Brent Feske

Brent was presented with questions about NSF grants that were collected from a poll on the FECS Facebook page in addition to other sample questions about grants. Below are the questions and his answers.

Can you talk about SBIR STTR grants which combine startup and academic research?

I do not have much experience with these grants. However, I am part of an NSF-IUCRC – Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program. This funds “translational” research by combining Universities and Industry. A key difference here is that it doesn’t focus on small business, but is open to all of the industry.

Is there a better chance of getting a grant if I apply jointly with colleagues?

Yes and No. Anytime you add a colleague or collaborator to a proposal (as long as it is value added) would strengthen the proposal. I come from a Primarily Undergraduate Institution, and time and resources tend to be more limited. As a result, I think faculty in these institutions benefit more from collaborations and joint grants. Why No? Typically multiple PI/coPI proposals will mean higher grant budgets. I have served on several NSF review panels and I have heard “Don’t look at the budget; just rank the proposals based on merit” to “You are allowed to evaluate the budget to consider if it is reasonable as part of your evaluation”. Either way, consciously or not, I believe grant reviewers will take into account the total budget as part of their review.

Are there any key aspects that you look for in a successful grant application?

The obvious key aspect is if the grant contains a good idea! The better the idea the more you can “slack off” on writing the perfect grant proposal. No one wants to take the risk and “slack off”, so what are some general tips?

Tips and Thoughts (Some more important than others)

1. Poor writing – many reviewers have a hard time overlooking grammar mistakes and typos.
2. Well organized – Is your grant written in the required order (if there is a requirement) or in an order that makes sense?
3. Aesthetics – Does the grant have a professional look to it (figures are not blurry, format is clean)?
4. Why are these three above so important? When you write a proposal, this proposal is a reflection of your research or your work. If the proposal is disorganized, sloppy, and lacks attention to detail, then this would suggest that your work is the same.
5. Be sure to read the RFP thoroughly and address all areas mentioned in the RFP. To help with this, I always suggest trying to find a copy of a successful grant proposal (or at least a grant that has received a high score) for that exact RFP. In addition, have your proposal proofed by someone with experience with this RFP.
6. Keep the budget reasonable. Many reviewers don’t like seeing proposals with excessive requests (even if the requests are allowed). If unsure, talk to the program officer about what is a reasonable (and normal) request and always justify your request.
7. Are you up to date on this topic? I have seen reviewers look at the references section to see what year most of your references are from. Are they all older references? Perhaps the PI is not aware of the newer literature that is out there?
8. Don’t submit a 10 page proposal if you are allowed 15 pages. Even if it is a strong proposal reviewers may think it isn’t well established. I generally will adjust line spacing (be sure you follow all font and spacing rules) to where my proposal sits right at 15 pages (or whatever the maximum allowed is). Sometimes it can be the little things.
9. For NSF grants, don’t overlook Broader Impacts. For the panels that I have served on, reviewers have been allowed to “weigh” broader impacts at their discretion. I have heard reviewers say that they weigh “intellectual merit” the same as “broader impacts” (50/50). Some reviewers give very little weight to broader impacts, but it is important to cover all aspects.
10. Previous support section – If you have received previous funding, you must describe this in the proposal. This is your chance to really sell yourself as someone worth investing in. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity.

Brent Feske is a Professor of Chemistry and serves as an Associate Dean in the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Feske also served as the Interim Director for the Office of Sponsored Programs at Armstrong State University. He has been either coPI or PI on four funded NSF research grants and has served on many NSF review panels.