Recall the ancient Chinese proverb that says a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The prospect of preparing and writing a grant application might seem as formidable as a thousand-mile journey; however, a more productive mind-set would be to look at grant application writing as an opportunity (yes, a long, detailed, and perhaps challenging opportunity, but an opportunity nonetheless) rather than a painful chore.
That being said, here are some preliminary thoughts to consider:
- Preparing a grant application will provide a valuable opportunity to focus on your plans for the next few years and to get feedback from colleagues and others as you move through the application process.
- Some of the application text you develop might be useful when writing research articles or reviews.
- No amount of grant writing—no matter how good it might be—will overcome a weak idea.
- A strong research concept, on the other hand, is one that fills a gap in knowledge, tests a hypothesis, and that is important across the board: to the field, to reviewers, to the funding agency—and to you.
- To avoid the risk of completing a study and discovering that your data are useless, always engage the help of a biostatistician early in the planning process for your research. Allow at least two months for consultation and study design assistance. Doing so will help to ensure that your data collection methods and statistical analyses are appropriate to address your research question. (If you don’t know where to go for statistical advice, contact a CTSI research facilitator.)
Having established a positive approach at the outset of the grant preparation process, here are other important steps:
Then—and only then—are you ready to tackle the detailed process of
