of aims reasonable (3-5).
• Each aim should consist of one sentence: be
concise and concrete; clarity is the goal.
• Each aim should
• Describe the experimental approach
• Be clear how tests hypotheses
• Have a realistic time frame
• Have a definitive outcome
• Not be absolutely dependent on the
success of another aim

6. Final “Paragraph”:
Few sentences to get reviewer
excited to read your proposal
If Aims are an hourglass (wide = general/big
pic, narrow = details), this is the “broad base”
that supports your proposal
• Innovation: what this adds that is NEW
• Outcomes (if you have not stated in Aims)
• Impact/PAYOFF. How this is going to help those
that you mentioned in the first paragraph

7. Refer to Specific Aims
throughout Approach Section
• Restate aims and include hypotheses
• Conceptual Model figure very important
– Illustrate Aims on the figure
• Consistent terminology is essential!!
– Measures, analysis, timeline . . .

8. Acknowledgment
• http://www.biosciencewriters.com/NIH-
Grant-Applications-The-Anatomy-of-a-
Specific-Aims-Page.aspx