Recommendations for Writing Successful Grant Proposals

Abstract

These findings highlight that further institution-level development and interventions to support faculty grant writing success are warranted. Future research should employ more rigorous evaluation methods to move the field toward a stronger evidence base for determining which specific faculty development activities help increase funding.

How to Prepare for and Write a Grant: Personal Perspectives

“…A systematic review 6 of published papers published from 2000 to 2012 identified many recommendations for writing successful grant proposals, extending the themes discussed above. In addition, the office of extramural research (available from: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.…”

“…We focus on independent investigator-initiated (ie, R01, VA Merit Awards) applications, although many of the concepts are applicable to mentored or similar career development award applications and summarized in recent publications. [2][3][4][5][6]…”

The Jewel in the Crown: Specific Aims Section of Investigator-Initiated Grant Proposals

“…Multiple articles have provided recommendations for successful grant writing but few focus on the specific aims section. For example, Wisdom et al [ 13 ] reviewed 1130 abstracts on grant writing and ultimately selected 53 for closer scrutiny. Only two sentences in this treatise discuss specific aims indicating 1) “include 2 to 4 aims or objectives and these should be clear, concise and realistic given the time and resources proposed” and 2) “the research questions and study aims should drive the methods proposed.” On further review, we found online documents that provided additional insight into the preparation of this section from personal perspectives [ 4 , 6 , 8 – 10 ].…”

“…A well-written specific aims section of a grant proposal is critical for obtaining highly competitive funding. This process involves identifying critical knowledge gaps and devising methods to close those gaps [ 1 , 4 , 6 – 8 , 10 , 13 , 14 ]. Integral to this process are the scientific premises and resulting hypotheses incorporated into the specific aims.…”

Simulation Modeling as a Novel and Promising Strategy for Improving Success Rates With Research Funding Applications: A Constructive Thought Experiment

“…Grant writing is an established method for supporting research, enhancing institutional prestige, and promoting individual career advancement [11,12]. Many individuals and organizations have offered advice for improving success with funding applications [11][12][13][14][15]. Their recommendations often overlap, with consistent themes emerging-nicely summarized by Wisdom, Riley, and Myers [15]:…”