Workshop Description:

This all-day seminar will comprehensively address both practical and conceptual aspects that are important to writing competitive grant proposals. It is appropriate for faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and administrative staff who have had some exposure to writing grant applications, either through training / mentoring or personal experience. We are unable to fund the participation of students for this workshop.

Emphasis is given to doing the 'extra' things that can make the difference between success and failure, such as demanding that the idea yield a vertical advance in the applicant's field when acted upon; identification of the most appropriate granting agency for the idea, including whether the idea is relevant to an agency's priorities - or not; use of an agency's review criteria to inform writing of the application; and practical understanding of tips and strategies that are of proven value in presenting an investigator's project to reviewers.

Regardless of the agency, participants are taught to write with a linear progression of logic using the step-by-step process outlined in The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook, which leads reviewers through an application without them knowing that they are being led. Coping strategies to overcome the fact that applicants are writing for two different audiences - the assigned reviewers, who read the application in its entirety, and non-assigned reviewers who may have read little, or nothing, of the proposal before the meeting of the review-panel - are emphasized.

The principles and fundamentals emphasized throughout the program will appeal most to individuals interested in writing grant applications to the NIH and the NSF, but are easily applicable to grant applications written to diverse types of many funding agencies.

Workbook Selection:

All participants will receive an extensive handout, as well as a copy of The Grant Application Writer's Workbook in the version of their choice – NIH, NSF, USDA, or Any Agency. Descriptions Below. **** Please complete this Google Survey to make your workbook selection by 12/18/2019****

Workbook Descriptions:

National Institutes of Health Version 

This edition has been updated to comply with the instructions and review criteria language for NIH grant applications due after January 25, 2019 and any additional updates from 2019. This includes updated FORMS-E general and program-specific instructions. The NIH has moved away from using the term "scientific premise," replacing it with the "rigor of the prior research."  This Workbook offers detailed guidance on how to address rigor of the prior research in your proposal. There is further information about human subjects and clinical trials content, changes coming for the R15 AREA program, and R01 and R21 FOAs for studies involving humans. There is an update to the Next Generation Research Initiative Policy. All URLs and screenshots have also been updated.  Also incorporated are new examples of the Specific Aims section, Significance and Innovation subsections of Research Strategy section, and Project Summary/Narrative sections.

NOTE: If you plan to submit to the NIH or to a funding agency that has anything to do with human health, we strongly recommend that you order this version.  

National Science Foundation  – FastLane Version 

This edition has been updated to comply with the revised version of the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) effective for all proposals due on or after January 28, 2019, and any other 2019 changes. Changes include updates to the: EAGER and RAPID language; resubmission of declined NSF proposals; formatting, subawards, biosketch synergistic activities language clarification, and the Collaborators and Other Affiliations template. Additionally, all previous changes to comply with the PAPPG are included, as well as information about the Intellectual Merit section and Budget Justification.  All URLs and screenshots have also been updated.

NOTE:  If you plan to submit to the NSF or any agencies that cover similar mission areas, we strongly recommend that you order this version. 

USDA/NIFA Version 

Principles and fundamentals of good proposal writing are emphasized, together with specific tips on Integrated Projects, use of the SF424 application format, and electronic submission through Grants.gov. The Workbook provides a clear, useful outline for creating the first draft of the proposal. If you plan to submit to the USDA or to agencies that cover similar mission areas, we strongly recommend that you order this version. 

Successful Proposals to Any Agency

This workbook was revised in September 2016.  The grant applications of most agencies contain basically the same sections – only the specific names for the sections and the order in which they appear in the application are different. In addition, the principles and fundamentals of good proposal writing are the same for all agencies. We have written a ‘generic' workbook that can be used to write a proposal to any granting agency. It walks the applicant through the preparation of each section and is meant to be complemented by the specific instructions of the agency that is being targeted. If you plan to submit a grant proposal to a humanities or arts agency, or something similar, then we suggest this version. However, if your research is related to any of the types of research indicated in the first three categories, we strongly suggest that you order one of those.

About our Facilitator: 

Dr. John Robertson holds a Doctorate in Pharmacology/Toxicology and has been an Associate Member at Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops since 2010.  In 2017 he became the Managing Member. He has been the recipient of competitive extramural funding from both the NIH and non-federal sources.  He has authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters. In addition, he has been a member of grant review panels, a reviewer for a number of biomedical journals, and served on editorial boards.  He has also been routinely recognized for excellence in teaching.