October 16, 2003 | Read Time: 1 minute
Getting Science Grants: Effective Strategies for Funding Success
by Thomas R. Blackburn
This book seeks to help scientists win grants for research and teaching. Thomas R. Blackburn, a former senior program officer at the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, in Washington, says that a successful proposal should include a thorough overview of the research area, a presentation of the research idea and how the researcher and the institution would carry out the work, and a discussion of the project’s importance and how it meets the criteria of the grant program. He describes all the sections of a grant proposal and how to best incorporate this key information.
Most science-grant proposals are reviewed by staff members at the grant maker, as well as by peers and a panel of experts, writes Mr. Blackburn. Therefore, he says, successful proposals must be detailed enough to satisfy experts and provide enough background information to be accessible to knowledgeable generalists. Mr. Blackburn also describes some of the factors separating proposals that receive ratings of “good” and “very good” from those that are deemed “excellent.” For example, he says proposals that include preliminary research findings often receive higher ratings.
The book includes advice on assessing the likelihood of receiving financing from different grant programs, soliciting criticism about rejected proposals so they can be refined and resubmitted, and transferring grants to other colleges or universities.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (317) 572-3986 or (800) 956-7739; fax (317) 572-4002; http://www.josseybass.com; 140 pages; $30; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-6746-7.
