Advanced training in scientific grant writing, including development of competitive research proposals and core components such as specific aims, significance, innovation, and approach.
The course includes dedicated sessions on responsible conduct of research, scientific rigor, and regulatory compliance.
Students practice grant writing through structured weekly writing and peer review.
Athena Title
Biomed Grant Writing
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will develop a complete NIH F31 fellowship application or equivalent based on their research project.
Students will write clear, focused Specific Aims that define the research question, hypothesis, objectives, and expected impact of the proposed research.
Students will develop a rigorous Research Training Project Strategy that presents the scientific foundation and rationale and an appropriate experimental approach.
Students will develop candidate goals and training activities that align the proposed research with the student’s scientific and career goals.
Students will evaluate and score grant applications using NIH review criteria and provide constructive written and oral critiques.
Students will apply principles of scientific rigor and reproducibility to the design, analysis, and interpretation of proposed research.
Students will prepare all required application parts including responsible conduct of research and applicable regulatory and compliance requirements.
Students will revise and strengthen a grant application in response to peer and reviewer feedback.
Topical Outline
The weekly schedule of activities is outlined below in the
following format:
Week #
(#.1) Didactic Material
(#.2) Writing/Speaking/Discussion Session
Week 1. (1.1) Introduction to Scientific Communication
Skills: Organizational Meeting. (1.2) Guided discussion of
the ethics of scientific writing and speaking
Week 2. (2.1) Major Writing Assignments: Steady Progress
with Organization and Technical Skill. (2.2) Using outlines
as tools to organize and integrate ideas. Write an outline for
an autobiography.
Week 3. (3.1) Reference Management Programs: EndNote
and Reference Manager. (3.2) Use the Reference Manager
Program to begin to catalog, organize, and file your papers.
Week 4. (4.1) Preparation of Figures and Tables:
Describing an experiment in the terms of the “Scientific
Method”. (4.2) Write a description of a figure or table using
the terms “hypothesis”, “approach”, “result”, and
“conclusion”. What are the implications or significance of
the results?
Week 5. (5.1) Writing Peer Reviewed Manuscripts. (5.2)
Read a Published Paper: Work backwards to write an
outline of the manuscript.
Week 6. (6.1) Manuscript Reviews: Giving and Receiving.
(6.2) Read a Published Paper: Write a review of the work as
if you were assigned the work as a submitted manuscript.
Week 7. (7.1) Departmental Policy for Written/Oral
Admission to Candidacy. (7.2) NIH Grant Format, NIH
Review Criteria, and NIH Tips for Grant Preparation.
Week 8. (8.1) Annotated NIH Sample Grant. (8.2)
Discussion of Grant Preparation with Invited Guest Faculty
Week 9. (9.1). Writing Thesis/Dissertation. (9.2)
Discussion of Written and Oral Admission to Candidacy and
Writing Dissertation with Invited Senior Graduate Students
Week 10. (10.1). Scientific Meeting Presentations,
Published Abstracts. (10.2) Methods for preparation of an
effective poster presentation
Week 11. (11.1) Elements of Effective Public Speaking.
(11.2) All Students Give 5 minute Talk on an effective tip for
use of Power Point
Week 12. (12.1) Short (20 minute) Research Talk. (12.2)
Assigned Student Talks: “20 minute Journal Club”
Week 13 (13.1) Research Lecture/Job Talk/Dissertation
Defense. (13.2) Assigned Student Talks: “20 minute
Journal Club”
Week 14. (14.1) Preparing a 50 minute talk to a class.
(14.2) Assigned Student Talks: “20 minute Journal Club”
Week 15 (15.1) CV Formats; Job Search; Professional
Correspondence. (15.2) Assigned Student Talks: “20
minute Journal Club
