Funding Opportunities for Outcomes Research

Abstract

“It’s All About the Benjamins”

(Sean Combs a.k.a. Puff Daddy, June 30, 1997)

It is critical for any discussion of research to address funding; four major reasons come to mind. First, high-quality outcomes research is not free. Contrary to the popular belief, outcomes research is not something you do on your laptop while watching television; it is a complex endeavor that requires time, expertise, collaborators, data, computing, and often patient engagement, and all of these things cost money. Second, few of us work in an environment where our clinical margin can finance our research, so money from outside of our clinical practice is necessary. Third, funded research is highly valuable to institutions, mostly because of prestige and indirects (the 25–75 cents or so in facilities and administrative fees that are paid to the institution for every dollar of research funds awarded to the PI). Fourth (likely as a result of third), funded researchers are highly respected in academic institutions; in fact, research funding is often a criterion for promotion, bonuses, etc.

This chapter will address what line items are commonly found in budgets of outcomes research grants (What Costs Money), various sources of research funding including government, societies, foundations, and other less-traditional sources (Who Has the Money), the types of grants that are funded, such as career development versus research grants, and their target audiences (Who Gets the Money), an overview of the NIH grant review and funding process (The Road to Riches), and some grantwriting advice (Selling the Drama). Clearly, a handful of pages cannot begin to cover all of the details and advice that an investigator needs to be the Puff Daddy of research funding; but hopefully this will serve as a starting point, beyond which the reader is advised to identify one or more well-funded investigators with a track record of facilitating this process for their mentees.