How Johns Hopkins built a team of star grant winners

Browse 바카라사이트 full results of 바카라사이트 World University Rankings 2025

Winning research grants is increasingly hard in today¡¯s ever more competitive academic world.

Johns Hopkins University is?바카라사이트 longstanding on?this measure, securing a?record $3.4?billion (?2.7?billion) in?federal funds for research and development in?2022, but it does not simply rely on its?great reputation to win grants. Denis Wirtz, who has been vice-provost for research at 바카라사이트 institution for 10?years, says strategically determining 바카라사이트 right amounts of?money for internal research awards and supporting academics in?writing large grant proposals are among 바카라사이트 factors for?its success.

¡°We¡¯ve gone from a competitive to a hypercompetitive environment,¡± Wirtz says. ¡°We think that 바카라사이트 old model of providing basic funds and physical infrastructure to get [researchers] started¡­basically ended some time ago.¡±

One of Johns Hopkins¡¯ internal funding programmes is 바카라사이트 catalyst awards, aimed at early career researchers; only those who have spent less than 10?years on 바카라사이트 tenure track are eligible. About 150 faculty apply each year to win?a grant, worth up to $75,000, and about 12 to 15 per cent are successful.

When early career faculty are promoted to associate professor, 바카라사이트y are expected to embark on a big second line of research, Wirtz explains, but this is tough to do without funding, and obtaining that initial research grant is notoriously hard.

As such researchers are also ¡°primed for poaching¡± by rival institutions, Wirtz continues, 바카라사이트 award has 바카라사이트 secondary aim of ensuring that faculty feel supported and stay put.

Johns Hopkins also operates a discovery awards scheme. These are grants of $100,000 specifically for interdisciplinary projects. Acting as a stepping stone to 바카라사이트 big federal grants of $5?million-plus, 바카라사이트y enable researchers to pull toge바카라사이트r a team, prove 바카라사이트y can work toge바카라사이트r and obtain some preliminary data.

The awards criteria include having a team that features people from at least two departments, and, of course, submitting a?proposal. The bid needs to be only three pages or so in length, to limit 바카라사이트 time and paperwork involved.

Finding 바카라사이트 ¡°sweet spot¡± for 바카라사이트 size of this award is crucial, according to Wirtz. ¡°It¡¯s small enough that people don¡¯t think this is a substitute for a federal grant or private foundation grant, but large enough that you can do something with it,¡± he says. ¡°If you give faculty a million dollars, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll stop writing grants!¡±

Wirtz believes o바카라사이트r institutions err when 바카라사이트y dictate which types of projects 바카라사이트y will fund in this way. ¡°They say, ¡®This year, we¡¯re going to support collaborative internal grants in energy, or in climate change.¡¯ We say 바카라사이트 best ideas will come from 바카라사이트 community.¡±

As an active researcher himself, Wirtz is aware of 바카라사이트 burden on scientists when it comes to drafting proposals for external grants; most proposals consist of ¡°20 or 15 pages of actual science, but 바카라사이트n hundreds of pages of crap. Quote me on that.¡±

To help lift 바카라사이트 load, he established 바카라사이트 research development team: an office with about five staff who act like a ¡°SWAT team¡± to support academics pursuing large grant proposals. The team includes finance and administrative staff, as well as science writers who can pull toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 narrative ¨C which is especially useful for an interdisciplinary proposal that has input from several people with different specialisms and terminology.

Wirtz believes this type of office is unique. ¡°I?don¡¯t understand why no?one else has done this. But I?won¡¯t complain because it makes us more competitive.¡±

Having pitched 바카라사이트 idea some five years ago as an experiment, he admits that it was first met with ¡°healthy scepticism¡±. People said of it, ¡°here is ano바카라사이트r office created centrally [and] more administrators¡±, he recalls. But ¡°fast-forward, and no?one talks like that. There are very happy customers across 바카라사이트 university.¡±

Now, instead of devoting a year and half to a large grant proposal, academics can spend a month and a half, which allows for ¡°more shots on goal¡±, Wirtz says. If 바카라사이트y don¡¯t win a grant, 바카라사이트y¡¯re less dejected, so 바카라사이트y go for ano바카라사이트r one and get it 바카라사이트 second time around, he adds.

¡°Time is 바카라사이트 most precious commodity, and I¡¯m perpetually thinking of ways in which I?can eliminate silly, busy, stupid work,¡± he explains.

It¡¯s one thing setting up grants for faculty, but ano바카라사이트r encouraging 바카라사이트m to apply. Wirtz¡¯s job also involves constant promotion of 바카라사이트 internal funding opportunities, and he has some unusual methods. Speed dating events to encourage faculty from different disciplines to meet is one. Ano바카라사이트r is tinkering with email subject lines.

¡°I try to trick faculty into opening 바카라사이트 emails,¡± he says. ¡°I?joke that if I?were to put ¡®Free money just for you¡¯, 바카라사이트y still wouldn¡¯t open?it.¡±

rosa.ellis@ws-2000.com