申请基金的十个简单原则

David

Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants
申请基金的十个简单原则

Rule 1: Be Novel, but Not Too Novel
Good science begins with new and fresh ideas. The grant writing process should be a pleasure (no, we are not kidding), for it allows you to articulate those ideas to peers who have to read your grants but not necessarily your papers. Look at grant writing as an opportunity to have an impact. Feel passionate about what you are writing—if you are not passionate about the work, it is probably not a good grant and is unlikely to get funded. “Me-too” science will not get funded when funding levels are low. On the other hand, science that is too speculative will not be supported either, particularly when funds are tight—sad but true.
原则1、适当的新颖
好的科学研究开始于新颖独特的想法。基金书面申请的过程应该是愉快的（我们并没有开玩笑），因为它能让你清楚地将你的想法向那些将会读你的申请但不一定看你的文章的人表达出来。将申请视为给那些评委留下印象的一次机会吧。一定要对你所写的东西充满激情，如果你对这项工作没有激情，那它很可能不是一个好项目，可能得不到基金。如果基金有限的话，那些没有创新的科研也得不到基金。另一方面，没有根据，胡乱臆断的科学也得不到支持，尤其是当基金评审很严格是。这听起来让人悲伤但却是事实。

Rule 2: Include the Appropriate Background and Preliminary Data as Required
You need to convince reviewers that the work you propose needs to be done and that you are the best person to do it. Different granting programs require differing amounts of preliminary data. For certain programs, it can be said that the work must be essentially done before the grant is awarded, and that the funds are then used for the next phase of the research program. There is some truth in this. So where appropriate, do provide some tantalizing preliminary result, making sure to tell the reviewers what these results imply with respect to the specific aims of your proposal. In formulating the motivation for your proposal, make sure to cite all relevant work—there is nothing worse than not appropriately citing the work of a reviewer! Finally, convince the reviewer that you have the technical and scientific background to perform the work as proposed.
原则2、包括适当的背景和所需要的初步数据
你要使评审人相信你所计划的工作需要去做，并且你是做这项工作的最佳人选。不同的基金项目需要大量不同的初步数据。对特定的项目来说，在资金没有批准下来之前，工作就需要先开始进行，然后批下来的基金用于所从事项目的进一步研究。这是真实的，所以适当地话，一定要提供一些具有吸引力的基本资料，确信要告诉评审员这些结果中暗含着有关于你的计划的特定目标。为了阐明计划的动机，一定要引证所有相关的论著——没有什么比错误的引用一位评审员的论著更糟糕的了！最后，要使评审人相信你有这个技术和科学背景来完成计划的工作。

Rule 3: Find the Appropriate Funding Mechanism, Read the Associated Request for Applications Very Carefully, and Respond Specifically to the Request
Most funding organizations have specific staff to assist in finding funding opportunities, and most funding agencies have components of their Web sites designed to help investigators find the appropriate programs. Remember, programs want to give away money—the jobs of the program's staff depend on it. The program staff can help you identify the best opportunities. If your grant does not fit a particular program, save your time and energy, and apply elsewhere, where there is a better programmatic fit.
原则3、找到合适的资金体制，仔细阅读相关的申请要求，明确地回复要求
多数基金组织有专门的工作人员来帮助寻找获得基金的机会，并且大多数基金机构有自己的网页，用来帮助寻找者发现合适的项目。记住，这些项目想要把钱纷发出去——该项目工作人员完全依靠于此。这个项目的员工能帮你找到最好的机会。如果你的计划与这个特定的项目并不合适，那就节省时间和能量，去一个更合适你计划的项目里申请基金。

Rule 4: Follow the Guidelines for Submission Very Carefully and Comply
Many funding bodies will immediately triage grants that do not comply with the guidelines—it saves the program time and money. This extends to all the onerous supporting material—budget justification, bibliographies, etc. Get them right and keep them updated for future applications. Even if it goes to review, an inappropriately formulated application may aggravate the reviewers, and will have a negative impact even if the science is sound. Length and format are the most frequent offenders.
原则4、仔细阅读并服从提交申请的标准
许多基金组织会迅速地将那些不符合标准的申请挑出来——这样能节省时间和金钱，这也包括所有烦琐的辅助材料——预算理由、参考数目等。让所有的东西都符合标准，并且随着将来申请标准的变化而变化。一个表述不当的申请，即使是进行到了评审，也会让评审人感到烦扰，那么即使你可科研在怎么合理，也会给评审人留下不好的印象。长度和版式不符合要求是最常犯的错误。

Rule 5: Obey the Three Cs—Concise, Clear, and Complete
The grant does not have to fill the allotted page count. Your goal should be to provide a complete reckoning of what is to be done, as briefly as possible. Do not rely on supplements (which may not be allowed) or on Web sites (review may be actively discouraged since it has the potential to compromise anonymity). Specify the scope up-front and make sure it is realistic with respect to the funds requested. A common temptation for inexperienced grant writers is to propose to do too much. Such applications are usually judged as overly ambitious and consequently poorly rated.
原则5、遵循“3c”原则——言简意赅、清楚、完整
申请不一定要写满指定的页数，你应该提供一份有关于工作计划完整的估计内容，尽可能的言简意赅。不要依靠增刊（那可能不允许）或网页（审查可能会受阻，因为存在匿名的可能）。确定具体范围，确保有关于所要求的基金是现实可行的。对没有经验的基金申请人来说，最常见的是计划做的太多，通常认为这样的申请计划做起来难度太大，从而不受好评。

Rule 6: Remember, Reviewers Are People, Too
Typically, reviewers will have a large number of grants to review in a short period. They will easily lose concentration and miss key points of your proposal if these are buried in an overly lengthy or difficult-to-read document. Also, more than likely, not all the reviewers will be experts in your discipline. It is a skill to capture the interest of experts and nonexperts alike. Develop that skill. Unlike a paper, a grant provides more opportunity to apply literary skills. Historical perspectives, human interest, and humor can all be used judiciously in grants to good effect. Use formatting tricks (without disobeying rule 4), for example, underlining, bolding, etc., and restate your key points as appropriate. Each section can start with a summary of the key points.
原则6、记住，评审人也是人
通常，评审人要在短时间内审查大量的申请。如果你的申请太长或是晦涩难懂的话，那评审人很容易开小差并漏读计划中的重点。更有可能的是，并非所有的评审人都是你所在领域的专家。抓住专家和所谓非专家的兴趣所在是一种技巧，要发展、应用这种技巧。基金申请不像论文，申请有更多运用文学技巧的机会。历史观、人类兴趣和幽默都可以应用到申请中以达到好的效果。运用版面的小技巧（不要违反原则4），例如，加下划线、黑体字等。适当的时候重申一下关键点。每一部分都可以用要点综述来开头。

Rule 7: Timing and Internal Review Are Important
Give yourself the appropriate lead time. We all have different approaches to deadlines. Ideally, you should complete a draft, leave sufficient time to get feedback from colleagues, and then look at the grant again yourself with a fresh eye. Having a spectrum of scientific colleagues who are similar to the likely reviewer pool critique your grant is very valuable.
原则7、时间的安排和内部的评审很重要
适当的安排从写稿到交稿的时间。每个人从写稿到截止期限之间都有不同的做法。理想的情况是，先完成一个草稿，然后留下充足的时间从同事那里得到反馈，然后再用全新的眼光审视这篇申请。有一个与评论你的申请的评审员眼光相似的科研伙伴是非常宝贵的。

Rule 8: Know Your Grant Administrator at the Institution Funding Your Grant
At the end of the day, this person is your best advocate. How well you understand each other can make a difference. Many grant administrators have some measure (limited to complete) discretionary control over what they fund. The more they know and understand you and your work, the better your chances of success. Do not rely just on E-mail to get to know the grant administrator. Do not be intimidated. Talk to them on the telephone and at meetings where possible—they want to help.
原则8、认识评审管理委员会的管理员
最后，这位管理员将是你最佳的支持者。你们彼此了解对方的成都将起到很重要的作用。许多基金申请管理员有一些措施（限于完整）自由量控所提供的资金。他们知道并了解有关于你和你工作的情况越多，那你获得成功的机会就越大。不要只依靠E-mail来了解管理员。不要害怕，用电话与他们交谈，可能的话通过会议交谈，他们想帮忙的。

Rule 9: Become a Grant Reviewer Early in Your Career
Being on review panels will help you write better grants. Understanding why grants get triaged before complete review, how a panel reacts to a grant, what the discretionary role of program officers is, and what the role of oversight councils is provide valuable lessons for writing successful grants of your own and for giving others advice about this process.
原则9、尽早成为一个基金申请评审人
加入评审团体会帮助你更好的写出基金申请。了解为什么在完整审阅之前先要将申请分类，评审团体对一个申请的反应如何，项目管理人员的决定性作用，失察委员会的作用，这些都为你成功的写出申请以及为别人在写作的过程中都提供了宝贵的教训。

Rule 10: Accept Rejection and Deal with It Appropriately
Rejection is inevitable, even for very good grants when funding levels are low. Learn to live with rejection and to respond appropriately. Do not be defensive; address each criticism head on and respond with facts and not emotional arguments. When resubmission is necessary, make it very clear to the reviewer that you understand what was wrong the first time. Indicate precisely how you have fixed the problems. In the resubmitted application, never argue with the validity of the prior review. If the grant was close to being funded the first time around, remind the reviewers of that fact by including the previous score if appropriate, and make it crystal clear why this version is much improved.
原则10、接受拒绝，适当处理
退回申请是不可避免的，有时当基金有限时即使是很好的申请也会遭到拒绝，学会在拒绝中生存，并做出适当的反应。不要退退缩缩地；写下每一处批评，以事实作为回应，但不要不理性的争辩。如果可能重新提交申请的话，向评审员清晰地表明你第一时间就明白了错在哪里，并指出你是如何修改的。在重新提交的申请中，不要争辩先前的评论正确与否，如果先前的申请差一点就获得基金的话，这次就要提醒评审员注意到这件事情，如果适当地话可以提到先前的分数，并且明确为什么这次要改进更多。