The Grant Writing Academy was honored with a 2016 Innovations in Research Education Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)! The award highlights innovations in PhD, MD-PhD, and postdoctoral education and training, or early career development that enhance the institutional research mission.
We coach graduate and postdoctoral trainees in developing and articulating research strategies to tackle important scientific questions.
We help you STEP into success with grant writing by:
Why you should submit a proposal:
Writing Compelling Fellowships and Career Development Awards
Proposal Bootcamp Course — BIOS 242 — Weekly 2-hour meetings
September 25 to November 17, 2017 (8 weeks)
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!"
If you are interested in the 2017 Proposal Bootcamp, please participate in our half-day Science and Art of Grant Writing Symposium. During the first week of the Proposal Bootcamp course your 1-page Specific Aims document will be peer reviewed.
Specific Aims Lecture and Peer Review Workshops
Specific Aims Lecture
Learn techniques for developing a one-page executive summary of your research plan, e.g. Specific Aims page.
Watch a video about how to write a compelling 1-page Specific Aims (SUNet ID required)
Download a Specific Aims Outline to help you write a compelling 1-page Specific Aims. (SUNet ID required)
Have a question about your fellowship or career development award? Meet one-on-one with our trained Grant Coaches to answer questions, find resources, obtain advice or evaluate draft documents.
Science and Art of Grant Writing Symposium
August 22, 2017, Science and Art of Grant Writing
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 tips for writing more effective proposals. Dynamic presenters shared insights about the grant writing and review process. Speakers included Russ Altman, Martha Cyert, Tanya Evans, Latha Palaniappan, Tim Stearns and a panel discussion of NIH Fellowship and K Award study section members moderated by Kathleen Sakamoto.
For graduate students, postdocs, clinical fellows, and faculty
August 5, 2015 Science and Art of Grant Writing: Developing a Research Strategy
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"
Watch the videos! (SUNet ID required)
Teach! Write! Learn! Become a Grant Coach
For Postdoctoral Scholars/Fellows
The Grant Writing Academy in collaboration with the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs trains postdocs as Grant Coaches for our Proposal Bootcamp course (5-6 hr commitment per week). Our Coaches assist graduate students and postdocs in creating strong proposals, and lead peer and faculty review workshops.We pay for coaching time. No experience necessary but we are looking for enthusiastic and committed individuals.
Application Deadline: Spring 2017
Writing Graduate Research Fellowships (BIOS 271)
August 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2:00-4:00 pm
Initial sessions focus on the basics of grantsmanship, review criteria (i.e. intellectual merit and broader impact), and required materials, with particular focus on the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Students draft a 2-page research proposal and 3-page personal, relevant background and future goals statement. During small group peer review sessions, students receive detailed feedback to improve the clarity of their writing.
The NSF GRFP is a prestigious, nationally competitive fellowship and provides three years of support for beginning graduate study.
Helpful Resources from the University of Missouri
For graduate students
Ten Simple Rules for Writing a Fellowship or Career Development Award
Ten simple rules to consider when writing a fellowship or career development award by Crystal Botham, director of the Grant Writing Academy, and Stanford Postdocs.
Grant Coaches Discuss Various Aspects of Writing Proposals
Videos relevant to most proposals (SUNet ID required)
NIH Fellowship Specific Videos (e.g. F31, F32) (SUNet ID required)
NIH K Award Specific Videos (e.g. K99/R00, K08, K23) (SUNet ID required)
Grant Writing Retreat
Co-sponsored by the GWA & SBSA
March 10, 2018 at 10:00am - 4:00 pm
This all-day retreat provides a time and place to write plus lunch and snacks. Also, join short lightning talks about writing grants, receive feedback at peer review workshops and one-on-one coaching from the GWA's Grant Coaches.
Grad-Only Spring Proposal Bootcamp
BIOS 263: Applied Grant-Writing Skills for Fellowships; Signup in Axess
Spring Term 2018
Graduate students in the Biosciences PhD Programs develop a fellowship proposal (e.g. NIH F31) focusing on required documents: 1-page specific aims as well as research and career development plans. Students establish a writing practice and learn fundamental grant writing skills through guided exercises, including in-class review and focused faculty feedback.
Comments from our participants:
"The faculty review workshops are fantastic and maybe a once-in-a-life kind of experience"
"The deadlines forced me to think about my drafts and writing a compelling grant in a timely manner. Otherwise, I would have crammed it into 2-3 weeks before the deadline."
"The peer review process helped me see my proposal through the eyes of a critical reviewer"
"It improved my writing skills"
"I really appreciated the grant coach office hours"
"Meeting up with other people that were 'in the same boat' as me was helpful"
Questions? Email Crystal Botham: cbotham@stanford.edu
Stanford's Jump Start Awards for Excellence in Research
Supports 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 Grant Coaches provide feedback and advice to the awardees as they prepare their proposals.
We are excited to announce our 2016 Jump Start Awardees:
Shiva Abbaszadeh, PhD | A new generation small animal PET system technology to drive future molecular imaging discoveries |
Julia Co, PhD | Gastrointestinal organoids as a model for human-adapted bacterial pathogens |
Laura Marie Davison, PhD | Harnessing Dendritic Cells for the Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Immunotherapies |
Daniel DiRenzo, PhD | Efferocytosis Signaling Regulates Phenotypic Switching in Atherosclerosis |
Eni Halilaj, PhD | Multivariate Pattern Analysis of Physical Activity and Osteoarthritis Progression |
Jennifer Haruko Kong, PhD | Genetic and proteomic analysis of Hedgehog signaling in the developing central nervous system |
Zhipeng Lu, PhD | Decoding the RNA structurome |
Brooks Taylor, PhD | Predicting and controlling fat cell differentiation using dynamic signals |
Adam White, PhD | Leveraging spectrally encoded beads to enable highly multiplexed profiling of proteolytic signatures from maternal blood |
Jump Start Advisory Committee:
Sponsored by: Lagunita; 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.
NRSA Computer Lab Training Sessions
Required training for all pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellows who are submitting NIH NRSA F series applications.
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.
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.
Stanford policy requires that all applications for outside Pre-Doctoral & Postdoctoral Fellowships must be routed through your Institutional Representative at least 5 working days prior to the sponsor's deadline. Please see the Research Management Group's website for guidelines and proposal checklists.
A collection of grant and fellowship applications and resources. Learn More
Contact the director: Crystal Botham, PhD