Grant Preparation and Proposal Submission

Printable Timeline

Planning Phase

9 Months Out 

• Develop research idea
• Assess your time commitments and readiness with your chair
• Review funding opportunities and receipt dates

7 Months Out

• Brainstorm/strategize with team members
• Develop aims for research grant
• Notify Associate Dean for Research, Barbara Swanson, of intent to submit
• Schedule initial consult with a statistician

Writing Phase

6 Months Out 

• Outline your application’s structure
• For research grants, schedule a Think Tank (with a draft of introduction/aims and outline of background/significance prepared)
• Incorporate feedback while writing your research plan
• For research grants, arrange ongoing Swat team meetings with Associate Dean for Research
• Schedule initial consultation with the Grants Specialist, Darlene Chatmon, – this must be done before budget is prepared

3 Months Out

• Collect and format documents
  • Biosketches for all key personnel (see K: Research, Office of Research and Scholarship for examples)
  • Resources for home/participating institutions (see K: Research, Office of Research and Scholarship for examples)
  • Consultant letters
  • Appendices (articles, data collection tools, etc.)
  • References (use refworks-see librarian for assistance)
• Develop budget and budget justification with Grants Specialist

2 Months Out

• Schedule a Mock Review (with a solid draft of the research plan)
• Incorporate feedback
• Edit and proofread 

Submission Phase

1 Month Out

• Review final budget and budget justification with Grants Specialist

10 Days Out

• All documents submitted to Grants Specialist 10 days prior to agency due date

5 Days Out

• Final documents will be upload in research portal by Grants Specialist 5 days prior to agency due date 

Think tanks can be held as a strategic planning sessions at any stage of research development. They can be held to brainstorm about the directions of a proposal or how to respond to an RFP. They can be held in stages so that more that one think tank is held, leading to a proposal. It is recommended that think tanks be held after drafting the introduction and specific aims prior to mock reviews. Think tanks also can be held to review summary sheets, review data and develop plans for publications and presentations. Each session two to three faculty members, generally who are active researchers, will act as a creative team to brainstorm directions or review background and aims or discuss dissemination.

• Think tanks are scheduled once a month on Wednesday from 10 to 12:00. However, additional times will be added if the demand is high. Contact the research department manager, Darlene Chatmon to schedule an appointment. 
• You are encouraged to use a tape recorder or have an additional note taker available.
• As PI, you are encouraged to invite key co-investigators.
• Schedule the think tank at least 4-6 months prior to submission if the study is in the formative stage.
• Schedule a think tank 2 - 3 months prior to submission if the introduction and aims are drafted.
• A draft of the introduction and aims should be sent for distribution to the reviewers 2-5 days prior to the Think Tank.
• Typically they take 1 hour.
•  Doctoral students and faculty are invited unless the investigator requests a closed session. 

Mock reviews are designed to put a grant proposal through a process that represents the actual review process at a funding agency, most particularly the NIH. The purpose is to identify areas for strengthening the aims, background, and methods, and packaging the proposal to be successful/competitive at the outside review. The author(s) should not think of it as a defense of a proposal but rather an intellectual interchange to strengthen it scientifically. Two to three faculty members, who have experience participating on NIH review panels, become the reviewers for the grant proposal. Typically, these review sessions take two hours. Space is made available for doctoral students to observe the process and learn from scientific critique.

• Mock reviews are scheduled once a month on Wednesday from 10 to 12:00. However, additional times will be added if the demand is high. Contact the research department manager, Darlene Chatmon to schedule a mock review.
• As PI, you are encouraged to invite key co-investigators.
• You are encouraged to use a tape recorder or have an additional note taker available.
• Schedule the mock review at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to submission.
• A completed or near completed draft should be emailed 3-5 working days prior to the meeting for distribution to the reviewers.
• Doctoral students and faculty are invited unless the investigator requests a closed session. 

The Office of Research and Scholarships maintains relationships with professionals that can assist with editing, transcription and translation for your proposal or award. Please contact Darlene Chatmon for more information. 

The Office of Research and Scholarship provides proposal submission support to Principal Investigators (PI).

The PI should an initial consultation about six months prior to the proposal due date with the Grants Specialist, Darlene Chatmon, who will coordinate the proposal submission. The Grants Specialist will work with the PI to: 

• Development a budget
• Assist with letter of intent requests for subawards
• Coordinate the collection and formatting of biosketches and letter of support
• Provide standard sections for editing such as facilities and resources
• Format and prepare the final application
• Route proposal through the RUSH Research Portal
• Just-in-Time requests 

Tips for successful grant submission