Demystifying Grants, Part 1: Dissecting the Anatomy of Writing a Proposal (2023 AMW) Session
2023 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Experience
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: As evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, clinician-scientists are essential for bridging the gap between bench, bedside and community. By integrating science with clinical practice and therapeutic intervention, clinician-scientists fulfil a unique role in our health economy. Research grants provide a critical means of supporting the work necessary to transform scientific ideas into real-world solutions. Despite the importance of obtain funding, clinical-research training programs vary across institutions and countries. This training gap leaves many individuals with limited exposure to the research process and without the skill set to write grants. As a result, many researchers must struggle to learn as they go which can introduce significant frustration and impact their success in securing funding. Grant writing is a learned skill that fundamentally differs from writing an academic paper. In this session, attendees will acquire the tools to write persuasive, effective grant proposals. Through a combination of discussions, examples, and hands-on activities, attendees will gain a fundamental understanding of preparing a grant proposal, including how to identify a research question, generate a working hypothesis, and avoid common pitfalls. Attendees will learn how to develop an effective Specific Aims page, craft a compelling Significance and Innovation section, structure key components of the experimental design and study approach, prepare a budget and budget justification, and format biosketches and letters of supportOUTCOME OBJECTIVE 1: Recognize the fundamental sections of an NIH style grant.OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 2: Develop a research question and generate a working hypothesis.OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 3: Develop the key components of a research proposal and avoid common pitfalls.BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Most trainees and early-career faculty receive limited training in how to obtain grants. We must inspire individuals to translate scientific ideas to real-world solutions by providing them with the skill set to obtain grant funding.