AAPM&R - RPC Resident’s Research Packet

Obtaining funding may be one of the most difficult aspects of the research project. The best place to start is close to home. Often it is easiest to get relatively small sums of money from your own advisor, department, medical school or university. There are, of course, other funding agencies, but this approach is more difficult, more time consuming, and more prone to delays than are internal grants.

1. Your advisor. If you have an advisor who is doing similar or related research, perhaps s/he can sponsor your project. As mentioned in the mentoring section, if you can find a mentor who works in your area of interest, s/he may be willing to fund, as well as supervise, your research.

2. Your department. The next step would be to talk to your departmental research director, program director or department chairman. Most academic PM&R departments, at least the bigger ones, will have some “free funds” or training grant money which can be used to support resident research.

3. Your institution. The last hope for internal funding would be your hospital or associated university. Some institutions have training grants or endowments designated to support research at that institution. These are often directed more towards junior faculty than residents, but you may be able to apply for these funds under your advisor’s sponsorship. Call the Office of Research Development at your institution or talk to your department chairman about this possibility.

4. Outside funding. If you’ve decided to apply for an outside grant or other external funding, be prepared for a fight. Funding has gotten much tighter over the last 15 years; currently, less than 20% of research proposals submitted at the federal level are being funded. The bad news is that you’ll be competing in a tough market with experienced, full-time researchers; this may be a battle you want to put off until after you’ve finished your residency. The good news is that there are a number of grants specifically designed to encourage new young researchers. Furthermore, granting agencies tend to be receptive to clinically-oriented proposals.

Appendix C is a list of possible external funding sources. Most granting agencies have a list of specific types of projects they want to fund, and this list changes from year to year. You can write or call these agencies to learn about their priorities and to get applications. For those computer buffs, web site addresses are provided for some of theses agencies. By accessing these web sites, information on available grants, qualifications and deadlines can be obtained. In addition, an online research funding resource from the Federal Government is available free of charge. It is called FOA or FEDIX Opportunity Alert.; Many universities have access to this alert on their Web site, like Arizona State University, at: http://researchnet.asu.edu/resources/funding_opp.html. Similarly, the web sites of AAPMR and AAP provide links to various grant opportunities, foundations, and associations (www.aapmr.org and www.physiatry.org)

Once again, your research director and/or office of research development can be extremely helpful in directing you to the right granting agency and helping you get through the application process. Below are several books and periodic publications which list current calls for grant proposals. They can be very useful when shopping for funding. Some of the periodicals tend to be rather expensive. Check with your library or research administration office to see if they subscribe. The Federal Register, NIH Guide and the NSF Directory are available on the Internet which is free and faster.

AAPM&R-RPC: Resident’s Research Packet

Funding

Books On Research Funding:

Periodicals On Research Funding: