If you plan to apply for a medical education research grant, writing a strong proposal can help you rise above the competition. These expert recommendations will be useful as you pursue future funding opportunities.
Writing a compelling grant proposal requires strategic thinking and research, especially if you want to increase your chances of attracting a particular funder, according to a recent perspective article on medical education research in Academic Medicine. As you write your funding proposal, some tips the authors recommend include:
You can gain useful information by checking with someone who's already received the grant you’re applying for or who works at the funding agency you’re interested in. These conversations can help you investigate projects your funder has supported previously and understand whether your proposal fits their interests. Speaking with previous grant recipients also can offer valuable information about a particular funder’s application process and requirements. If the funder has staff who can readily respond, call someone at the funding organization. For instance, “program officers at the [National Institutes of Health] are prime examples of people who will help by providing feedback on research ideas and how these ideas fit the goals of the institute,” the article authors wrote. “Some funders do this through letters of intent, but even then, a quick conversation with a representative of the funding agency can be invaluable in saving time and effort if the research idea does not fit the agency priorities and can help focus the study to make it a better fit.”
“It is unwise to ask for more money than the agency can realistically provide—excessive budget requests are easy to reject,” the article stated. “Similarly, asking for funding for costs that are not permitted suggests that the researcher has not read the instructions or guidelines from the funder.”
Writing a funding proposal alone can be daunting and time consuming. Instead of putting pressure solely on yourself, partner with colleagues who share your passion for the project you’re proposing. Planning a proposal with colleagues “makes it much more palatable and likely improves its quality. Collaborators can help watch for funding opportunities, provide complementary areas of expertise, supply access to a broader professional network, and offer encouragement when proposals get excoriated by reviewers,” the article authors wrote.
"This may be done by framing a larger research interest in terms of a specific problem,” the authors wrote. “For example, a larger interest in how practitioners become aware of and adopt new innovations may fit within the current spread of electronic medical records and how this technology might influence the dissemination of innovations.”
Identifying “a practical problem” you’d like to address in your proposal can help funders understand how your research aligns with real-world solutions rather than elusive theories. “Most funders are more interested in solving a problem than in basic and theoretical study in education,” the authors wrote.
However, this doesn’t mean that funders don’t value theory, the authors noted. It just shouldn’t be the crux of your proposal. “Theory development may not be feasible as the primary purpose of many grants, but it can and should be considered as one of the subsidiary aims of the project. Examples of using theory and targeting larger medical education research interests include exploring clinical reasoning with contemporary theory and biologic methods, sleep and decision making, and well-being,” according to the article.
After writing and revising your proposal, carefully proofread it to ensure your work is error-free. “Unfortunately, too many applications for scarce funding have the obvious hallmarks of being assembled at the last moment. They contain misspellings, missing sections, conflicting information and editorial comments that were not removed,” the authors wrote. “Submitting an unpolished proposal is largely a waste of time for the investigator, reviewers and funders.” Because of the scarcity of medical education grants, submitting a high-quality proposal is crucial if you’d like to advance in the funding process. You don’t have to be a perfectionist, but your proposal should reflect your ability to conduct quality research. “This starts with a clearly stated research question, substantiated by a theoretical framework, and built on prior research and literature,” the authors wrote.
When writing your proposal, “think big” and communicate the larger questions your research will investigate. “Although any study can be constrained by issues such as location, subjects or time, it is important to convince the funder that the study addresses a larger problem that will have implications for others and make a difference.” Even if you’re conducting a smaller study, “fundamental questions about education can still be addressed,” the authors wrote.
Checking with your peers
Do you solicit peer review before the peer review? That’s precisely what you’ll need to ensure you receive helpful feedback on your proposal before submitting it to reviewers. “It is almost always better to get feedback before submitting a proposal. This saves time, reduces the need for resubmission and improves the odds of getting accepted,” the article stated. “Even one critical review from a colleague can be enormously helpful in pointing out unfounded assumptions, jargon and confusing terms, lapses in logic and various other deficiencies.”
