untitled

The Advisory Council or Board may uphold

the study section’s review or recommend that

the review be done over (deferral). NIH oper-

ates on a schedule of three review cycles a

year, and the Advisory Council or Board

meetings occur late in each review cycle.

Therefore, a recommendation by Council for

re-review is likely to result in deferral of the

application for re-review in the next review

cycle. Only infrequently does the Advisory

Council or Board recommend funding with-

out re-review.

An important difference exists between

the two options in the document that is re-

reviewed: deferral entails the re-review of

the original application without revision,

whereas submitting an amended application

gives the applicant the opportunity to

address the comments of the study section.

The review schedule for the two options is

often the same.

What’s My Next Move?

If revising the application a second time did

not work, it’s probably time to overhaul the

project or to turn in a new direction. Be pre-

pared to ask yourself some hard questions:

Are the research questions I’m addressing

important? What if my ideas don’t work? Am

I working in the wrong place? Am I bored

with this? Also, be prepared to back up and

take some baby steps. Small awards from

local funding agencies or internal funding

from your institution can give you an oppor-

tunity to demonstrate your abilities and to

produce important preliminary data. Finally,

take advantage of every resource available to

you that can help you succeed. Ask your

Program Officer to steer you toward special

NIH initiatives that may be appropriate for

you; ask your SRA to discuss appropriate

review venues for your new ideas; and ask a

trusted, senior colleague or former mentor to

discuss your outline and later to proofread

your application. If your institution offers an

internal pre-review service, use it. If your

institution offers a course on grant writing

skills, take it. If you need assurances and

approvals, get them. An outstanding presen-

tation probably can’t rescue a mediocre proj-

ect but a mediocre presentation can kill an

outstanding project, especially if it is difficult

to understand or if it is incomplete. Don’t

leave anything to chance—now is your time

to shine. ■

206 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS II

An outstanding presentation

probably can’t rescue a mediocre

project but a mediocre

presentation can kill an

outstanding project.

If revising the application a

second time did not work, it’s

probably time to overhaul the

project or to turn in a new

direction.