NIH R Grant Outline
RESEARCH GRANT OUTLINE
2. Specific Aims—1 page
State concisely the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the proposed research will exert on the research field(s) involved.
List succinctly the specific objectives of the research proposed, e.g.
test a stated hypothesis create a novel design solve a specific problem challenge an existing paradigm or clinical practice address a critical barrier to progress in the field, or develop new technology
Thus, in this section, organize your argument as follows:
What problem am I investigating? What do we know about it (short background) What gap(s) in knowledge are there? What gap(s) am I going to fill to further our understanding of the problem?
What have I already done and what hypothesis do I have?
What specific aims do I propose that will address this hypothesis? (R01, 2-4 aims; R21/R03, max 2 aims).
What are my expected outcomes? What are your long-term objectives with this research?
What is the probability my study will be successful and exert a powerful sustained influence on the field(s) specifically and more generally (impact)?
3. Research Strategy—12 pages (R01), 6 pages (R21, R03)
3a. Significance—why is this work important to ultimately human health and disease?
Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field that the proposed project addresses.
1 NIH R Grant Outline
Explain how the proposed project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields.
Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.
3b. Innovation—how is this work novel?
Explain how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms.
Describe novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or intervention(s) to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing methodologies, instrumentation or intervention(s).
Explain any refinements, improvements, or new applications of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions.
3c. Approach
Organize by each Specific Aim:
Specific Aim 1: To test…to create…to solve…to challenge
What have you already accomplished in previous work toward your aims and what’s still left unfinished? This is your preliminary studies.
Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses to be used to accomplish the specific aim of the project
For this aim, how will data be collected, analyzed, and interpreted as well as any resource sharing plans as appropriate?
In carrying out this work toward this aim, discuss potential problems, alternative strategies, and benchmarks for success anticipated to achieve the aim.
For each aim, if the work is in the early stages of development, describe any strategy to establish feasibility, and address the management of any high-risk aspects of the proposed work.
Thus, for each aim, provide the following: a. Preliminary studies you have already completed or are at least near completion b. Methods you will use
2 NIH R Grant Outline
c. How results will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted — your statistical analyses must be evident d. Why any new method is an improvement over existing methods e. For novel methods that you don’t have expertise with, describe work with consultants (letters required) f. What are your expected results? g. What potential pitfalls do you expect (i.e., discuss limitations) and what alternative approaches will you employ to get around these roadblocks? h. Provide each of these clearly in headers (preliminary studies, design, method, expected results, pitfalls/alternative approaches, etc)
Next, at the end, provide a short summary that gives me the bigger picture and discusses how the results from the aims pertain to the problem posed in the grant — provide a clear context for assessing the importance and relevance of the findings. Give me some idea of your future directions — i.e., discuss what’s likely not feasible for this grant period, and what future studies will focus on.
-Overall in this section, focus on strategy rather than experimental detail. But more detail for novel methods (and use consultants/co-Is) less for established methods. -Provide short summary statements at the end of long sections if possible. -Provide figures/tables to illustrate mechanisms, experiment details, study design, findings -Provide a graph showing milestones for each aim by year. -For an R01, should be somewhere between 9-10.5 pages or 4-5 pages for R21/R03.
3