Research Development Services

Research development services are designed to assist faculty in developing and pursuing an active research agenda. As competition for federal and foundation funding increases, and as extramural research support become increasingly important in faculty promotion, research development services provide support in four broad categories:

Developing an Active Research Agenda:

As faculty undertake new projects, and new directions in research, research development professionals can provide helpful advice to get you started. A one-on-one consultation may focus on locating a potential funding source, developing a timeline to proposal completion, or developing a project with appropriate scope and scale. At this stage, the focus is on decisions to make before you begin writing, in order to optimize your efforts.

Preparing Effective Proposal Narratives:

Review panelists may not always have the necessary expertise to review your proposal. As such, not only should your narrative be clear and include all expected information, but the language should be accessible to the "educated non-expert". Research development professionals can help you include all expected information, answer all relevant questions, and use language that is accessible to a diverse audience. Once you have a draft of your proposal completed, please consider having it reviewed.

Responding to Reviewer Feedback / Preparing Resubmissions:

As competition for funding increases, it is increasingly expected that you will have to submit proposals multiple times before they are funded. In so doing, it is important to critically evaluate and address the feedback that comes from review panels. Looking for patterns in the feedback you receive, or looking for comments that resonate with you (or appear to have resonated throughout the panel) is an important step in preparing a strong application. Please consider submitting a rejected proposal along with your review comments if you are planning to resubmit a project and would like to make it stronger.

Workshops:

This year, we offered a grant writing overview workshop. Sections included: (1) finding funding for your research, (2) preparing effective introductions, (3) accessible theoretical frameworks and (4) conveying feasibility in your methods. This year I am working with interim Dean Berg to develop a new set of workshops that will pair junior and senior faculty both within and between disciplines. I am also open to suggestions – and have prepared workshops on issues ranging from finding funding (SciVal), to budget and budget justifications.