Program Project, or P01, grants support multifaceted, long-term research programs with a major objective or theme. Program Project Grants involve the organized efforts of relatively large groups, often from multiple disciplines, wishing to collaborate by bringing together their know-how and resources. P01s are designed to meet the needs of projects whose end goal could not be achieved by investigators working independently. Additionally, the interactions and/or core facilities made possible by the P01 strengthen the individual projects of each of the members. Getting the seal of approval from reviewers for a P01 project requires a strong leader and masterful organization, among other key elements. To succeed, you must convince reviewers of the synergy and added value resulting from this type of collaboration. Integration of all the moving parts into the whole takes time, careful planning and unparalleled management skills. During this partnership-driven Webinar, your expert presenter will go over the basic structure of P01s, the importance of reading and following the directions, the strong focus on management, and the justification for cores for the P01. Selection and integration of the projects will be covered as will how to emphasize the synergy of the work to be done. 5 Key Take-Aways: 1. Basic structure of P01 applications 2. Management that sells the proposal 3. How to get people in the program to work together so that the plan can be integrated 4. How to justify the need for certain cores 5. How to find the right niche for a P01

1. Presented by Dorothy E Lewis PhD
Brought to you by Principal Investigators Association

3.  Investigator initiated with a theme
 Largely unsolicited—in some cases solicited
 Involves multiple projects/multiple cores
 Focused on synergy and cost saving—i.e. bang for
the buck
 LOTS OF WORK/TIME to PREPARE!!!!

4.  Must make compelling case that theme of
the P01 is important
 The projects must EACH be important to do
and synergize—the big goal in the P01
would NOT be accomplished without
working together
 YOU are the group to do the work

5.  Above all, they take organization
 Must herd cats—so it’s not easy—deadlines
loom.
 Many make a big mistake by not
understanding what it takes to organize the
P01 properly

6. To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Learn More Click Here
About Your Speaker
Dr. Dorothy Lewis, Professor, Internal
Medicine, Infectious Diseases at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
has a 25-year history of writing grant
applications, including P01 applications.
Her successful track record for winning
grants has given her a valuable “in the
trenches” perspective that can benefit
you, at whichever stage you find yourself.
What You Get:
1. Invite your colleagues to listen in
with you – unlimited listeners
allowed in the same viewing room
2. A FREE recording of the webinar in
CD-ROM, MP4 or PDF Transcript
3. Expert answers to your tough
questions
4. LIVE Question & Answer Session
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506

8.  It is hard to come up with a program project
grant at the last minute or by gluing projects
together.
 Best/only way is to get a group together, usually
a single person or several people have a vision
so they invite investigators who might fit with
the theme.
 When the meetings are done, some projects
will be in, others out.

10.  Is critical
 Knows how to select projects that fit together
 Can negotiate conflict and resolve differences
 After the meetings and a way forward is
decided, the PI must be able to include those
who fit and exclude those that don’t—done
with a smile, not animosity

12.  A good P01 application could be years in the making
 Need to have a critical mass of investigators
 Need a crucial research area
 NIH has interest in the topic
 Meetings to discuss and decide
 More meetings
 Individual projects vetted/revised
 Iterative

13.  Themes should be cutting edge—based on the
latest advances/technologies.
 There must be expertise amongst the P01
members.
 It must be apparent that the group has or will
work together well.
 So the sum of the P01 is greater than the parts.

14.  After some direction is determined—continue
with regular meetings of the group.
 Know when the deadline is and set internal
deadlines
 The PI must have all the parts together way
before (weeks before) the submission
deadline, so individual project and core
deadlines will be earlier than normal
 This is the hardest thing for a PI to accomplish.

15.  Overview of main theme and each project
 How the P01 creates synergy--- convince reviewers
that this is best mechanism to fund rather than
RO1’s
 Overview charts/place investigators in context—
show the location/equipment, other positive
features available—put the P01 in context.
 Put the cores in context—make it clear HOW each
project will use each core.

16.  Link investigators
 Link topics
 Link cores
 Show HOW it all fits together visually

18.  Humans view an object with a sweep starting at the bottom
central edge around to the right and end up slightly right of
center upper quadrant
 Note where the most colorful image is in this figure—its
purple/blue circular—looks kinetic.
 This is where you want to put your most colorful
graphic/best data—so the eye sweeps the page and there it
is—slightly right of center in the upper quadrant of the
page.

19. About Your Speaker
Dr. Dorothy Lewis, Professor, Internal
Medicine, Infectious Diseases at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
has a 25-year history of writing grant
applications, including P01 applications.
Her successful track record for winning
grants has given her a valuable “in the
trenches” perspective that can benefit
you, at whichever stage you find yourself.
What You Get:
1. Invite your colleagues to listen in
with you – unlimited listeners
allowed in the same viewing room
2. A FREE recording of the webinar in
CD-ROM, MP4 or PDF Transcript
3. Expert answers to your tough
questions
4. LIVE Question & Answer Session
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Learn More Click Here

20.  Besides the PI, is there a trusty assistant---
i.e. a back up plan to change if necessary?
 All of this kind of detail needs to be spelled
out

22.  How will the group communicate?
 How will you distribute information?
 How will you resolve conflicts?
 How will you decide who is on what paper?
 All these details are above and beyond a regular R01
 NEED PLANS FOR EACH

23.  Communication is key in P01s
 How frequently will you meet/talk to each other
via SKYPE, etc.—needs to be spelled out.
 Resolution of conflicts is key and a plan must be in
place—usually the institution is the ultimate
arbitrator

24.  A reviewer can tell if the grant has been organized.
 A reviewer can tell if the PI has read each proposal
and has placed the work in the context of the P01.
 Kluging together projects and cores will come
across like you glued it together and thus you will
be unlikely to get in the door.
 Especially important to overcome sloppiness—the
reviewer looks upon this as a reflection of both the
PI and the P01.

26.  Arctic animals?
 Stuck in an ice cube?
 Global warming?
 Are the people organized?
 This is chaos and its obvious it is—without
good organization, this is what your P01 will
end up like.

27.  What are the big issues in your field?
 Do you have a critical mass in your institution/or
combined with a few other places?
 Could brainstorm this at meetings, at study
sections or at your institution.
 The best places seem to generate an environment
that fosters these type of interactions

28.  Go to institute pages, look for their new initiatives.
 At an even earlier stage, look for each institutes
“council approved concepts”
 These are areas to start planning for in advance.
 Contact suitable program officer to suggest ideas

29.  The theme could involve projects all related to
the big concept—cell mediated immunity to
TB
 The theme could involve different types of
investigators with different technical expertise
brought together to solve a problem—i.e.
molecular biologists and structural
biologists—to attack a problem at several
levels.

30.  Organized around a theme with multiple projects and
a main administrator
 Each of the projects should have an independent
investigator—i.e. the project could be stand alone but
because of synergy fits into the P01 mechanism
 Depending on institute may be upper limit of costs
that can be requested—for NIGMS--6.5 million direct
for 5 years—meaning a little over 1 million each year—
thus, projects may or may not be full RO1’s (250K)

31.  P01s require significant effort on the part of each
participating PI
 Effort must be DISTINCT from other efforts—i.e.
watch for overlap with other grants.
 Competitive and hard to get—must have a
niche, an organized PI and a great team.
 Science must meet the same standards as R01s

32. About Your Speaker
Dr. Dorothy Lewis, Professor, Internal
Medicine, Infectious Diseases at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
has a 25-year history of writing grant
applications, including P01 applications.
Her successful track record for winning
grants has given her a valuable “in the
trenches” perspective that can benefit
you, at whichever stage you find yourself.
What You Get:
1. Invite your colleagues to listen in
with you – unlimited listeners
allowed in the same viewing room
2. A FREE recording of the webinar in
CD-ROM, MP4 or PDF Transcript
3. Expert answers to your tough
questions
4. LIVE Question & Answer Session
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Learn More Click Here

33.  Not intended to fund a senior investigator
with satellites—i.e. each project headed by a
bona fide investigator.
 Not intended to support a department
 Not designed solely to buy a piece of
equipment

35.  In my experience, not everyone is good at this.
 Must be organized and have help to organize
 Must approach the grant in logical steps
 Must be able to both encourage and criticize.
 Must set goals and deadlines and be able to
enforce without angering people of the group

36.  Each Institute may have specific instructions re: how
the P01 is put together.
 CONTACT program—provide letter of intent 2
months before due—deadlines are regular ones.
 CONTRACT program 6 weeks before deadline because
grants are usually more than 500K.
 In general, the projects are all 12 pages
 All the budgets and CVs are put together rather than in
individual projects.
 This is NOT a mechanism that distributes
developmental grants

37.  There MUST be a plan as to how you will all
interact—i.e. meetings, sharing data, etc.
 A section called “synergy and interactions among
projects and project leaders”
 The preliminary data sections should reflect past
interactions/collaborations amongst members of
the P01
 Core leaders should have appropriate expertise to
guide the component

38. Introducing Science Pro Insider
Inside Past Issues:
• Communicating Data-Rich Results – Key Success Factors
• How to Leverage Connections for Private Funding
• R01 or R21? Choose The Appropriate Grant Type
• Dealing with the ‘Negative’ Staffer in your Lab
The only Free Monthly eNewsletter
focused on providing best practices on
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39.  The organizational structure and administrative
structure is NOT included in the 12 page limit
 Should have:
chain of responsibility, external and internal advisory
boards, specific managerial responsibilities, relation of
the organization to the administration of the applicant
institution, consortium arrangements, designation of
replacement for PI

40.  Put in an organizational chart of the main theme and
components
 Pull together advisory boards that are realistic—need
letters from each members as well as biosketches
 How is the grant to be managed—with admin
assistants/trusty assistant? Need to spell this out

41.  Need letter from big cheese at institution
praising the P01 and how it meets a need
 Must put in organizational chart how the
P01 fits into the institution
 Any consortiums should have letters from
their administrative officials

42.  Allow at least 6 months—even a year for P01
preparation.
 You rush at the expense of organization
DON’T RUSH!!

44.  By a big group of investigators with the
breadth of knowledge
 Each project is reviewed separately
 Each core is reviewed separately
 The whole P01 is reviewed as a unit and the
individual project make up the parts, but
maybe not be the sum of the parts.

46. About Your Speaker
Dr. Dorothy Lewis, Professor, Internal
Medicine, Infectious Diseases at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
has a 25-year history of writing grant
applications, including P01 applications.
Her successful track record for winning
grants has given her a valuable “in the
trenches” perspective that can benefit
you, at whichever stage you find yourself.
What You Get:
1. Invite your colleagues to listen in
with you – unlimited listeners
allowed in the same viewing room
2. A FREE recording of the webinar in
CD-ROM, MP4 or PDF Transcript
3. Expert answers to your tough
questions
4. LIVE Question & Answer Session
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Order Online Click Here
Or Call 1-800-303-0129 ext. 506
To Learn More Click Here

47.  In 2012, 286 P01’s were submitted, 38 were funded
for a success rate of 13.6% and expenditures of 71
million.
 In 2012, 153 P01 renewals were submitted, with 47
funded for a success rate of 31% at 87 million
dollars
 Examples of
institutes, NIAID, 13/75, NCI, 21/96, NHBLI, 17/99.
 In general, slightly better funding rates than
individual R01’s

48.  Successful P01 takes planning/organization and a
good theme
 Successful P01 is more than the sum of its parts
 Successful P01 take time/effort to pull off
 PI is especially critical—their vision and their
organizational skills are put to the test in a P01

49. Introducing Science Pro Insider
Inside Past Issues:
• Communicating Data-Rich Results – Key Success Factors
• How to Leverage Connections for Private Funding
• R01 or R21? Choose The Appropriate Grant Type
• Dealing with the ‘Negative’ Staffer in your Lab
The only Free Monthly eNewsletter
focused on providing best practices on
obtaining grant funding, lab
management, career advice and much more!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Visit http://bit.ly/SciencePro