How to Apply for Research Funding

New NIH Policy on Data Management and Sharing – effective Jan. 25, 2023

Effective Jan. 25, 2023, NIH is implementing a new Policy for Data Management and Sharing (DMS Policy). For more information about the NIH DMS Policy, see Data Management & Sharing Policy Overview.

The policy includes all NIH-supported research regardless of funding level, including: extramural grants, extramural contracts, intramural research projects, and other funding agreements.

The purpose of the policy is to require investigators and institutions to plan and budget for the managing and sharing of data, submit a DMS plan for review when applying for funding and comply with the approved plan. The policy also requires research data be shared at the same time findings are published, or sooner.

DMS Plans should be included within the “Other Plan(s) field on the PHS 398 Research Plan or PHS 398 Career Development Award Supplemental Form as indicated in the Application Instructions. A brief summary and associated costs should be submitted as part of the budget and budget justification.

For more information, the Health Sciences Library has updated the NIH Data Sharing library guide.

Grant Proposal Application Process

The application process involves preparing a set of documents that address requirements, both for MU, and for the external funder. MU Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) requires that applicants submit a detailed internal project budget, that the project be entered into the PeopleSoft system, and that approvals are obtained from individuals on the project, their chairs and deans. Additionally, for applications to federal funders, SPA must confirm that all project personnel are compliant with federal conflict of interest guidelines.

To apply for NIH funding, all investigators must have an eRA Commons ID. If you do not have one, you can request that SPA create one for you by completing the NIH eRA Commons Registration Form. NIH requires applications to be submitted electronically, MU SOM and MU SPA use ASSIST, NIH’s web-based service for the preparation, submission and tracking of grant applications.

Use the application instructions found at this link, along with the guidance in the funding opportunity announcement, to submit grant applications to NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Tips for Planning and Organizing Your Application

Find a Funding Opportunity (FOA) that Fits Your Research
Determine Application Submission Date
Meet with Office of Medical Research Leadership
Meet with Proposal Development Staff
Obtain Any Required Prior Approvals
Find Collaborators
Consider Human Subjects and Vertebrate Animal Requirements
Organize Your Time to Complete the Application

Short List of Commonly Required Application Documents

Section of Application	Description	Page limit
Project Summary/Abstract	A succinct and accurate description of the proposed work.	30 lines
Project Narrative	Communicates the public health relevance of the project to the public.	No more than 2-3 sentences
Specific Aims	State concisely the goals of the proposed research. Summarize the expected outcome, including the impact on the research field.	1 page
Research Strategy	Nuts and bolts of application, describe research rationale and experiments to accomplish each aim.	12 pages
Biographical Sketch	Documents an individual’s qualifications and experience for a specific role in a project.	5 pages
Facilities and Resources	Describe how the scientific environment in which the research will be done contributes to the probability of success (e.g., institutional support, physical resources, and intellectual rapport). If there are multiple performance sites, describe the resources available at each site.	No page limit
Equipment	List major items of equipment already available for your project.	No page limit

Additional Resources

These samples, templates and boilerplates are provided to help you prepare your grant proposals. They are not intended to be used ‘as is’ and should be customized based on your circumstances. Please review each carefully, check for relevance and edit to suit your grant proposal. Also, please keep in mind that funding agencies frequently change the format and specifications on forms and documents. Always check the current agency guidelines and the funding announcement to be certain that you are following the most current requirements.