NCCAM Grantsmanship Workshop

June 3–5, 2008
Rockville, MD

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducted a 3-day grantsmanship workshop. This workshop provided researchers, fellows, and graduate students with an in-depth understanding of the NIH grants and review processes, clarified Federal regulations and policies, and highlighted areas of special interest and concern.

Emphasis was be placed on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) research. The workshop included time to interact and discuss research ideas with NCCAM staff. Due to limited space, attendees were selected through an application process.

Workshop Highlights:

Practical information on how to prepare and submit an NIH grant application, including electronic submissions
Hints on how to plan research consistent with specific NCCAM policies and procedures
Details and insights into the NIH peer-review system
Insights from NIH study section members and successful grant applicants
Description of various funding mechanisms and how to pick the most appropriate mechanism
Discussion of key issues in research, including successful interaction with the Institutional Review Board and Food and Drug Administration issues in product quality; design and methodological strategies for CAM research; and strategies for optimal conduct of research, including recruiting and retaining research participants

Agenda

Day 1—June 3, 2008

9:00 a.m.

Welcome—Josephine Briggs

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Introduction and Overview of Agenda—Richard Nahin
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9:15 a.m.

Part 1: Overview of NIH—Richard Nahin

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Mission
History & Organization
Facts

9:30 a.m.

Part 2: Overview of NCCAM—Richard Nahin

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Mission
History & Organization
Facts

9:45 a.m.

Part 3: Lifecycle of a Grant Application

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Grant Process Overview—Martin Goldrosen
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Electronic Submissions—Dale Birkle
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- Registration
- Submission
- Validation
- How to get Help
Peer Review—Dale Birkle
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- Overview
- Application Assignments
- Peer Reviewers
- Preview Criteria
- Actions and Outcomes
NCCAM's Advisory Council—Martin Goldrosen
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Budget Review by Grants Management—George Tucker
- Notice of Grant Award
- Terms and Conditions of Award
Just-in-Time Information
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Video of Question and Answer

11:00 a.m.

Part 4: Roles of NIH Staff—Carol Pontzer

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Scientific Review Administrators
Program Officer
Grants Management Specialist
Office of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs

Product Integrity Working Group—Sheila Caldwell
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11:15 a.m.

Part 5: Types of Grants and Fellowships (Funding Mechanisms)—
Carol Pontzer

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R mechanisms
U mechanisms
K mechanisms
F mechanisms

11:30 a.m.

Part 6: Solicited vs. Unsolicited (Investigator-Initiated) Applications—
Barbara Sorkin

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Types of Initiatives
- Program Announcements
- Request for Applications
- Request for Proposals

11:45 a.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m.

Part 7: Grant Writing (How To Get a Grant or Fellowship)—
Kate Stoney, Laura Lee Johnson

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General Informaiton
Research Plan
- Specific Aims and Hypotheses
- Background and Preliminary Data
- Choice of Outcomes
- Sample Size
- Analysis Plan
Problems and Common Pitfalls (examples of good and bad)
Special Issues When Resubmitting Applications
Developing a Budget