We interviewed Dr. Debi Fadool, a professor in the Department of Biology and the Director and Associate Dean for the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at FSU.  She has read 100s of grants. 

Dr. Fadool served on the Ion Channel study section & the NIDCD study section for training grants and fellowships, both for four years.

Dr. Fadool recommended three crucial tips for achieving a successful career of grantsmanship. 

Tip # 1: Peer Reviews Before More Peer Reviews!

Before submission, Fadool recommends that writers ask at least three peers to review their proposal! 

Give a copy with a due date to:

• A junior faculty peer or prior mentor who knows your specific area and will give you the nitty gritty critiques on the details of the project
• An advanced student, mentee of yours, or an OPD editor who is a stickler for grammar and format
• A senior faculty mentor who will look at your work with the big picture in mind 

Tip # 2: Give Yourself (AND YOUR PEER REVIEWERS) Enough Time

Typically, in a NIH study section, peer reviewers will be given 8 or so grants to review with two months to review them.  It usually takes a dedicated day to read a grant and a day to write up the review…on top of their regular job!  So it may take reviewers 8 weekends to get the grants reviewed.  What if they have other plans…like life?!  Study section reviewers may get prestige for taking on the role and $200 for all of that work and time.  Your FRIENDS (you should call them that now) who agree to read your grant for free…just for you…need the same courtesy.  Give them time! 

Fadool recommends that you give one month to your peers to review your grant before submission.  While, they are reviewing you’ll still be working on supplemental pages.  You’ll also need one month to make corrections.  So that means that the review process starts two months before submission.  Sure, someone can occasionally squeeze a grant in by the deadline without allowing this much time, but that’s not how successful grant writers get it done! 

You’ll also need time to work on each element of the grant prior to asking your peers for their critiques.  Get advice from mentors, online resources, and OPD staff on timelines for completing the proposal elements (e.g., specific aims, equipment, personnel).  And ask those same “friends” listed above to hold you accountable for making each deadline.    

Tip # 3: Read Lots of Grants!

Why would anyone take on the responsibilities of a study section reviewer with such little financial and extrinsic rewards?  That brings us to Dr. Fadool’s third grantsmanship strategy tip [AND THE MOST IMPORTANT].  Read lots of grants!  Fadool says, “you’ll want to read a number of grants that were funded AND unfunded.”  OPD provides access to a secure database of successful proposals from FSU faculty.  Better yet, become a study section reviewer.  By reading lots of grants as a study section reviewer, you’ll see diversities of style and understand the tone of writing that gets funded in order to get your own work on par.      

CHECK OUT this video by NIH that gives you a front row seat at a peer review meeting. 

Also, checkout all of the previous workshops, slides, and videos provided by Fadool and her colleagues at the Office of Postdoctoral Mentoring, as well as OPD’s prior workshops and trainings posted online.

                                                             -Rachel Goff-Albritton, PhD. 

Rachel Goff-Albritton is a new addition to the OPD team.  She has a doctorate in Communication Sciences & Disorders.  She is passionate about locating and providing valuable resources to help FSU faculty receive funding for their research and creative endeavors, laying the foundation for sustainable research growth!