Organization and origination of research ideas and data into grants, manuscript, and other submissions.
Athena Title
GRANTSMANSHIP
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
This course is intended to advance research trainees to the next step in becoming an extramurally funded fellow or an independent investigator in the Academia or Industry. The purpose of this course is:
• To provide experience of peer reviewing process by participating in a Mock Study section
• To understand the multiple steps of successful seeking extramural funding, identifying resources by which one can find funding sources and overall improving your academic writing skills. Increasing your ability to prepare, write, and submit a research grant proposal is a critical element for success in any scientific setting.
Course perquisite: Students should have finished lab rotation, declared major advisor and have started on their own research project.
Methods of Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on the completion of writing assignments as outlined below:
PHRM8080 is a graded class. Your final grade will be based on the following factors.
Written assignments: 40%
Grant evaluations: 20%
Funding Sources Web Project: 10%
Final Grant Proposal: 30%
Written Assignments: These assignments must be completed and turned in on time (before the class time). Failure in either of these categories will impact the grades for the assignment. Completion of all writing assignments will result in 30 points. Each writing assignment not turned in will result in points being deducted from the grades.
Grant Evaluation: There will be a time when you must evaluate and present your evaluations of others’ work. The purpose of this is to provide the student with experience of peer-review and aid in developing the ability to constructively review peer’s proposal.
Funding Sources Web Project: At the beginning of the semester a lecture on searching the web for funding sources will be presented. After this lecture each student will need to do a search of funding sources for a topic of their choice and turn in 3 potential funding sources that your work fit within research priority areas along with a title for a grant that you would submit to these sources. Only 1 of these sources may be the National Institutes of Health.
Lectures: Instructor-led sessions covering grant writing, funding opportunities, proposal development, and the NIH peer-review process.
Writing Assignments: Step-by-step development of key grant components, including the biosketch, hypothesis, specific aims, significance, preliminary data, and research design.
Peer Review: Students evaluate and provide constructive feedback on grant proposals to gain experience with the scientific peer-review process.
Study Section: Students participate in a simulated grant review process to practice evaluating and discussing research proposals.
Funding Search Project: Students identify potential extramural funding sources aligned with their research interests.
Final Grant Proposal: Students integrate course concepts to prepare, revise, and submit a complete research grant proposal for peer and external review.
Topical Outline
Module 1: Foundations of Grant Writing
• Purpose and importance of extramural funding
• Identifying funding opportunities and research priority areas
• Overview of the grant submission process
Module 2: Grant Development and Planning
• Developing a fundable research idea
• Formulating hypotheses and research objectives
• Grant forms, biosketches, and budget preparation
Module 3: Scientific Proposal Writing
• Specific aims and abstract development
• Background, significance, and innovation
• Preliminary data and research strategy
Module 4: Research Design and Approach
• Developing experimental approaches
• Methods, potential pitfalls, and alternative strategies
• Team building and research planning
Module 5: Peer Review and Grant Evaluation
• NIH peer-review process
• Reviewing and evaluating grant proposals
• Responding to reviewer comments and constructive feedback
Module 6: Final Grant Proposal Development
• Proofreading and revision
• Training and career development goals
• Preparation, peer review, and ranking of final grant proposals
Module 7: Funding Resources and Career Development
• Identifying potential funding sources
• Matching research interests with funding priorities
• Preparing for extramural funding and independent research careers
