Grant Writing Academy

Stanford's Jump Start Awards for Excellence in Research

For Postdoctoral Scholars / Fellows

To support postdoctoral scholars / fellows conducting biomedical research and / or participating in career development activities that enhance fellowship or career development proposals. Additionally, the Grant Writing Academy's Jump Start Advisory Committee will provide feedback and advice to the awardees as they prepare their proposals.

Eligibility: Postdoctoral scholars / fellows conducting biosciences research at Stanford. Applicants must submit an external fellowship or career development proposal within one year of receiving funding.

Request for Applications (PDF)

Informational Meeting and Q&A: March 3 at 10-11 am LKSC 101/102
Deadline: March 18, 2016 at midnight (PST)

Online application

Questions: Email Crystal Botham, PhD

Specific Aims Lecture and Review Workshops

Instructors: Crystal Botham, PhD; Kevin Mann, PhD; Lamia Wahba, PhD

Learn techniques for developing a one-page executive summary of your research plan, e.g. Specific Aims page for a fellowship or career development award. Also, receive feedback on your Specific Aims draft document. Our approach to generating feedback will clarify and deepen your thinking, while providing feedback to your peers will improve your writing and expand your creativity.

REQUIRED Lecture: February 3, 2:00 - 4:00pm in LKSC 101/102

Specific Aims Review Workshops: Sign up for at least one

You must bring 4 copies of a draft of your Specific Aims (1 page) to the workshop. An early draft is OK!

• February 10, 9:00 - 11:00am
• February 11, 3:30 - 5:30pm
• February 16, 3:00 - 5:00pm
• February 23, 1:00 - 3:00pm
• February 24, 9:00 - 11:00am

Before and after attending your Specific Aims Review Workshop, please meet one-on-one with our Grant Coaches during their Office Hours and attend SBSA's Time to Write.

Registration

Grant Coach Office Hours

Got questions about fellowships or career development awards? Meet one-on-one with our trained Grant Coaches to answer questions, find resources, obtain advice or evaluate draft documents. Please note our Office Hours are offered at the same time as SBSA's Time to Write, so get your questions answered and then write!

Drop-In Office Hours:

• February 9, 5:00 - 7:00pm in MSOB x138
  Grant Coach: Kevin Mann
  Expertise:
  • Grants: K Award; F31/F32; Internal Stanford funding
  • Writing: Brainstorming to editing final revisions
  • Science: Neuroscience
• February 18, 9:00 - 11:00am in LKSC 306
  Grant Coach: Lamia Wahba
  Expertise:
  • Grants: F31/F32; K Award; Helen Hay Postdoc Fellowship
  • Writing: Brainstorming to editing final revisions
  • Science: Genetics; Small RNA biology, DNA damage
• February 23, 10:00am - 12:00pm in LKSC 209
  Grant Coach: Kevin Mann
  Expertise:
  • Grants: K Award; F31/F32; Internal Stanford funding
  • Writing: Brainstorming to editing final revisions
  • Science: Neuroscience

SBSA's Time to Write

SBSA's Time to Write provides a weekly time and place to work on your Specific Aims or other document. We provide coffee and snacks; you bring your laptop and write. Time to Write is offered at the same time as the Grant Coach Office Hours, so come to write and get your questions answered! Open to both graduate students and postdocs.

Time to Write:

• February 9, 5:00 - 7:00pm in MSOB x140
• February 18, 9:00 - 11:00am in LKSC 304/305
• February 23, 10:00am - 12:00pm in LKSC 203/204

NIH Biosketch Workshop

April 2016

Learn Strategies for developing and strengthening your NIH biosketch and receiving feedback on your biosketch during peer review meetings facilitated by our Grant Coaches.

Write a Successful NIH Individual NRSA Fellowship

F30, F31, or F32 — July 2016

This workshop is for pre- and postdoctoral trainees who are interested in preparing an application for an individual NRSA Fellowship (F Awards).

How to Write a Successful NIH Career Development Award

K Award — July 2016

This workshop will enable postdocs and young investigators to understand the different K award grant mechanisms and will provide strategies to optimize funding probability. This seminar is timely for trainees interested in submitting an application and for potential mentors.

Specific Aims Review Workshops

2-hour workshops available August to September, 2016

Need feedback on your Specific Aims? Come to a 2-hour Specific Aims Review Workshop to receive feedback on your one-page Specific Aims document. Our approach to eliciting feedback will help you clarify and deepen your thinking. Plus providing feedback to your peers will improve your writing.

You must bring 4 copies of a draft of your Specific Aims (1 page) to the workshop. An early draft is OK!

Writing Compelling Fellowships and Career Development Awards

Proposal Bootcamp Course — BIOS 242 — Weekly 2-hour meetings September 26 to November 17, 2016

Participants develop proposals through guided exercises with an emphasis on establishing writing practice, in-class peer review and focused faculty feedback.

Comments from previous participants:

"The schedule forced me to write"

"One of the best things... I wasn't the only one going through the grant writing process"

"This course helped improve the quality of my proposal"

"Thanks to you... I actually got a K99 on the first round. Your [course] was invaluable!"

The Science and Art of Grant Writing: Developing a Research Strategy

Videos available

This symposium addressed both practical and conceptual aspects of the proposal writing process. Participants learned how to develop research strategies to tackle important scientific questions and gained tips for writing more effective proposals. Dynamic presenters shared insights about the grant writing and review process. Speakers included Russ Altman, Crystal Botham, John Boothroyd, Nobel Laureate Michael Levitt, Kristin Sainani, and a panel discussion of NIH Fellowship and K Award study section members moderated by Miriam Goodman.

Comments from previous participants:

"It was inspiring to be there"

"I walked away feeling like this was such a productive use of my time"

"Fantastic event"

"Very motivating to go ahead and start writing"

Email Crystal Botham, PhD, Director of the Grant Writing Academy for access to videos

Writing for the Sciences

Sponsored by: Coursera; also available on Youtube

This course teaches scientists to become more effective writers, using practical examples and exercises. Topics include: principles of good writing, tricks for writing faster and with less anxiety, the format of a scientific manuscript, and issues in publication and peer review. In the first four weeks, we will review principles of effective writing, examples of good and bad writing, and tips for making the writing process easier. In the second four weeks, we will examine issues specific to scientific writing, including: authorship, peer review, the format of an original manuscript, and communicating science for lay audiences.

September 24 to Novemeber 18

Registration

NRSA Computer Lab Training Sessions

Required training for all pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellows who are submitting NIH NRSA F series applications.

Session registration

K Award-Grants.gov Computer Lab Training Sessions

Required training for all postdoctoral fellows and optional for Instructors and faculty who are submitting NIH K series applications.

Session registration

Postdoctoral Funding Opportunities

A comprehensive list of postdoctoral funding opportunities that can be searched by deadline or research topic. Download list here.

Graduate Funding Opportunities

A comprehensive list of graduate funding opportunities that can be searched by deadline or research topic. Download list here.