BMS 650 - Grant Writing

Course Overview

This course is intended to teach you the basics about writing a grant to secure funding for your scientific and/or engineering research. Throughout the semester, you will write a full grant and participate in a mock grant review process. The grant you write should encompass the work that one PhD student could accomplish, with their current resources, in 4-­‐5 years of work. In addition to the nuts and bolts of grantwriting, this course will also cover some of the more bureaucratic aspects of writing (what organizations fund competitive grants, how do you find them, how do you tailor your proposal for them, how do you write a budget and biographical sketch). Writing a fundable grant requires imagination, knowledge of the scientific literature, time spent writing and rewriting to make your point crystal clear, and quite a bit of optimism. Are you ready for the challenge?

This class is offered in the Fall

Click here to view an example grant writing syllabus

Topics Covered

  • Keys to writing a fundable grant
  • Writing process overview video (online only)
  • Developing your question
  • Organization of the Research Strategy Section
  • Key aspects of writing for the NIH: NRSA Graduate Fellowship
  • Pre- and Post-award Management
  • Organization of the Biosketch, Budget and Mentoring Plan
  • Keys to writing for a private foundation
  • Key aspects of writing for the NSF
  • The review process
  • Study section etiquette and training
  • Mock Study Section
  • Responding to critiques