Abstract

Large-scale grants, such as NIH U- and P-series mechanisms, provide an excellent opportunity for teams of faculty to tackle complex research problems using cross-disciplinary approaches. Faculty who have been successful in obtaining R-series grants, and have a history of publication success in their field of research, are uniquely positioned to pursue this type of funding.  Large-scale grant success helps awardees to expand their research networks, diversify their funding portfolios, and enhance their leadership skills. Institutionally, the scientific infrastructure provided by large-scale grants can enhance the quality and productivity of research across the university. Regardless of the benefits, there are several challenges that faculty encounter when developing these applications, including creating grant strategy, overcoming administrative burden, organizing team writing sessions, and securing funding to finalize preliminary data and publish with collaborators. To encourage the pursuit of large-scale grants and the development of integrated research visions, the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR) at the University of Michigan has developed a comprehensive plan of support that is available to faculty across the university.  The elements of MICHR’s support plan include: 1) strategic input on conceptualizing the grant and building the team, 2) $100,000 pilot awards, 3) administrative support, 4) proposal management, 5) grant editing, 6) educational resources and 7) team science training. In just the last year, 15 teams have utilized MICHR large-scale grant support services in contrast to the four teams per year we typically assisted prior to launching this initiative; 40 faculty attended our first team science training. We have awarded three $100,000 pilot grants, with our second cohort of 21 applications currently under review. This poster will describe the various components of the large-scale grant support plan, common themes in strategic advice, and outcomes associated with our pilot grants and broader services.