June 13, 2011 –
Olsen offers pointers about securing federal research dollars.
It’s a message that resonates with CALIT2.
“When it comes to research, today’s big unanswered questions are complex and multi-scale, requiring an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach.”
A sentiment Kathie Olsen, former chief operating officer for the National Science Foundation, expressed to a campus audience in the CALIT2 auditorium on Friday. Invited by UCI’s office of research, Olsen was joined by Robin Staffin, who is the current director of basic science in the Department of Defense.
In her talk, Olsen shared the lessons learned during her 20 plus years of scientific leadership in federal research funding agencies. She stressed the importance of understanding the different cultures and review processes of the various agencies.
“NSF is more willing than others to do high-risk, high-potential research funding,” she explained. “This agency takes a bottom-up approach so it’s really important that you get to know your program officer and stay in communication.”
Olsen checks out a a nanoantenna in CALIT2’s nano-bio lab.
Staffin tries the music therapy glove in the eHealth collaboratory.
Olsen, who earned her doctorate in neuroscience from UCI, recently launched ScienceWorks, a consulting business that helps people and organizations succeed in science and engineer¬ing research.
In a varied approach, she provided attendees with her top ten list of ways NOT to get a grant:
10) Ignore what’s happening in D.C.
9) No hypothesis
8) Don’t describe methods and pilot data
7) Don’t involve students
6) No references
5) Lost on page one, is lost forever
4) Don’t sweat the small stuff, ignore requirements and review criteria
3) Don’t call the program officer
2) Get declined, get offended
1) Get the award and don’t keep people abreast of what you are doing
Staffin describes the defense department’s approach to basic research.
After going through the list, Olsen emphasized that the two most important points in successfully navigating the federal R&D enterprise is to “first, always read the solicitation and know exactly what they are looking for.” Then she once again emphasized the importance of picking up the phone and talking with the program officer because “in the end it’s all about the connections.”
For his part, Staffin shared his philosophy about basic research funding which is to choose projects that will have long-range, integrated implications. Staffin encourages his proposal reviewers in the defense department to take a chance and go for a bold idea. “A crazy but plausible idea needs to have a home,” he offered.
Under the leadership of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the DoD over the past three years has increased its basic research funding support by 40 percent. Of the $1.7 billion allocated in 2009, Staffin told the audience that 57 percent of the funds were awarded to universities in fast changing basic science areas.
“Synthetic biology, quantum systems, nanoscience and engineering are categories of interest,” he explained. “The defense department is also funding social scientists particularly in the area of modeling human behavior.”
The goal, according to Staffin, is to create conditions for basic research investments capable of “creating high-payoff transformative scientific breakthroughs for the defense department.”
After fielding questions from the audience, Olsen and Staffin took a tour of CALIT2 stopping at several labs for research project demonstrations that receive funding from federal agencies. Among the stops were mobile ad-hoc networks, eHealth collaboratory projects, nano-bio research and atomic force microscopy.
–Shellie Nazarenus
