Page 13 - Dare to Make an Impact

So, where to start?
Some of you are eager to jump right in and apply for the biggest grant you can find. However, unless you had a rare doctoral and postdoctoral career where you published extensively and studied under a Nobel Laureate, this is not the best way to start. A measured approach will serve most faculty better in the long run, keeping you focused and motivated as you pursue your long-term research goals.
Institutional Funding
Start small and work up from there. Most institutions have internal or “seed funding.” This can be your startup package, funds maintained by the Division of Research, or other sources. At FAU, most seed funding emanates from the Research Pillars. Certain Colleges also have seed funding to stimulate external funding for their faculty. Apply for these smaller pots of money to establish pilot data and test proof of concept for larger grant proposals.
Career Development Awards
Many federal agencies have targeted initiatives for early career investigators. Some, such as NIH K awards, may require you to
have a funded mentor, while others do not. Regardless, most of
these mechanisms are sensitive to any limitations you have as a new faculty member, and won’t expect the same amount of publications
and productivity as a later stage investigator. Take advantage of
these opportunities! Career Development Awards offer you another opportunity for incremental funding to build your research program and add needed research skills. Keep in mind that many career development awards require you take a different approach than the standard narrowly- defined research proposal. You must (gasp!) envision your future. In other words, where do you see yourself in five or ten years? What do you want to be known for one day when you’re accepting the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize?
Here are some examples of career development awards:
• NSF CAREER Award
• NIH K Awards
• Department of Energy Early Career Research Program
• American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award
• The National Academies of Sciences (NAS) Gulf Research
Program Early Career Fellowship
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