Grant Development

Overview of Research Services
Access to Services
Steps for Priority Access

Overview of Services

Departmental resources are committed to assist our faculty at all phases of the development of a research proposal. Our goal is to help investigators strategically plan their grant writing efforts and emerge with a stronger, more fundable proposal. Highly knowledgeable research services faculty and staff can assist you with the following:

• Framing testable questions and designing the study
• Articulating project aims and significance
• Searching and retrieving literature
• Locating possible funding sources
• Identifying potential mentors and collaborators
• Advising on sample size and conducting power calculations
• Selecting (and writing about) instruments, statistical methods
• Advising on the budget and justification
• Editing and revising text to create a compelling written description of the project
• Soliciting feedback on the proposal from internal peer reviewers

The sooner we begin working with you (idea stage of the project), the more useful we can be.

We encourage all faculty investigators to take full advantage of our research services. However, because our research services are in high demand, their availability for grant development is prioritized. We seek to maximize the availability of these resources to as many researchers as possible, over all parts of the research process (idea through dissemination), while minimizing their heavy, last-minute use on hastily written, non-competitive proposals.

• Priority Access: Investigators who have an initial consultation with the Research Program grants team, prepare a production timeline for the proposal’s development, and engage in internal “mock” peer review, have priority access to research services. These steps are described below.
• “As Available” Access: Investigators who do not employ these steps may still request research services, but will receive these resources on an “as available” basis.

Steps for Priority Access

Step 1: Have a consultation with the Research Program grants team (research directors, design and methods consultants).

Ideally, this consult will occur very early on in your thinking about the project. The consultation is used to familiarize the grants team with your project idea, to identify and allocate research resources for the proposal’s development, to set up a production timeline for the proposal, and to plan for internal peer review of drafts.

How to set up a consult:

• E-mail both Kevin Peterson (peter223@umn.edu) and Anne Marie Weber-Main (weber005@umn.edu).
• Alternatively, you can indicate on the Intent to Submit form your desire and availability for a consult. After we receive either one of these electronic communications, we will arrange the meeting.

Benefits of the consult:

• Avoids “false starts.” Investigators get feedback on their project’s feasibility, scope, and significance before investing significant writing time. This is an especially important step for newer researchers.
• Tees up the consulting team. The research directors, editor, and study design/statistical consultants are introduced to the project early on. This facilitates their involvement as the proposal progresses.

Step 2: Prepare a production timeline for the proposal and share it with all involved in preparing the proposal.

The creation of a tailored development timeline helps enormously to coordinate the work of everyone assisting with the proposal. Each timeline is reasonably fluid, but does specify sentinel events leading to submission (e.g., creation of a preliminary draft, one or more cycles of peer review, midstream drafting of budget, final editing).

We recognize that every situation is unique. Different projects will have different timelines, often driven by funding agency practices and the competing demands of faculty and staff (weeks on call, vacations, etc). Expediencies such as these are always taken into account. The goal is to set up a timeline that suits the project, while acknowledging the substantial time needed to develop a competitive application.

How to prepare a timeline:

• The Research Program grants team will help you prepare a timeline as part of the consultation in step 1. A recommended timeline for new research proposals can be downloaded here (Word document).

Benefits of the timeline:

• Avoids crunch on research services. With a timeline in place, the research services team can be sure to block time for all of your proposal preparation steps such as budget development, editing, writing of analysis sections, and formatting of the proposal for electronic submission. Timelines can be staggered to minimize the impact of multiple faculty preparing proposals for the same (or similar) due date.
• Peer reviews are scheduled well in advance. This is critical when trying to coordinate the calendars of busy faculty members.

Step 3: Engage in internal “mock” peer review.
The careful and dispassionate scrutiny of a draft application by someone with expertise—and who is not integrally involved in the project—is invaluable to the development of a fundable application.

How to set up a mock review:

• E-mail both Kevin Peterson (peter223@umn.edu) and Anne Marie Weber-Main (weber005@umn.edu).
• Alternatively, you can indicate on the Intent to Submit form your desire and anticipated date for a mock review. After we receive either one of these electronic communications, we will contact you to identify potential reviewers and arrange the review session.

Benefits of mock peer review:

• Prompts earlier writing and rewriting. Because reviewers need a written draft to react to, the act of setting up a peer review date gives the investigator a tangible deadline for producing a reasonable midstream draft.
• Feedback on the written draft is improved. Reviewers have to show up, both physically and intellectually, to deliver a measured and thoughtful critique to the investigator. The face-to-face group format stimulates discussion and fresh ideas.
• Subsequent editing and other support is highly targeted. The work of the editor, statistician, and other consultants is guided by the peer reviewers’ specific comments.