Writing a research proposal

FMHS-CSCR Research Workshop 2012

23 April, 2012 (Monday, 2.15-2.40 pm)

Professor Choo Kong Bung

1

Professor Choo Kong Bung

Faculty of Medicine and Health Science

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Sungai Long, Kajang

Selangor

Email: chookb@utar.edu.my;Office: K301 (3rd floor)

Why write research proposals?

** To obtain funds to support our research

** To review and to establish further focus(es) ** To review and to establish further focus(es) of ongoing research programmes

** To develop novel ideas during writing ofproposal

Preparation

∗ Decide on the granting body

∗ Clarify qualification of applicants

∗∗ Know the application procedure, time open for application & obtain all application forms

∗ Is it a group or personal project?

∗ Collaborators: co-PIs or associate PIs??

Understand the culture

of the granting bodyof the granting body

& the application procedure

Different types of research proposals

e.g. Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE)

FRGS: Fundamental Research Grant Scheme

5

FRGS: Fundamental Research Grant Scheme

ERGS: Exploratory Research Grant Scheme

LRGS: Long-term Research Grant Scheme

** May need to first submit a concept paper

** PI and team members may be asked to present

the proposal orally

Long-term research grant

the proposal orally

** Writing up of a full proposal for further review

Principal Investigator (PI), co-Principal

Investigator (co-PI) or Associate Investigator

∗ PI: should have the relevant background/experiences

to supervise and execute main body of the projectto supervise and execute main body of the project

∗ Co- and associate PI should have relevant expertise

and experiences to complement the PI

∗ Goal ：：：：What is our objective?

∗ Significance：：：：Why is the project important?

∗ Design / approaches ：：：：How to achieve the goal ?

∗ PI & co-PI’s：：：：Who are doing which part of the study ?

Major issues to be addressed

in a research proposal

∗ PI & co-PI’s：：：：Who are doing which part of the study ?

∗ For multi-year project：：：：When is each specific aim

expected to be achieved ?

∗ Impact of project ：：：：When the project is successfully

carried out, so what ?

∗ Forecasts based on project data ：：：：What next ?

Keys to good proposal writing

** Clear and concise (good command of language …)

** Evidence-based & logical** Evidence-based & logical(avoid wild speculation …)

** Relevance(avoid unnecessary information …)

Be reviewer friendly!!

Content of a successful research proposal

** Addressing interesting & worthy questions/issues

** Clear and innovative concept and rationale

** Achievable aims** Achievable aims

** Appropriate experimental designs with feasibleand up-to-date techniques

** Interesting and convincing preliminary data or relevant previous publications

** Competence and publication record of PI

Always have a rational

and achievable goal!!and achievable goal!!

LiteratureReview

Preliminary Results

Questions

Hypothesis

Prep

ara

tion

Observations

Preparing and writing up a research proposal

Goal & aims

Experimental design

Anticipated problems /Expected results

Writin

g u

p

• Use relevant literature and preliminary data to build the hypothesis

Hypothesis

• Use diagrams to outline ideas and models

• State the hypothesis clearly in the abstract andspecific aims

A roadmap of the project

∗ Display the various steps on how the various specific aims are integrated

∗ Reveal the major experimental design and ∗ Reveal the major experimental design and methods to be used (e.g. real-time PCR, microarray,

bioinformatics, knockout mice ……..)

∗ Show timeline (milestone on completion of each specific aim over the granting period)

ZFP352 ZFP352

associating

Specific aim 4：：：： ZFP352

interaction proteins & PTM (Yr 3)

ZFP352 genecis

Upstream regulator gene(s)

Specific aim 3：：：：Transcriptional regulation of Zfp352 (Yrs 2-3)

Upstream

regulator

Zfp352 regulation

siRNA k/d

Specific aim 2： Effects of Zfp352 knockdown on development (Yr 2)

Preimplantation

Effects on development ？？？？

Overall scheme:An example

proteinprotein(s)

PTM？C(A/T)CCC

Target gene(s)

ZFP352-binding site(s)

Activation of downstream

target genes

Specific aim 1：：：：Identification of

downstream target genes (Yrs 1-2)

X Y Z

ZFP352-regulated d/s protein(s)

development

Experimental/study design

** Study design is NOT Materials and Methods

** Design experiments to address the questions ** Design experiments to address the questions

raised in the specific aims

** Be realistic, manageable and focussed

** Be logical in step-by-step leading to your goal

Be reviewer friendly

∗ Present information logically, concisely & clearly

∗ Make appropriate sections and subsections with concise & informative titles and subtitles under a logical numbering systemlogical numbering system

∗ Prepare a list of content with page numbers of sections and subsections

∗ The following important sections are definitely read very carefully by the reviewers, so write well: specific aims, study design approaches and integration.

Writing up the proposal

The basic structure of a research proposal (I)

1. Title

2. Abstract

3. Specific aims3. Specific aims

4. Background/literature review

& significance of project

5. Preliminary data

6. Study design and major approaches

7. Materials and methods

8. Anticipated results

9. Anticipated problems & solutions

10. Literature cited

The basic structure of a research proposal (II)

10. Literature cited

11. Biodata of PI and collaborators

12. Research environment and supports

13. Budget

14. Approval from Ethics Committees

15. Appendices

Title of a research proposal

∗ Should clearly reflect the major goal of the proposed

research

∗∗ Concise, informative and attractive

∗ Create a title by first making a list of keywords

∗ Avoid acronyms

∗ Should be decided on when the proposal is finalised

Abstract

∗ Most important section; will be read closely by reviewers (First impression on the reviewers)

∗ Final section to be written (or prepare an early draft but finalised last …)

∗ Final section to be written (or prepare an early draft but finalised last …)

∗ Be concise, comprehensive and organised

(beware of word limitation …)

∗ Should include all key points of whole proposal: Background, hypothesis, specific aims, study design, significance of study & anticipated results

Importance

Outstandingproblems

Hypothesis

Early onset breast cancer has been the unique and major healthproblem in Malaysia with annual increase of …

The etiology and mechanisms of breast cancer in youngwomen is unknown. It has been suggested that carcinogenesisin utero may account for the early-onset of this cancer …

To test this hypothesis, we have used fed pregnant mice withfatty diet and found increase in incidence of mammary tumoursin the new born mice …

Abstract: an example

Experimentalapproaches

Summary

Answers

Significance

in the new born mice …

In this proposal, we will examine the alteration of mammarygland differentiation pathway in the mammary tumours derived from the new born mice using microarray, SAGE (serial analysisof gene expression) as well real-time PCR techniques

This study of alterations in mammary gland differentiation in themammary tumour of new born mice will allow us to identify thegenetic and molecular mechanisms involved in the early-onsetbreast cancer.

This information could be useful for diagnosis/treatment ofearly-onset breast cancer in Malaysia …

Goals and specific aims

• Goal(s): Overall and long-term (best to have only one major goal)

• Specific aims: milestones/steps to reach the goal

What do we intend to achieve?

• Specific aims: milestones/steps to reach the goal(no more than 3-5 specific aims)

• Specific aims: Be specific, be achievable, be logical …

>> Both goals and specific aims: Clear link to test of hypothesisClear link to study design …

Approaches Rationale and hypothesis

Specific Aim 1. To determine the role of nucleosomes inthe regulation of Igk locus rearrangement.Our preliminary results showed that the V(D)J recombinase couldnot recognize RSS targets if they were arranged into anucleosome structure. We propose experiments to extend

Specific aim: an example

nucleosome structure. We propose experiments to extendthese observations by 1) determining what fraction of the Jkgene segments are in the nucleosomal structure in cellsundergoing rearrangement as compared with non-lymphoidcells, 2) determining if nucleosomes are phased across theJk locus, 3)determining whether nucleosome remodelingcomplex can alter the accessibility of the Jk cluster in nativeor reconstituted chromatin. This analysis will give us insight

of the mechanism of Igk gene rearrangement.

Significance

Background and significance

• Describe what has or has not been reported (current status of information)

• Importance of the research goals & potential benefits

WHY the study is important?

• Importance of the research goals & potential benefits derived from the study

• Cite relevant and up-to-date literature

• Consider the pros and cons of the subject matter

• Demonstrate that we are fully qualified & competent to address the stated questions

• This is not writing a review; limit to 3-5 pages

Preliminary data

• Describe only relevant preliminary data

• Describe how the hypothesis is developed from and

What are the pilot studies have we done?

• Describe how the hypothesis is developed from and

supported by the preliminary data

• Figures & tables should include legends & footnotes

(as in writing up a research paper)

• Limit to 2-4 pages (including figures and tables)

Study design & experimental approaches

∗ Rationale of study design and major techniques to be

used

HOW do we plan to execute the project?

∗ Variables and parameters of the major expt’l

approaches

∗ Study design & methods must be feasible & integrated,

and be consistent with specific aims and goal

∗ Potential pitfalls and alternative strategies when

problems are encountered

• This section should include an integrated scheme

(roadmap) of the core steps of the proposal

• Describe how experiments are to be done; more

Study design & experimental approaches

• Describe how experiments are to be done; more

importantly, also explain why

• Also need to cite appropriate supporting literature

• Limit to 4-6 pages

ZFP352 ZFP352

associating

Specific aim 4：：：： ZFP352

interaction proteins & PTM (Yr 3)

ZFP352 genecis

Upstream regulator gene(s)

Specific aim 3：：：：Transcriptional regulation of Zfp352 (Yrs 2-3)

Upstream

regulator

Zfp352 regulation

siRNA k/d

Specific aim 2： Effects of Zfp352 knockdown on development (Yr 2)

Preimplantation

Effects on development ？？？？

Overall scheme:An example

proteinprotein(s)

PTM？C(A/T)CCC

Target gene(s)

ZFP352-binding site(s)

Activation of downstream

target genes

Specific aim 1：：：：Identification of

downstream target genes (Yrs 1-2)

X Y Z

ZFP352-regulated d/s protein(s)

development

From Choo KB

Literature cited

∗ Literature cited must be appropriate, complete and up-to-date

∗ Best to list the full title of each cited paper besides ∗ Best to list the full title of each cited paper besides authorship and journal source

∗ Check to make sure of the correctness of cited papers

∗ Restrict to 40-60 most important papers

Biodata of PI and co-PI

∗ Use only updated biodata

∗ Include publications in the past 5 years∗ Include publications in the past 5 years

∗ May also include conference abstracts and monographs and books published

Research environment & support

∗ Is the research environment of the PI equipped to successfully carry out project?

(Emphasis on superior research environment e.g. core facilities, animal facilities …)e.g. core facilities, animal facilities …)

∗ Other senior or experienced collaborators in own and other institutions

∗ Supports from affiliated organisation of PI and co-PI’s

∗ Availability of postgraduate students

Budget

∗ Know the budget ceiling & average budget range

∗ Be reasonable; justify request of large sum …

∗ The budget may include：∗ The budget may include：

>Salaries (full- or part-time RA, postgraduate scheme)

>Instruments and software (with limitation)

>Consumbles (reagents, chemicals, plasticware …)

>Others (conferences, MS handling fee, publication costs …)

• For use of human subjects: Internal Review Board

(IRB) or Ethical Committee

Approval from

Research Ethics Committees

• For use of animals: Animals Use & Care Committee

• Recombinant DNA Research Committee

• Best to submit for internal committee approvals early

to avoid delays in final submission

Appendices

∗ May include pdf copies of important supporting

papers, accepted or submitted manuscripts

∗ Intellectual properties (IP’s) or licensing∗ Intellectual properties (IP’s) or licensing

∗ Agreement for use of expensive instruments from

other institutions

∗ All other helpful supporting documents

Writing up a research proposal: summary

Completion and

submission of proposal

Write up, discuss, review and rewrite

Decide on funding body; familiarise with application procedure

Organise ideas, literature review, study design and

integration of specific aims into a roadmap

Absolutely

NO

A reminder

NO

PLAGIARISM!!!PLAGIARISM in any published writing

is a MOST SERIOUS offence

http://www.nsf.gov/home/programs/guide.htm

http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/

Some useful websites

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/grants/

http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/extra/extdocs/gntapp.htm

http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/research/writing.htm

http://www.csr.nih.gov/

http://www.grantcentral.com

Best of luck

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Enjoy our research …