Lessons Learned From the Grant Writers Perspective

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Lessons LearnedFrom the Grant Writers
Perspective

• Old Dominion University
• Norfolk, VA 23529

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Outline of Presentation

• Organizational Model
• Jacqueline Stein (jstein_at_odu.edu)
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Laura Paganucci (lpaganuc_at_odu.edu)
• Working with a Research Foundation
• Luna Magpili (lmagpili_at_odu.edu)
• Faculty Needs
• Prakash Viswanathan (pviswana_at_odu.edu)

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Our FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Old Dominions Universitys Model for Supporting
Research
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Our Approach at Old Dominion . . .

• Office of
• Research
• University Department

• Research
• Foundation (ODURF)
• Separate, Private Non-Profit (501-C3)

Ability to provide Faculty Support for Winning
Grant Proposals
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Old Dominion University Research Foundation
(ODURF)Separate, Private Non-Profit (501-C3)

• The Grant Contract Administrator (GCA) handles
• Pre-Award
• Manages the fiscal side of external grant
  funding.
• Assists faculty by developing budgets for grant
  applications.
• Assures that submissions meet solicitation
  requirements.
• Submits completed proposals, either
  electronically or by mail.
• Post-Award
• Manages funding and reporting for grants.

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Old Dominion University Office of
ResearchUniversity Department

• Encourages grant development by providing
  training, assistance in locating collaborators
  and grant writing support.
• Provides customized searches for appropriate
  funding mechanisms.
• Coordinates faculty research efforts for limited
  submissions.
• Funds research through competition and by
  providing matching funds.

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Office of Research Organizational Chart
Engineering
Business, Education, Arts Letters
Health Sciences
Sciences
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Grant writers and ODURF staff work together with
faculty to meet the challenges of grant
proposals . . .

• Developing comprehensive proposals which
• address all requirements of the solicitation.
• Ensuring that budgets are well-thought out and
• realistic.
• Submitting proposals on time!

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Lessons LearnedFrom the Grant Writers
Perspective

• Roles and Responsibilities

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Roles and Responsibilities

• Jack of all trades!
• Definition
• Individuals who seek out funding opportunities
  and assist with the development of a proposal
• Who we are
• Specialized backgrounds
• Communication, efficiency, trust
• Flexibility

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What We Do

• Common Tasks
• Locate funding opportunities
• Solicitation requirements
• Editing
• Writing/re-writing
• Write certain sections (i.e. institutional
  background)
• Consolidating / blending writing from multiple
  authors
• Writing with PI to help narrate/describe concepts
  
• Research facts and stats
• Support letters
• IRB
• Progress reports

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More of What We Do

• Other Abilities
• Foster collaboration
• Locate collaborators
• Coordinate and collect
• Contact with funding agencies
• Gaps in knowledge
• Liaison for research foundation

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What We (Usually) Dont Do

• Not much
• Budget
• Refer to research foundation
• Aspects of written proposal
• Specific aims
• Interpretation of results/preliminary work
• Manuscripts
• Our ultimate goal is to help in any way possible
  to increase the likelihood of a successful
  submission and funding.

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Lessons LearnedFrom the Grant Writers
Perspective

• Working with a Research Foundation

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Working with a Research Foundation

• Remind, remind, remind PIs to get in touch with
  the designated grants and contract administrator
  (GCA) as soon as they know they will be
  submitting a proposal
• Divide Requirements (what comes from the GCA,
  what comes from the PI, what comes from the grant
  writer)
• Help PI determine the budget parameters (clarify
  that GCA making the budget does not mean PI does
  not do anything here)

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Working with a Research Foundation

• Remind, remind, remind PI to give GCA POC of
  external partner institution to get the paperwork
  going (this means also determining what the
  partner/ subcon will do and for how much)
• Letter of Collaboration/ Scope of Work can be
  drafted by the grant writer with PI. GCA
  follows-up and receives them along with all the
  other paperwork needed from the partner/subcon.
• Photo-finish submission is BAD. Remind, remind,
  remind PI to honor the timeline. Submit to GCA 5
  working days before due date.

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Working with a Research Foundation

• What ever else is MISSING!!!
• Absentee PIs (out of town?)
• Post-submission (problems, any news?)
• GCA HELP DESK for me too!

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Working Together

• To achieve PIs goal.

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Faculty NeedsFrom the Facultys Perspective
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Pre-Proposal Phase

• Idea(s)
• Outline
• Is it good enough?
• Who cares?
• Identification of suitable funding agencies?

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Proposal Development Phase

• Analyze solicitation and summarize requirements
• Identify potential collaborators
• Editing and Proofreading
• Create drafts and obtain letters of support,
  letters from consultants, resources.
• Assistance in obtaining signatures from various
  officials
• Final Walk Through

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Post-Submission Phase

• Analyze reviewers comments.
• Identify key areas that can be improved upon.
• Formulation of strategies for resubmission.

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