Successful equipment grant awardees convened for a panel discussion at the 2nd Regional Cores Facility Tech Forum at Yale West Campus on May 30th. Panelists shared tactical approaches they took to secure major equipment for their core facilities and research teams. Give a number of funding mechanisms including NIH S10 grants, NSF Major Research Instrumentation awards and Department of Defense DURIP awards, each panelist shared a unique perspective on the mechanism targeted for their proposal.
Janie Merkel, PhD, Director of the Yale Center for Molecular Discovery moderated the discussion. Panelists included:
- TuKiet Lam, PhD, Yale University, Director of Yale/Keck Mass Spectrometry & Proteomics Resource; Director of Proteomics Core of Yale/NIDA Neuroproteomics Center
- Michael Nathanson, MD, PhD, Yale University, Gladys Phillips Crofoot Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases) and Professor of Cell Biology; Director, Yale Liver Center; Director, Center for Cell and Molecular Imaging
- Chris O’Connell, PhD, University of Connecticut (Storrs), Director of Advanced Light Microscopy Facility
- Corey O’Hern, PhD, Yale University, Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, Physics, Applied Physics & Graduate Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics
- Michelle Personick, PhD, Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Integrative Sciences
- Jillian Smith-Carpenter, PhD, Fairfield University, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
- Sibel Ebru Yalcin, PhD, Yale University, Associate Research Scientist, Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Facility Director of NSF-MIP Program
Crafters of successful applications, panelists recommended applicants start early, engage faculty participation through well-orchestrated vendor demonstrations, communicate urgency throughout the proposal, identify the best piece of equipment to fit the needs of the institution and seek funding mechanisms with particular eligibility criteria to reduce competition.
You can’t win, if you don’t play. Will you submit an equipment grant in an upcoming grant cycle? Work with your local core facility to identify unmet needs, an engaged faculty base and a strategy for success!