DECLINE

If your proposal is not funded, notify the Office of Grants and Contract Development and immediately write and thank the panel for reviewing your proposal and request the reviewers' comments. Find out what the reviewers felt were weaknesses of the proposal, address those issues and plan to resubmit the proposal at the next deadline or submit the proposal to a different program which funds project of a similar nature. In resubmitting be sure that your proposal addresses any new priorities outlined in the subsequent RFP. Remember that developing and maintaining a strong relationship with the program representatives can significantly enhance your proposal's chance. The same applies to proposals submitted to foundations and corporations. The thank you letter when your proposal is rejected may be what gets you funded next time.

Most funding officials say that the best approach to take is to try again and keep on trying. While it is obvious that a proposal, no matter how brilliant, won't get funded if it isn't submitted, what is not so obvious is that if you keep on trying the chances are good that your application will eventually be funded. An in-house study at NIH looked at thousands of first-time research grant applications since the 1960s and found that persistence does pay off. About half of these applications finally succeeded even if it took a while.

NIH data also shows that new NIH applications have as good a chance of being funded as previously funded investigators. According to the NIH study, success rates for the first-timers are about the same as success rates for old-timers for new applications.

Improving Your Chances Next Time

If at first you don't succeed, pick yourself up from the ground, dust yourself off, and try again. Most funding agencies are willing to provide you with information about why your proposal was not funded. If they do not automatically provide you with the information about your proposal, ask for it. When you receive the information back, review it carefully. It is a good idea to separate yourself from your masterpiece just a bit. Don't let your ego get in the way of accepting the review comments for what they are. Granted, you spent a lot of time preparing the application, but remember you're trying to get the proposal funded. Review the comments carefully and determine why the reviewers found the faults they indicated. Make a list of these points and then a list of things to do to correct them.

Transforming a rejected application into a funded proposal may require relatively minor revisions or wholesale revamping. According to NIH and NSF officials, many proposals have considerable merit but are unfundable for reasons ranging from lack of funds to lack of program fit. Some proposals are rejected because they don`t address funding priorities. At NIH, many applications recommended for funding during initial evaluation by peer reviewers don't get funded the first time around. If an NIH review group finds an application scientifically meritorious but flawed, they often will recommend that the applicant make specific revisions and submit an amended application, which will be reviewed again, usually two cycles later.

The cardinal rule to remember in grant writing is that you won't get funded if you don't try. Don't be discouraged if your first efforts are not successful. Keep trying. Hopefully if you follow the advice in this booklet you will improve your chances of being funded. Good luck!