Grants 360°: Program Project Grants (PPG)

Overview

• PPG’s are long-standing grants that can be difficult to break into without having already obtained NIH funding.

• There is not a lot of downside to not being successful in obtaining funding because you still have a grant ready to apply elsewhere.

• It's critically essential to sustain innovation throughout the course of the PPG.

• It’s important to instill a mission-driven theme.

• Opportunities are often only once per year.

• Recognizing the PPG mechanism is paramount.

• PPG’s make sense for investigators who are in their senior career stage

• Having experience in and understanding the value and culture of centers will better prepare you to lead your own PPG.

Forming a Team

• Having broad leadership is favorably recognized.

• A history of collaboration with people on your team is a perceived advantage.

• Diversity in career stages among team members is favorably recognized.

• Team members are often expected to have a track record of successful funding.

Application & Review Process

• The proposal development typically takes a year with 4-6 months of intensive writing.

• It's helpful to find a program officer who shows interest in your proposed research.

• There are often new requirements in renewal requests so being anticipatory and adaptive will serve you well.

• Hiring a grant writer can have substantial upside impact on your grant success.

• You can increase your chances of success by inviting the program officer to campus to give them a preview of the research that you are preparing.

After Funding is Secured

• Make sure you have the budget to hire a quality program manager to establish good communication and cohesiveness between cores/projects.

• It’s helpful to establish working groups with representation from each core/project to foster ongoing collaboration.

• PIs should provide team-building opportunities to build connections and promote collegial interactions.

Career Impact

• Having a PPG grant is viewed as a positively impactful quality that leads most to leadership positions or other desirable successes in their careers.

• There is an opportunity for multigeneration mentoring.

Recording

Open