Biophysical Society Bulletin | March 2018

Career Development

Funding Your Science: Alternative Mechanisms

Private funding is available from non-profit foundations and professional organizations, and private companies budget a considerable amount of money for basic research discoveries and curing specific diseases. Some research aligns with foun- dations—large ones such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foun- dation or the Howard Hughes Foundation, as well as several smaller ones, which can be found on FoundationCenter.org. Some investigators and situations may be ideally suited for foundation support. Most foundations organize their grant- ing programs so that they do not overlap with those at the NIH. Different foundations may also have different eligibility criteria to those at the NIH, opening unique opportunities for additional funding. Whatever your scientific field, it is never too soon to begin applying for funding. Continue to search for organizations that may align with your field of study and perhaps most impor- tantly, keep applying.

Whether you are a student applying for a fellowship or a new investigator who has not yet received independent funding, the process of finding financial support for your research is important to the success of your scientific future.

With recent downsizing of the NIH budget, it may be helpful to consider alternative granting organizations and opportunities that venture beyond the scope of government funding. “It can be a downer for any scientist to see the current fund- ing picture, but the situation isn’t dire yet, I don’t think,” says Enriqueta Bond , president of the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund. “There is money out there, and you just need to be relentless about getting it.” While the NIH’s mission is to promote advancements in the national health and welfare, and it does so through a robust extramural funding program, there are other federal agencies that provide research funding that scientists should explore. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF), Depart- ment of Defense (DOD), and Department of Energy (DOE), fund biophysics research. Many of the research programs at these agencies address the era of interdisciplinary science, requiring expertise across multiple disciplines. The overall goal of the NSF is to advance new concepts in science and engineering while promoting global leadership in research and education. The vision of the DOE is to provide innovative research and development to improve the nation’s energy system and advance clean energy.

Credit: HHS.gov

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March 2018

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