Listing Your Requests for Proposals for the Research Community
There is no one, central database that lists all research funding opportunities. The most effective way of disbursing information about research grant opportunities appears to be via listing with the more prominent online searchable databases. Most of these services charge the institutions but not the nonprofit foundations or others listing opportunities for funding. We recommend listing your research opportunities with Infoed, Community of Science, IRIS, and The Foundation Center. When we compared their subscribers to the top medical schools for biological sciences according to US news and world report, we found that almost all of them subscribe to one of more of these lists.
The Foundation Center does not typically include RFPs for rare diseases in their weekly email blasts, although they will add you to their on-line database. They say they get too many requests to put them all out, and focus on those that reach a larger audience.
In addition, contact all of the institutions where your past grantees have worked, as most list funding opportunities within their on-campus resources. Most institutions subscribe to the larger databases but also may include any of the following means of communicating research opportunities: weekly email blasts, departmental listings, or website listing in funding opportunity sections of individual departments or schools. These services report that the listing will stay active until the deadline, but that they would be happy to relist.
The list you send should include key words to help target the population of researchers who might be interested in your particular research (see, example below.) Searches on most of the databases are driven by an individual's profile. Based on their profile, they will receive email alerts or blasts that match available funding opportunities.
Advice from another GA member:
From: Josephine Grima [mailto:
> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 11:00 AM
> To:
> Subject: [memberforum] RFP advertising
>
> Below are several sites that advertise RFP's. However, I have found that listing in the professional association that is affiliated with your discipline is best to give scientists that are already interested
> in the field information about RFP's.
>
> a) GrantsNet: www.grantsnet.org.
>
> GrantsNet is an online database listing funding opportunities in biomedical research. It contains programs offering training and research opportunities to graduate and medical student, postdoctoral
> fellows, junior faculty and a host of other scientists at different stages in their careers. GrantsNet is a free service sponsored in part by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
> and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). In 2001, they had 80,000 users and over 1000 programs listed.
>
> b) ScienceWise: http://www.ScienceWise.com. This site is a paid content delivery and search service for scientists. Sends over 2 million e-mail alerts every month to more than 223,000 scientists and
> engineers on program announcements, RFP's solicitations, grants, contracts, clinical trials, protocols, and consulting needs. Has over 10,000 funding opportunities listed.
>
> c) Community of Science: http://www.cos.com. This site is a leading internet site for the global R&D community. COS has over 440,000 individual members. Lists funding opportunities of more than 18,600
> available research grants worldwide. Contact: Jeffrey A. Hagan, COS,1629 Thames Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21231,
>
> d) RDInfo: http://www.rdinfo.org.uk. This site is funded by the Department of Health to provide access to health-related funding and training opportunities for researchers across the UK. This information is freely available on the website.
>
> e) InfoEd International, Inc.: http://www.infoed.org. Infoed provides a world-class suite of web-based, integrated solutions for identification and administration of sponsored funds. Provides institutional research administrators information about funding opportunities.
>
> Josephine Grima, Ph.D.
> Vice President of Research and Legislative Affairs National Marfan
> Foundation
> 22 Manhasset Avenue
> Port Washington, NY 11050
>
> www.marfan.org
> TEL: (516) 883-8712 ext. 17
> FAX: (516) 883-8040
Sample RFP and Key Words:
HEADER: Progeria Research Foundation Seeks Proposals for Research on Progeria and progeroid laminopathies
DETAILED DESCRIPTION: Progeria Research Foundation Seeks Proposals for Research on Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (Progeria) and progeroid laminopathies
Deadline: August 7th, 2008 (applicants will be notified by October 2nd).
The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) is the only organization in the world dedicated to discovering the cure and effective treatment for Progeria and its aging related disorders through medical research, outreach and education. Progeria is a rare, fatal, “premature aging” disease that affects children, who die of heart disease at an average age of 13 years. Scientific studies have linked the Progeria disease process to the same heart disease that afflicts millions, and the aging that affects us all.
Visit the PRF Web site for complete program information: www.progeriaresearch.org
Awards of up to $50,000 per year, for up to two years are available from PRF to support investigators for basic science research aimed at developing effective treatments and/or cure for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and its aging related disorders.
Principal investigators must hold post-doctoral positions or beyond. Awards will be granted only to applicants affiliated with institutions with 501(c)3 status, or the equivalent for foreign institutions.
RFP Link: http://www.progeriaresearch.org/grant_application.html or contact the Progeria Research Foundation at
978-535-2594 or
KEY WORDS
Progeria, aging, genetics, Lamin A, genetic disease, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Werner syndrome, senescence, pediatric disease, stem cell, mouse model, telomere, LMNA, chromatin, translational science, progeroid syndrome, restrictive dermopathy, mandibuloacral dysplasia, laminopathy
Contact Information as of June 2008:
Brigham & Women's / Angela Vail / / will be in weekly listing and on website
Foundation Center / Emily Robbins / / 212-807-2488
Community of Science / Jamie Haldeman / / will be listed until deadline - large global resource for
research opportunities -- 400,000 opportunities listed
on website
UCLA / Marilyn / 310-794-0549 / will list even though there is no mechanism
UVA / Heather Faris / / will send , semi-formal weekly email blitz
University of MI / Julie O'Connor /
Northwestern / Sherri Lindsay /
/ 312-503-1499 (3090)
847-491-458
USC / Kavita Munjal / / 323-442-2355
Johns Hopkins / Michael Ammey / / 410-955-1566, 410-955-3061 main
University Sydney
Brown / Amy Robb /
Tufts / / 617-636-6550 / weekly notification - one time to Medford and Boston
campuses foundation listing on research website
limited submission - sent out to Faculty & Dept chairs / http://www.tufts.edu/central/research/SponsorList.htm
Benaroya Research / Susan will contact
East Tennessee State / Carol / / 423)439-6000
University of Hong Kong / Ivy Mak /
Columbia / Joanne Berdebis /
INFOED / Candace Below / / 800-727-6427 / will enter in INFOed database - SPIN (funding opportunity database)
database for searching -- SMARTS profile - daily email
results from key words and researcher's profile.
486 institutions in US subscribe to InfoEd service.
Most grantee institutions subscribe to InfoEd / www.infoed.org
IRIS (Illinois Researcher
Information Service) / Amy Fleming / / 217-333-9893 / available as sponsor in database - no fee
over 150 institutions subscribe. IRIS is database of funding opportunities , Email alert service of new funding
opportunities based on researcher's profile. Infoed appears
on the resource section of most institutions as a searchable database. / http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/