NIH R01 proposal development workshop
Overview
The goal of this 10-week workshop to is to generate a robust draft of an R01 grant for submission to the National Institutes of Health.
The workshop is designed in a “writing group” format: Participants will share preliminary drafts of grant sections for peer review by other participants, faculty mentors, and language experts. The workshop will be led by faculty and staff with extensive experience writing successful grants.
In addition, the workshop will use a workbook developed by Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops to provide structure and guidance during the writing process. Every grant is different, and individuals ultimately identify the skills and techniques that resonate with them and fit best for a given grant topic. Thus, the recommendations presented in the workbook will be used as one example, with further discussion of other options during the grant discussions.
Applications for this year's workshop should be submitted by January 27.
The 2025 workshop begins Tuesday, February 25. There will be five in-person meetings throughout the semester; these will take place on Tuesdays, 2:30 - 4 pm.
Between meetings, the participants will submit specified drafts, and will provide critiques of drafts from fellow participants. For the workshop to be successful, participants need to submit their drafts for critic on time, and need to provide thoughtful, helpful, yet rigorous critiques to their peers. Grant writing is an iterative process, with feedback known to be a critical component of successful grants. The goal of this workshop is to both develop strong grant-writing skills in the participants but also to identify points at which feedback is helpful in developing a robust grant application.
The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook
National Institutes of Health Version
Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops
John D. Robertson, Stephen W. Russel, David C. Morrison
January 2025 edition
Notes:
- All drafts and critiques will be due at midnight on the assigned date.
- All class meetings in 118 Steger Hall unless otherwise noted.
Section 1 - Introduction
February 25: In-person meeting. Develop the focus and concept for your grant application and introduce the concept of specific aims.
- Preparation: Read Workbook Chapter 2
- Perform NIH RePORTER search on your topic to identify other funded grants in your focus area
- Identify areas in which you need to recruit collaborators
Section 2 – Specific Aims
March 18: Assignment due - Specific Aims.
March 23: Critiques due.
March 25: In-person meeting. Specific Aims review; introduction to Significance and Innovation.
- Preparation: Read Workbook Part 2 - Chapters 7/8
- Create a bulleted outline of the Specific Aims page (Chapter 7)
- Prepare and submit a complete draft of your Specific Aims page
- Provide written peer review critiques for your assigned grants
Section 3 – Significance and Innovation
April 1: Assignment due - Revised Specific Aims, Significance and Innovation.
April 6: Critiques due.
April 8: In-person meeting. First half grant review, intro to Research Approach Section and Placement of Preliminary Data
- Preparation: Read Workbook Chapter 10
- Make a bullet point outline of the Significance and Innovation sections using the subheadings: Importance of the Problem, Rigor of Prior Research, Significance of Proposed Research
- Write the Significance and Innovation sections drafts
- Revise Specific Aims page
- Provide written peer review critiques for your assigned grants
Section 4 – Approach
April 22: Assignment due - Revisions of previous sections; Approach.
April 27: Critiques due.
April 29: In-person meeting. Full grant review; preparation for mock study section
- Preparation: Read Workbook Chapters 9 and 11
- Identify Preliminary data to be included in grant
- Make a bullet point outline for each Aim that includes the following subheadings: Introduction, Research/Experimental Design, Expected Outcomes, and Alternative Approaches.
- Write draft of Research Approach section from the bullet point outline
- Revise the Specific Aims, Significance, and Innovation sections, as needed
- Provide written peer review critiques for your assigned grants
Section 5 – Final revisions and reviews
May 11: Assignment due - Complete Research Plan.
May 18: Critiques due.
May 20: In-person meeting, 225 Steger Hall. Receive mock study section reviews.
- Preparation: Revise draft of entire Research Plan
- Provide written peer review critiques for your assigned grants