Category Archives: grant wrangling

Seeking reader input on internal pre-submission grant review practices

Posted on June 26, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I received the following email last week: “Hello All: As  you are aware there has been some discussion about the relevance of the form 100 as part of the grant application package. At the Department Head meeting yesterday it was … Continue reading →

Posted in career, grant wrangling | 13 Comments

Next time you’re ranting about your latest grant review…

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

…spare a thought for your colleagues in Bulgaria. I had to read the fifth paragraph of this Nature News piece two or three times to make sure I’d fully understood the depth of the (alleged) problems at the Bulgarian National … Continue reading →

Posted in bad people, current affairs, grant wrangling, science | 13 Comments

Project management: go with the flow

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Both grants have been submitted, my desk and email inbox have been tidied, and sanity has been (partially) restored. That was one crazy round of CIHR grant applications, even more so than usual, but – as always – we pulled … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, grant wrangling, science, whining | 17 Comments

Gaelic names are always the hardest to pronounce

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’m spending all weekend in the office, working on a couple of grants that are due tomorrow. Being even more in need of sanity breaks (such as this quick blogging break) than usual, I took a nice refreshing walk in … Continue reading →

Posted in food glorious food, grant wrangling, personal, silliness | 20 Comments

Friday funny

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I’ve been saving this for a miserable wet Friday just like this one! Recent conversation… New colleague: “How’s it going?” Me: “Meh” NC: “What’s up?” Me: “I’m having some issues with [PI’s] ethics” NC, eyes widening dramatically: “OMG! What did … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, grant wrangling, silliness | 7 Comments

Productivity? There’s an app for that

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

(Two, actually). Busy busy busy. Grants, conference abstracts, project management. All to be completed without (completely) neglecting household chores, exercise, and fun. I’ve recently started using a couple of iPhone apps that I’ve found very helpful, and that I’m reviewing … Continue reading →

Posted in blog buddies, career, grant wrangling, silliness, technology | 13 Comments

NIH cracks down on “the dog ate my email” excuses

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Cath@VWXYNot?

I received a rather bizarre email from the US National Institutes of Health today. Their missives are usually rather mundane notifications of scheduled site down-time and the like, but this one was much more entertaining. The title – “NIH eRA … Continue reading →

Posted in career, communication, furry friends, grant wrangling | 12 Comments

A cure for piles?

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

One of the Research Ethics Board applications I submitted last week bounced back today, with a request to attach the original patient consent form used for sample acquisition. I searched all my computer files (I use extremely logical folder and … Continue reading →

Posted in career, grant wrangling, personal, photos, technology | 6 Comments

Public recognition

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

My former student was on TV yesterday! Well, not the real TV. Just the fancy flat screen monitor mounted high on a wall by the elevators in my building. The TV appeared a few months ago and originally featured reminders … Continue reading →

Posted in career, conferences, grant wrangling, publishing, science | 11 Comments

Budget oasis

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Cath@VWXYNot?

Biology is messy; grant applications even more so. There are so many intangibles: is the scope too big, too small, or just the right mix of feasible and ambitious? How’s the balance between hot topic sexy science and safe reliable … Continue reading →

Posted in career, education, grant wrangling | 2 Comments