27 October 2022
Part 3 — Research Planning: Securing Funding
This is part 3 of 8 in the Generate a Winning Research Proposal Learning Series. Click here to download the whole series.
There’s an idea I want to investigate – now how do I find funding?
While there are many different organizations that offer funds to complete research projects, Geneva’s federal funding comes primarily through two top-level federal agencies: the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These two agencies have many subordinate commands/ divisions including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP). An excellent resource for identifying federal opportunities is grants.gov, where you can search by keyword and review opportunities that are in alignment with your research.
Is my idea in line with the needs of the agency or department looking to fund a project?
When trying to match your research idea to a possible funding opportunity, it’s critical to understand the sponsor’s research interests and their constituents. Constituent groups include taxpayers and donors who have invested money in specific research areas, diseases, and issues. Sponsors are invested in supporting research that fulfills their specific mission(s), which is something to consider when formulating your project.
It’s also necessary to match your proposed project to the specific criteria of the funding opportunity announcement to which you are applying for. If it doesn’t seem like your research idea is a good fit, it’s highly unlikely that your proposal would be reviewed as competitive. In that case, you would want to look for other funders, or consider making changes to the project to ensure that your research question has adequate overlap with the award purpose. Another consideration is to review investigator eligibility criteria to ensure that your qualifications meet those required for the award identified. Different awards from the same sponsor can have different eligibility criteria.
Geneva has nearly 30 years of experience working with funding partners within the DoD, including:
- Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP)
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
- Natick Contracting Division
- TriService Nursing Research Program (TSNRP)
- S. Army Medical Material Development Activity (USAMMDA)
- S. Army Medical Research & Development Command (USAMRDC)
- Uniformed Services University (USU)
Other key funding partners include:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) including NCATS, NCI, NIAD, NIAMS, NIBIB, NIDCD, NIEHS
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
- Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Recommended Funding Resources
Geneva provides a current list of funding opportunities. Sign up to receive a funding bulletin directly to your inbox. Or contact us directly if you need help identifying a funding opportunity.
Please contact research@genevaUSA.org if you have any questions regarding the content of this publication or would like to find out more information on Geneva’s research services.
When trying to match your research idea to a possible funding opportunity, it’s critical to understand the sponsor’s research interests and their constituents.
Geneva Communications