The Grant Application Process a committee member’s point of view Kerstin Blank RU Nijmegen VIDI grant 2008 VENI committee 2011, 2012, 2013 Den Haag 15.10.2013 Kerstin Blank Radboud University Nijmegen
Outline The 5 steps of a ‘VI’-application Preparation Proposal Review process Rebuttal Ranking of proposals by the committee Invitation of best candidates for the interview Interview Ranking of proposals/candidates by the committee Advice to NWO board Letter to successful applicants www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Preparation What are you looking for? What is your motivation? I want to extend my PostDoc because I can’t find another job. I have a research question I would like to answer. I like the lifestyle of a scientist. I have a really good idea that I want to investigate. Prof. More told me I can work in his lab if I get a grant. I have had a successful career so far with many publications. This is a good way to stay in/come to the Netherlands. I want to become professor. The grant will help me to get a tenure track position (or get tenure). Getting a price is good for my CV. I want to start my own line of research as soon as possible. I like working in the lab. I just want to hang around at the university for some more time. www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Preparation What are we looking for? • a brilliant scientist with the potential to become a future leader • a creative person with a great ideas who gets things done • an innovative researcher who has the big picture in mind You need to convince the reviewers and the committee that you are exactly this person! You need to convince the reviewers and the committee that you have a great plan and that you deserve the money! You need to be convinced yourself first!!! • your research proposal • your achievements and your CV • your idea about the impact and applications of your research www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Proposal the research project Agreed, we‘ll only fund those proposals that we understand. www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Proposal the research project WHAT... ...is your idea? ...is your research question? ...are you planning to do? WHY... ...is it important? ...do you want to do it? ...is it going to change the world? HOW... ...are you going to answer your research question? ...new and innovative is your approach? ...can you benefit from the environment of the host lab? The research question is the red line through your proposal! www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Proposal YOU - the candidate CV • PhD thesis (topic, duration) • research experience after PhD (topic, duration) • international experience (MSc, PhD, PostDoc, collaborations) • teaching experience (courses taught, students supervised,...) • industry experience (before or after PhD, collaborations,...) • gaps??? ACHIEVEMENTS • number and quality of your publications (list submitted ones without journal; do not list manuscripts in preparation) • PostDoc fellowship (Rubicon, Marie Curie, from home country) • conference participation, invited lectures,... • prizes ( e.g. poster awards) • patent applications • recognition in the community ( e.g. reviewer invitations, PhD committees,...) www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Proposal knowledge utilization (and communication) Why do I have to care about this? My proposal is fundamental research! You are trying to get tax payer’s money... Thinking about the impact of science on society is important! It is our duty as a scientist to inform the public about our results. The reputation of science in the general public is not the best. We can all do better and care more from this point of view. There are numerous possibilities... Make use of the available space! Even if utilization is only a long term goal... if at all... You just got more space to explain why your research is important! www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Review Process What are the reviewers (and NWO, ...) looking for? What qualifies the researcher to belong to the top 10% of her/his peer group? What is the impact of the proposed research if successful? Is the proposed method/ approach suitable? Is the proposed approach for knowledge utilization feasible? What are the innovative aspects of the proposal? www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Rebuttal Why is it important? The reviewers are probably experts in your research field. Most likely there is some truth in their comments. But they might have misunderstood something... This is your chance... ...to clarify things that have not been fully clear. ...to add supporting data you obtained in the meantime. ...to show that you know what you are doing. ...to show how you deal with criticism... Be short and to the point! Be polite! Always reply! The reviewer is always right! www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Ranking of Proposals I What is the role of the committee? The committee consists of 10 scientists (at least your career level). They are all chemists, but have a rather diverse background. You can expect that there is at least one expert for your proposal. Each committee member scores the 3 sections independently. Each committee member makes her/his own ranking. The committee checks the fairness of the reviewer comments. In case of opposing reports, the committee checks details. In scientific questions, the committee mostly follows the reviewers’ advice. They are the experts! The CV, achievements and vision of the candidates can be judged independently. The reviewer scores often differ... www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Ranking of Proposals I What am I looking for? RESEARCH PROPOSAL: ...mostly based on reviewer comments. In addition: • Is there a clear research question or is it just “I will try and see”? • Can I understand the key message of the proposal in 10 min? • Is this a research proposal of the candidate or her/his host? • Is there sufficient experimental detail to judge the feasibility? • Does the candidate have the experience to do this research? • Has the proposal a chance to be successful? • Are the reviewer comments addressed in the rebuttal? www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Ranking of Proposals I What am I looking for? CV • PhD thesis (how many years did it take you?) • research experience after PhD • international experience • teaching experience • industry experience • gaps??? ACHIEVEMENTS • number AND quality of publications (in relationship to years AFTER STARTING your PhD) • PostDoc fellowship • conference participation, invited lectures • prizes • patent applications • recognition in the community www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Ranking of Proposals I What am I looking for? KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION: ...reviewer comments are not always useful. ...sometimes very difficult to judge. Utilization possible: => Is it realistic? Are all aspects considered? Fundamental research: => Is it clearly explained why utilization is not possible? Does the candidate have a vision? Did she/he really think about this? Is she/he aware of the impact of the proposed research? www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Interview presentation You have only 10 minutes! “I will do this, because... And I will use the following approach.” • What will be done? • Why should this be done? • How will it be done? • What is the impact and what are possible applications? Be enthusiastic and confident! Address the reviewer comments! Be in time! Don’t spend to much time on the introduction! Practice! Practice! Practice! If you can‘t cover all these aspects in 10 minutes, be prepared for questions in this direction!!! www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Interview questions Know your committee. Know your weak points. Prepare for the reviewer comments. Be polite, even if you think a question is stupid. You want something from the committee. It is not only about what you say, but how you say it. Be prepared for nasty questions about your CV. The interview is far more about you as a person! You can secure your grant in the interview or mess it up! www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
Interview questions Possible questions: • You get the money now. What experiment do you do tomorrow? • What happened to the publications you submitted? • What are you going to do when your grant is finished? • What is your contribution and what is the contribution of your host lab? • Why do you want to work in this group/lab/university? • You are working in a company now. Why back to university? • Why did it take you 2.5 years to write up your PhD thesis? • You have switched fields after your PhD? Why? • Your proposal contains a lot of new methods you are not experienced with. Are you going to learn them all? • According to reviewer 1 your proposal is overambitious. What is your view on this? www.singlemoleculekinetics.eu Radboud University Nijmegen
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