CARE RESEARCH

support is challenging, but you cannot get a grant that you do not apply for. If, for whatever reason, these possible sources of funding do not work out, it may time to consider funding from the National Institutes of Health. There are several important advantages to getting support from the NIH. First, the amount of support is, at least theoretically, unlimited. You can apply for $50,000 of support, or $50 million (though the latter will be rather more challenging to obtain than the former). Second, grant support from the NIH is inherently prestigious, and can help advance your academic career. (This is especially true of R01 support, as in “she is an R01 supported investigator.”) Third, there is substantial indirect support that comes with each NIH award. This money, which may be as much as 50-70% of the amount you asked for, is used to support intangibles, like lighting and heating, and office or lab space. You will not see these indirect costs; they are sent to the hospital or medical school, although many departments may receive a portion of them. These indirect costs can add up very quickly. If you are awarded $250,000 a year for a fouryear project, your university or medical school could receive an additional $500,000-$800,000 over the life of the project. If you bring in that much additional money, you will become an important player in the system.

The final advantage of getting support from the NIH is that after the study is reviewed, all NIH applicants receive a detailed written summary of that review, which includes its strengths and weaknesses. This document, known as the summary statement, will be of great help if you did not get finding and need to reapply. Addressing the comments will greatly improve your chances of funding if you apply a second time.

There are, of course, some disadvantages in applying for NIH funding. First, the success rate is low. Only 10-15% of applications are funded, although these numbers vary by grant type and institute, and do increase for those sending in a second, revised application. The process is also slow. It will take 12-18 months from the time you first submit your application until you receive funding, and that assumes you will be funded on your first attempt, which is very unlikely.

What happens if, once you weigh the pros and cons, you decide to proceed with an NIH application? Where do you begin and to whom should you speak? We will address this in our next column.

About The Author

Dr. Brown is the director of the Office of Emergency Care Research (OECR) where he leads efforts to coordinate emergency care research funding opportunities across NIH. Additionally, Jeremy is the primary contact for the NINDS Exploratory and Efficacy FOAs and serves as NIH's representative in government-wide efforts to improve emergency care throughout the country. He is also the medical officer for the SIREN emergency care research network which is supported by both NINDS and NHLBI. Jeremy.brown@nih.gov