Overview

• PPG’s are often long-standing grants that can be difficult to break into without having already obtained NIH funding. It makes sense to review the duration of PPGs from the Institute to which you are applying – if there are very few PPGs that are newly funded within recent years, it may be appropriate to consider other institutes.

• There is limited downside to not being successful in obtaining funding because you still will have multiple R01 or R21 grants 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. This makes it painful if you need to revise and resubmit, since the lag time is substantial!

• Recognizing the appropriate PPG mechanism is paramount. Each Institute may vary in the requirements and expectations, the likelihood of success, and their use of planning P grants prior to a full PPG.

• 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 multidisciplinary leadership is favorably reviewed, and absence of this will likely be considered a limitation.

• 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 generally expected to have a track record of successful funding, with a strong emphasis on prior NIH grants preferably as PI.

Application & Review Process

• The proposal development process 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 highly positive, and impactful on the promotion review process. Leaders of PPGs typically display qualities that lend themselves to a further leadership opportunities.

• The infrastructure of PPGs, even if not specifically having a developmental core, will often provide substantial opportunities for multigeneration mentoring of junior faculty as well as opportunities for trainees.

Recording