Twelve Basic Steps To Improve Funding Potential

Small business applicants who receive a score between 100 and 180 generally are funded. Most NIA Small Business Innovation Research applicants who achieve scores in this range typically follow these basic steps:

1. Hire a grant writer; avoid assuming the reviewers will know what is meant without sufficient clarification.
2. State the objectives clearly and list each step necessary to achieve the objectives.
3. Present a strong argument for the project based on NIA programmatic needs, a complementary literature review, and a review of comparable products in the marketplace.
4. Develop an innovative product that meets consumer needs and has the potential to support good health and independent living in older adults. 
5. Establish an advisory board of experts that will critique the proposal prior to submission, and review the progress made.
6. Hire consultants familiar with the subject matter of the proposal. Include a behaviorist and a statistician, secure their advice, and ask them to review the application prior to submission.
7. Document (in table form) how the product differs from other similar products in the marketplace, including its cost and time-saving benefits.
8. Provide detailed plans for development, implementation, and evaluation.
9. Conduct focus groups of end users that address socioeconomic and diversity issues, appropriate approaches to data collection, and barriers to behavior change.
10. Use statistically valid measures to evaluate the effectiveness of the research.
11. Document secured technical and advisory letters of support and letters of intent from parties interested in supporting the commercialization of the product (Phase II and Fast Track applicants).
12. Persist.