The information below is intended to assist faculty who are relatively inexperienced in the art of preparing proposals for external funding of research or other projects.

When the funding is imminent, submit the proposal to IRB (for human subjects), IACUC (for animal subjects), biosafety committee, or radiation safety committee.

After the review…
If you are funded, Research Services should receive an award document from the sponsor. They will transmit it to Sponsored Program Accounting for establishing an accounting unit and inputting the budget. At a later date, Research Services will work with you if you need sponsor approval for budget revisions, date changes or substantive changes to the project.

If you’re not successful at first, don’t blame the sponsor. Get feedback from them. Analyze the critique. Step outside the box and take a hard look at the proposal. Consider submitting a revised application. Many successful principal investigators were not successful on their first attempt.

Think creatively about the needs in your field. You may have a better idea!

Additional suggestions:

• Attend workshops in your field
• Read successful grants in your discipline
• Serve on a review panel

Additional Grant-Writing Resources