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writing, etc.). Success in obtaining grant funding is a predictor of future success in research (Jacob and Lefgren, 2011;
Horta et al. 2016). It's o en required to get tenure, and to recruit and train students or postdocs.
With a lot of competition to obtain a grant, it's important to be well prepared. Getting a grant is a sign of success,
but it's competitive.
Where does grant funding come from?
Research is funded primarily by government grants, non-profit foundations, and companies. There are many
factors to consider when deciding where to apply for funding: eligibility, fit, size of grant, and success rates.
Charitable grants from private foundations are generally smaller than operating grants from public sources (e.g.
NIH R01). However, a lab research program can be sustained by multiple private grants. One grant can support
important research and help generate preliminary data with which to apply for bigger grants. Non-citizens
are o en eligible for career development and training grants (e.g. student and postdoctoral fellowships) from
private foundations, while government fellowships may only be for citizens or permanent residents. The level of
competition varies.
Success rates vary as they depend on budgets and numbers
of applicants, and can sometimes be discouraging. But the
good news is that resubmissions, where permitted,
tend to have a higher success rate.
