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Tip Sheet Volume 1:7
Industrial Strength Grantsmanship
Research grants written and submitted
for industry funding or review have different nuances than grants
submitted for federal funding. The following illustrates a few
of these differences and provides suggestions for a successful
industry grant.
Communication - is very
important in securing industry grants.
- Do get
to know the target industry in general and companies within the
industry specifically. Knowledge about the business and scientific
needs of the industry are invaluable.
- Do
find an advocate within the specific company to pre-review the
proposal and speak positively on behalf of the university, the
principal investigator (you), and the proposed research.
- Do recognize
the proposal is about more than science. Business components,
such as intellectual property, confidentiality, and overhead
are important and must be addressed. Commercial application of
the proposed research is even more important.
- Do
know the budget cycle of the industry, and submit your grant
during their planning phase.
- Do not stop
communicating after the grant proposal has been written and submitted.
- Do not assume
you know more about the industry than its employees-keep asking
questions even after the funding is received.
Content
- is less technical and more
business related.
- Do include
an executive summary that focuses on the potential applications/solutions
for the industry and not the detailed materials and methods.
- Do write
an introduction that explains how the proposed research will
directly benefit the company, and repeat that benefit often.
Do not include a lengthy history of the science.
- Do remember
that industry grants are more about politics and the commercial
application of science (technology) while federal grants are
more about fundamental science.
- Do
include a realistic time line and budget. Remember also
to include the company's contributions, monetarily and otherwise.
- Do include
preliminary data. Evidence that supports your hypothesis will
show both the merit of the experiment and your commitment to
the research.
- Do not overestimate
the amount of work that is possible in the amount of time specified.
- Do not list
specific competing companies in the proposal and imply interest
in the proposed research unless you have permission to list a
company employee as a reference. Instead, refer to general industries,
such as the life sciences industry or the animal health industry,
and indicate how the proposed research is applicable to the industry
as a whole.
Format and Style - presentation is important.
- Do write
a proposal that is readable. Often, the industry employees reading
the proposal have a limited technical background or their expertise
is in a different area from the proposed research.
- Do ask
for assistance in reviewing your proposal.
- Do not make
the proposal too long or too technical.
- Do not
take an unfunded federal grant and submit it to an industry without
considering all the above-mentioned points!
If you have any questions about writing
grants to be reviewed or funded by industry, or have a proposal
that you would like reviewed, please contact:
Lisa Lorenzen
Biotechnology Industrial Liaison
1210 Molecular Biology Building
Phone: (515) 294-0926
Email: llorenze@iastate.edu
Acknowledgement: A special thanks to Max Rothschild
for use of his "Grantsmanship" seminar slides.
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