Grant Writing in the Sciences
Self-Paced Online
5/26/2023 - 5/26/2026
$600
8 Hours
This course aims to provide a basic primer on grant writing including learning about available resources, strategies, and approaches for developing grants, along with developing skills in grant planning and preparation.
Summary
This course will help you develop perspectives and learn about available resources and strategies. The course consists of approximately eight hours of self-paced online materials.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Define which type of NIH grant is most appropriate for a project, given study goals, level of development of the research and NIH requirements.
- Identify the general procedures for preparing and submitting an NIH application, which reflects the process of grant preparation and review.
- Locate resources and apply approaches related to your individual fields to navigate the research landscape.
- Demonstrate comprehension of the specific meaning of NIH “Scored Review Criteria” and how it contributes to the “Overall Impact Score of the grant”, which translates to funding decisions.
- Demonstrate how to relate each specific component and the overall structure of an NIH research grant to the NIH “Scored Review Criteria”.
- Define the purpose of the Specifics Aims (SA) page.
- Identify the importance of preliminary data in supporting a funding application.
- Define the components of an NIH biosketch and draft a working personal statement section.
- List the components of the NIH concept “scientific rigor” and describe how this can be addressed in an application.
This course is primarily delivered via recorded lectures, supplemental resources to help you continue learning, and unit quizzes to test your knowledge.
Topics covered include:
- NIH Grants - The Big Picture
- Types of NIH Grants
- Procedures for Preparing and Submitting an NIH Application
- Resources and Approaches to Knowing Your Field
- Developing a Budget for an NIH Grant
- How to Complete NIH Other Support
- How Grants are Scored
- How Grants are Scored
- Fellowship Applications
- Grant Review
- Planning and Writing Specific Aims
- Planning and Writing Specific Aims
- Specific Aims Example - Basic/Translational Lab Science
- Specific Aims Example - Behavioral Science
- Preliminary Data
- The Importance of Preliminary Data
- How to Work with a Biostatistician
- Tables and Figures
- The NIH Biosketch
- Scientific Rigor and Protection of Subjects
How will this course impact you?
Understanding the process of writing a grant is valuable for a variety of career paths, such as:
- A researcher competing for grants
- A grant reviewer
- A coworker to others who write grants
- A proposal writer for a non-profit organization or company
- A person who wants to sell their ideas
Learner Testimonials:
“The NIH-focused approach was the best part. The course trained on the highest standard like NIH that gives us confidence to apply for any grant body.”
“1. Loved how practical the class is. 2. As a beginner in the field, the course gave me a fair idea about what needs to be kept in mind while writing a grant and what 'scoring criteria' are used while deciding the funding.”
Mark E. Sherman, M.D.Consultant, Division of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health SciencesConsultant, Department of Cancer BiologyProfessor of EpidemiologyProfessor of Laboratory Medicine and PathologySince joining Mayo Clinic, Dr. Sherman has earned three R01s as an MPI, a Level III Partnering PI grant from the Department of Defense, a Fulbright Scholar,ship and a Komen Tissue Bank award. Additionally, he has earned a Diversity Supplement to one R01 grant, mentored an early career investigator at Emory on a successful V grant application focusing on racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes, and another investigator on a funded K2R Program Award. With an H-score over 100, Dr. Sherman has published more than 500 manuscripts. |
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Brandon J. Coombes, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of BiostatisticsThe research of Brandon J. Coombes, Ph.D., focuses on the genetics of complex diseases, particularly in psychiatric disorders such as opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety. |
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Bruce Horazdovsky, Ph.D.Consultant, Department of Education AdministrationConsultant, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAssociate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyThe research of Bruce Horazdovsky, Ph.D. focuses on the dysregulation of intracellular protein trafficking events that occur in cancer and neurodegenerative disease. |
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Laura Pacheco-Spann, M.S.Senior Program CoordinatorDepartment Diversity LeaderMs. Pacheco-Spann is a Senior Program Coordinator for Quantitative Health Sciences in Florida, and has been the Allied Health Leader for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Quantitative Health Sciences. She will graduate from the Health Science Research Doctoral Program at Nova Southeastern University with a concentration in Global Health and Epidemiology in the summer of 2024. |
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Christi A. Patten, Ph.D.Professor of PsychologyThe research of Christi A. Patten, Ph.D., focuses on developing novel, theory-based behavioral interventions for tobacco cessation. Key areas include tobacco cessation interventions for adolescents and smokers with psychiatric comorbidity, social support and smoking cessation, community-based participatory research to reduce health disparities among underserved populations, and National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded intervention programs to reduce tobacco disparities among Alaska Native adolescents and pregnant women. |
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Evette S. Radisky, Ph.D.Professor of Cancer BiologyProfessor of PharmacologyEvette S. Radisky, Ph.D., has a research background in protein biochemistry and structural biology. Her research interests include many aspects of cancer biology, including the role of proteases in tumor progression and metastasis. |
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Robert A. Vierkant, M.S.Assistant Professor of BiostatisticsAs a consulting statistician, Mr. Vierkant collaborates with many investigators in the Mayo Clinic Department of Surgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Individualized Medicine (CIM). Current research activities include overseeing many of the statistical efforts for the Mayo Clinic Tapestry study, identifying and assessing breast cancer-related biomarkers, developing risk prediction models, and collaborating with Department of Surgery investigators on clinical research projects. |