Research Development & Grant Writing Newsletter (2024 and 2025)
Research Development & Grant Writing News focuses on how to compete successfully for research and education funding from federal agencies and foundations. Articles and resources address how faculty can use proven competitive strategies to achieve success.
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NOTE: June 2025 will be the final issue of Research Development and Grant Writing News
May 2025
- Statement of NSF priorities (updated May 7)
- Defining the new funding landscape at NSF
- The Power of Early Specifics
- Funding in the News
- Advice for Applicants to Social Science Research Council (or really, any) Competitions
- Addressing Agency-Relevant Significance at USDA/NIFA
- Research Grant Writing Web Resources
- Agency News, Reports, Workshops & Roadmaps
- New Funding Opportunities
April 2025
- A Special Notice to Subscribers – June 2025 will be the final issue -- learn about future plans.
- Where'd the NSF Money Go? – The TIP Directorate's investment roadmap.
- NSF Wildland Fire Initiative Working Group – Learn about NSF's Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program.
- Funding in the News – Recent developments in federal research funding.
- Assembling a Team of Advocates for Winning Humanities Grants – Learn how assembling a team of senior scholars can help junior humanities scholars win funding (reprinted from the June 2021 issue).
- How Agency Mission & Culture Impact Funding Success – Learn how understanding the mission and culture of a specific agency can enable your research team to make more convincing arguments for funding (reprinted from the June 2021 issue).
March 2025
- NIH Funding News – Recent news reports and announcements about developments regarding NIH funding.
- NSF Funding News – Recent news reports and announcements about developments regarding NSF funding.
- What Should I Do About My NSF CAREER Application? – PIs have to strategize about when to use their three tries. With the recent funding chaos, that decision may be more difficult than usual. What should you consider when deciding whether to apply this year?
- Other funding News – Recent news reports and announcements regarding funding from DOE, DoD, and DoED.
- Academic Peer Review in the Humanities – Learn about how Michele Lamont's book, "How Professors Think: Inside the Curious World of Academic Judgment" applies to research proposals (reprinted from the December 2019 issue).
- The Advantages of Coordinated Team Reviews of Proposal Drafts – Why PIs should use internal reviewers to improve their proposals (reprinted from the December 2019 issue).
February 2025
- Arts and Humanities Funding in an Uncertain Climate – In this jittery funding climate, it is wise for researchers to broaden their funding sources beyond federal sources. How should arts and humanities scholars approach this process?
- NIH Has Simplified the Review for Project Grants – NIH's simplified review framework.
- AI Research: Revenge of the English Majors or a Sputnik Moment? – The AI research funding landscape is changing quickly. What does the AI funding future look like?
- Research Development in Chaotic Times – As the federal funding landscape for academic research is undergoing an unprecedented upheaval, faculty are turning to their research development professionals for advice. Learn how RD professionals can help.
- Research Directions and Priorities at DOE – DOE priorities as described by the new Energy Secretary, Chris Wright.
- How Readers Read Your Proposal – Insights provided by two articles discussing the journey readers go on when reading journal articles and how those insights apply to grant proposals (reprinted from the June 2016 issue).
- Organizing the Proposal Narrative – One of the first things that PIs should do is develop a proposal organization plan. Learn about that process (reprinted June 2016).
January 2025
- Does Your Humanities Proposal Have Inside and Outside Appeal? – In today's funding climate, the strongest proposals must speak not only to scholars but also to curious, well informed members of the general public.
- NSF's Proposal Plagiarism Perp Walk – The OIG Semiannual Report to Congress for Fall 2024 is out, and it provides a number of cautionary tales for PIs regarding plagiarism and research misconduct.
- AFRI Foundational & Applied Science Program 2025 – A summary of the recently released 2025 solicitation, through which USDA's NIFA funds a large number of fundamental and applied research grants.
- The NSF Mid-Career Advancement Program – NSF funds a number of grants for early-career faculty, but many are not aware that they also fund a grant to help mid-career faculty get their research back on track or change directions.
- NSF 2025 Research Infrastructure Guide – A summary of this guidance for life cycle planning and management of major facilities and mid-scale research infrastructure funded by NSF.
- Know the Type of Project You're Proposing – A common mistake is proposing a project that is too applied for a basic research funding opportunity and vice versa. Learn how to determine the type of project you're proposing and ensure that it aligns with your targeted funding opportunity (reprinted from the June 2019 issue).
December 2024
- Does Your Humanities Proposal Have Inside and Outside Appeal? – In today's funding climate, the strongest proposals must speak not only to scholars but also to curious, well informed members of the general public.
- Funding: Artificial Intelligence & the Future of Work – The recently released National Academies Report Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work should inform AI funding strategies.
- Changes to EPA Notices of Funding Opportunity – EPA NOFO changes to comply with OMB's CFR 200 revisions.
- NSF Funding for AI Education, Training and Broadening Participation – NSF's EducateAI initiative and how teams can use this to position themselves for future AI education funding.
- NIH’s New Science of Science Scholars Program Pilot – NIH's new Science of Science Scholars pilot program, announced December 5th.
- In Proposals, Less is Often More – Knowing what to leave out a grant proposal is equally important to what is included (reprinted from the Dec. 2020 issue).
November 2024
- NIH Replication to Enhance Research Impact Initiative – NIH's Replication to Enhance Research Impact Initiative.
- The Role of Reproducibility and Replicability in NSF Research Funding – Reproducibility and replicability concerns in the context of writing NSF proposals, and related funding opportunities.
- Importance of Reproducibility and Replicability in STEM Education Funding – Reproducibility and replicability concerns should inform education funding proposals.
- Analyzing NSF CAREER Reviews and Planning Your Revisions – CAREER funding decisions and reviews are starting to trickle out to PIs, and most of those proposals will be declined. How to analyze reviews and develop a plan to respond to them in the next submission.
- Connect Funding Opportunities to Societal Challenges – NSF's Connecting Funding Opportunities to Societal Challenges initiative (reprinted from Nov. 2022).
- The Dos and Don'ts of Writing the Statement of Purpose for a Humanities/Social Sciences Funding Application – How to write the statement of purpose in a way that will inspire your reviewer to want to read the rest of your proposal (reprinted from Nov. 2023).
October 2024
- Academic Writing as if Readers Matter by Cassuto Leonard – Cassuto's book and how his insights can be applied to proposal writing.
- Redesigned NIH Grants and Funding Website & Writing Tips – NIH's relaunched NIH Grants and Funding website, along with key tips provided by NIH.
- FY2025 Continuation of Solicitation for the DOE Office of Science – DOE's Office of Science has issued their "open call" for proposals for the next year.
- A Summary of NSF Funding for the Bioeconomy – NSF has a number of funding opportunities that support biotechnology and bioeconomy-related research.
- Understanding NSF’s Expectations for the 2026 STC Competition – The competition for the next round of NSF Science and Technology Centers is starting up. Questions that teams should answer when deciding whether to pursue an STC.
- NSF BioFoundries & Related Programs – NSF investments, including BioFoundries, aimed at advancing biotechnology and the bioeconomy (reprinted from June 2023 issue).
- What is Use-Inspired Science – NSF is increasingly focused on use-inspired research. But what does that mean? (reprinted from June 2023 issue).
September 2024
- Developing Applications to EPA Under New Guidelines – Every year, the EPA funds more than $4 billion in grants and other assistance agreements. We discuss how to find more information about these opportunities and understand the new guidelines.
- NSF-USDA-NIFA Programmatic Funding Alignments – We discuss initiatives co-funded by NSF and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and alignment of common funding directions.
- Overview of Funding by Department of Energy – The DOE is a huge agency that funds a broad range of research and other activities, but it can baffling to navigate. We discuss where to find funding opportunities offered by the various Offices within the DOE.
- NSF TIP Directorate’s New Roadmap – NSF recently published their roadmap for investments by their relatively new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. We provide an overview of the main points.
- Avoid the Generic Introduction – We discuss a common proposal mistake and how to avoid it (reprinted from the July 2012 issue).
- Narrative Silos Are Like Weeds – We discuss the importance of avoiding discipline-specific silos in multi-disciplinary proposals (reprinted from July 2012 issue).
August 2024
- Writing for NIH’s New Review Criteria – NIH will be implementing changes to review criteria starting January 25, 2025; we discuss those changes.
- Supplemental Funding Requests to NSF – Winning an NSF grant opens the door to a new world of supplemental funding. We discuss those opportunities.
- You’ve Submitted Your CAREER Proposal: What Now? – For those of you who submitted a CAREER proposal last month, the work is over but the waiting has started. We discuss what to expect next (reprinted from August 2023 issue).
- Special Considerations When You’re Proposing to Address a Well-Known Challenge - The federal funding agencies are increasingly focused on funding research related to well-known and much-discussed challenges such as climate change, renewable energy, and AI. We discuss things to keep in mind when writing proposals for research focused on such challenges.
- Forecasted Funding & Notice of Intent Opportunities – We discuss how to anticipate upcoming funding opportunities by keeping an eye out for forecasted funding and NOIs.
- Tensed about Tenses – Many PIs, particularly non-native English speakers, struggle with when to use present tense and when to use past tense. We discuss guidelines and why it’s important to get this right (reprinted from August 2016 issue).
- Understanding the Role of Your PO – We discuss how the role of the program officer can vary by funder, and why it’s important to understand your PO’s role (reprinted from August 2016 issue).
July 2025
- NEH Humanities Connections Projects: A Funding Opportunity for Curricular Innovation at Two- and Four-Year Projects – This funding opportunity supports connections between humanities and non-humanities faculty, and how proposals will be judged.
- Funding Strategies: National Climate Resilience Framework by Federal Agency – This recently released framework aligns climate resilience investments across the public and private sector through common principles and opportunities to build a climate resilient nation. Learn what PIs need to know.
- An Overview of ED's FIPSE Program – The long-running Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education program supports the implementation of innovative educational reform ideas. Learn what ED is looking for in proposals to this program.
- Last-Minute NSF CAREER Proposal Checklist 2024 – A checklist for PIs who plan to submit their NSF CAREER proposals this month, including new PAPPG requirements.
- Preview of FY 2025 House Research Spending Bills – Early details of spending under consideration to support research.
- Does an NSF MRI Fit Your Situation? – Many faculty need funding for instrumentation, but not all situations fit the NSF Major Research Instrumentation program. How to decide if your situation sits the MRI, and other avenues to pursue if it doesn't. (Reprinted from the November 2020 issue.)
- Editing the Proposal Introduction: the What, Why, How, and So-What of a Preliminary Review – How to evaluate and improve the proposal introduction. (Reprinted from October 2020 issue.)
June 2024
- Funding Profile: Homeland Security Office of University Programs in Sci. & Tech. – We provide an overview of the funding programs available through the DHS S&T Office.
- New Faculty Guide to Finding NSF Funding – A discussion for new faculty about how to find the right NSF funding opportunity.
- Heads up! NSF's New Graduate Student Mentoring Plan Requirement – We discuss NSF's new requirement for a Mentoring Plan for graduate students.
- Unsolicited Proposals to Federal Agencies – We discuss the various requirements for submitting unsolicited proposals to federal agencies.
- Win Your Grant on Page 1 – We discuss the importance of starting your proposal narrative with a strong first page.
- To Revise, Re-Write, or Begin Anew? - When your proposal is declined, how do you decide whether to tweak the proposal to address review comments and resubmit, deeply rewrite it and resubmit, or bury it and start over? We discuss how to make that decision (reprinted from the January 2019 issue).
May 2024
- CHIPS and Science Act in FY2025 Budget Requests – We discuss the latest information on FY 2025 budget requests for the CHIPS and Science Act.
- NIH Common Fund 2025 Budget Request – We discuss the latest information on FY 2025 budget requests for the NIH Common Fund.
- Understanding Agency-Required Diversity Plans (NIH PEDP and DOE PIER) – We discuss why NIH and DOE are now requiring diversity plans and the guidance they're providing.
- EPA's FY 2025 Research Budget Priorities – We discuss the latest information on FY 2025 budget requests for the EPA.
- Tips for Winning an NEH Individual Fellowship – We discuss NEH's advice for Individual Fellowship applicants.
- You Got Funding! Now Think About Supplements - Winning an NSF or NIH grant opens the door to more funding in the form of supplements. We discuss these opportunities (reprinted from the April 2021 issue).
April 2024
- Dangers and Opportunities of Technology: Funding Sources – We discuss this NEH program, which includes funding opportunities focused on methods of parceling and analyzing massive data that complement the core values of strengthening democracy, advancing equity, and addressing our cultural inheritance threatened by a changing climate.
- NSF Innovative Use of Scientific Collections – We discuss a recent NSF Dear Colleague Letter encouraging projects to increase and diversify the ways in which the research community can access and use scientific collections and collections-associated digital data and metadata.
- FY2025 NSF Budget: Exploring New Funding Directions – We discuss NSF's FY 2025 Budget Request and what it tells us about NSF's priorities.
- Figuring Out What You Want to Do for Your NSF CAREER Education Component – Many PIs struggle to figure out what to propose for their CAREER education component. We discuss ways to find inspiration.
- Summary of Changes: NIFA FY 2025 Budget Request – We discuss how USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture's FY 2025 budget request has changed from last year's budget.
- What Is the Intellectual Significance of Your Proposed Humanities Project? – We discuss how reviewers in the humanities assess the intellectual significance of proposed projects.
- Tracking Allocations in Research Agency Budgets – We discuss how to analyze agency budgets to understand shifting agency priorities.
March 2024
- Summary of Changes to the PAPPG NSF 24-1 – The newest revision of NSF’s Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide goes into effect May 20, 2024. We discuss changes.
- Division of Environmental Biology Virtual Office Hour – We summarize what was discussed in DEB's recent office hour about how to write a strong proposal to DEB, and we provide links to slides and recaps of other NSF office hours.
- NSF Ideas Labs: How They Work and Why They Are a Great Opportunity for Faculty – NSF is increasingly employing the Ideas Labs model. We discuss how it works and how faculty researchers can benefit from participating.
- Artificial Intelligence in Water Conservation – We discuss an instructive example of how AI research is being conducted in the context of specific applications. This example, funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), focuses on using AI to reduce the amount of water we use and manage our use of water more effectively.
- Cultivating Grantsmanship Among Humanities and Social Science Graduate Students – We discuss why humanities and social science graduate students should apply for grants, and how they can find grant opportunities (reprinted from May 2021 issue).
- Strategic Uses of the Funding Solicitation – We discuss how PIs should use the solicitation to inform their proposal’s structure (reprinted from May 2021 issue).
February 2024
- Incremental Research is the "Kiss of Death" at NSF – A common negative review comment in NSF reviews is that the research is "incremental." We discuss what that term means and how to avoid it.
- Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks – We discuss the NSF Sustainable Regional Systems Research Networks solicitation and how it illustrates the concept of convergent research.
- Why Faculty Should Attend Funder Conferences and Workshops – NSF recently announced its Spring 2024 NSF Grants Conference, and NIH is tentatively planning its Grants Conference for late 2024. We discuss why PIs should attend these types of conferences and program-specific workshops.
- What Does a Successful NSF Proposal Look Like? – When an NSF solicitation doesn't provide detailed instructions, NSF’s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide provides guidelines for preparing your NSF proposal. We discuss the PAPPG's instructions.
- Avoiding A Common Reviewer Complaint: Descriptive Research – A common complaint in reviews is that the project is descriptive. We discuss what that term means and how to avoid it (reprinted from March 2021 issue).
January 2024
- Humanities Perspectives on AI: NEH Emerging Funding Opportunities and a List of Private Opportunities – Early efforts on AI were focused on what the technology can do, rather than what it should do. We discuss funding opportunities related to human-centered artificial intelligence, including NEH's Humanities Perspectives on AI, as well as other opportunities at NEH and other funders.
- Writing a Proposal's Stakeholder Engagement Section – Many proposals require a stakeholder engagement section. We discuss why funders may require this section and things to consider when developing it.
- FY24 Navy STEM and Workforce Program – The Department of the Navy recently posted their FY24 STEM Education and Workforce Program solicitation, with a deadline of August 23, 2024. We discuss the solicitation requirements and relevant resources.
- The Future of STEM Education at NSF – NSF has supported STEM education for decades, but approaches and expectations have evolved significantly over that time, especially in terms of expected rigor. We discuss these changes and NSF's current priorities and expectations for these types of projects.
- A Suggested Timeline for Producing Your NSF CAREER Proposal – NSF CAREER proposals are due July 24, 2024. The temptation is to wait until the end of the semester to start working on your CAREER proposal. We discuss why you shouldn't make this common mistake, and we provide a suggested proposal production plan that will allow you to make steady progress on your proposal throughout this semester while managing all of your other responsibilities.
- If You Name It, Explain It – Referring to something that is relevant to the review process without adequately describing it is an easy way to annoy your reviewers. We discuss how to avoid this common pitfall (reprinted from the January 2020 issue).
- Don't Sell the Funding Solicitation Short – We discuss how the solicitation can be a key resource in helping you structure and write your proposal (reprinted from the January 2020 issue).