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Services
Overview of Services
Access to Services
Steps for Priority Access
Contact Us Overview of Services Department resources are committed to assist faculty at all phases of grant development. Our goal is to help investigators strategically plan their grant writing efforts and emerge with a stronger, more fundable proposal. Research services faculty and staff can assist with the following: - Framing testable questions and designing the study
- Articulating project aims and significance
- Searching and retrieving literature
- Locating possible funding sources
- Identifying potential mentors and collaborators
- Advising on sample size and conducting power calculations
- Selecting (and writing about) instruments, statistical methods
- Advising on the budget and justification
- Editing and revising text to create a compelling project description
- Soliciting proposal feedback from internal peer reviewers
Access to Services We encourage all faculty investigators to take advantage of our research services. However, because our services are in high demand, availability for grant development is prioritized. - Priority Access: Investigators who have an initial consultation with the grants team, prepare a production timeline for grant development, and engage in internal “mock” peer review have priority access to research services.
- “As Available” Access: Investigators who do not employ the aforementioned steps may still request research services, but will receive assistance as available.
Steps for Priority Access Step 1: Consult with our grants team. Ideally, a consult will occur early in project planning and is used to familiarize the grants team with the project concept; identify and allocate resources for grant development; and plan for internal peer review. How to set up a consult: Benefits of the consult: - Avoids “false starts.” Investigators receive feedback on project feasibility, scope, and significance before investing significant writing time. This is especially important for new researchers.
- Tees up the consulting team. The grants team is introduced to the project early on, which facilitates our involvement as the proposal progresses.
Step 2: Prepare (and share) a production timeline for the proposal. The creation of a tailored development timeline helps coordinate the work of everyone assisting with the proposal. Each timeline is reasonably fluid, but specifies sentinel events leading to submission (e.g., creation of a preliminary draft, one or more cycles of peer review, midstream drafting of budget, final editing). We recognize that every situation is unique. Different projects will have different timelines, often driven by funding agency practices and the competing demands of faculty and staff. Expediencies such as these are always taken into account. The goal is to set up a timeline that suits the project, while acknowledging the substantial time needed to develop a competitive application. How to prepare a timeline: - The grants team will help you prepare a timeline as part of the consultation referenced in step 1.
- Download a recommended timeline for new research proposals.
Benefits of a timeline: - Avoids crunch on research services. With a timeline in place, the grants team can block time for budget development, formatting and editing, etc. Timelines can be staggered to minimize the impact of multiple faculty preparing proposals for the same (or similar) due date.
- Peer reviews are scheduled well in advance. This is critical when trying to coordinate the calendars of busy faculty members.
Step 3: Engage in internal peer review.
The careful and dispassionate scrutiny of a draft application by someone with expertise—and who is not integrally involved in the project—is invaluable to the development of a fundable application. How to set up a peer review: Benefits of peer review: - Prompts earlier writing and rewriting. Because reviewers need a written draft to react to, the act of setting up a peer review date gives the investigator a tangible deadline for producing a reasonable midstream draft.
- Feedback on the written draft is improved. Reviewers have to show up, both physically and intellectually, to deliver a measured and thoughtful critique to the investigator. The face-to-face group format stimulates discussion and fresh ideas.
- Subsequent editing and other support is highly targeted. The work of the editor, statistician, and other consultants is guided by the peer reviewers’ specific comments.
Contact Us Kevin A. Peterson, MD, MPH, director
Phone: 612-624-3116
Email: peter223@umn.edu Carol Lange, administrative research coordinator
Phone: 612-624-3125
Fax: 612-624-1466
Email: lange076@umn.edu
Kendall R. Choate, pre-award grant coordinator
Phone: 612-624-6147
Fax: 612-624-1466
Email: choat008@umn.edu Mark Yeazel, MD, MPH
Phone: 612-624-2335
Email: yeazel@umn.edu Note: Requests for staff support (e.g., data entry, database management) should be directed to Kevin A. Peterson, MD, MPH.
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