Find out more at http://www.research.vcu.edu/research_development/index.htm
Document last updated: 8 Nov 2016
Working with the Office of
RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES The VCU Office Research Development Services takes a comprehensive and proactive approach to assisting faculty in obtaining extramural funding. Our work covers the full range of the grant life cycle, including providing grantsmanship training, identifying funding opportunities, building collaborative teams, supporting proposal development, coordinating across VCU’s grants offices, and building relationships with funding agencies to promote VCU research and programming.
John Ryan, PhD Associate VP for Research Development
Melissa Throckmorton, MPA Coordinator of Research Development Services
Designing Fundable Projects
Enhancing Collaboration
In times of increased competition, reduced budgets, and complex expectations, grant writers must move beyond proposing “good ideas” to be competitive. To assist you, we: • Analyze funding environment & project future trends. • Provide project design coaching.
As many areas of sponsored research move away from a single-investigator model, investigators must find ways to identify, build, and sustain partnerships. To assist you, we: • Maintain collaboration tools. • Help identify internal & external collaborators. • Help convene multi-disciplinary teams.
• Help conceptualize project budgets. • Help develop grant-seeking strategies that align with your research trajectory. • Provide training in grantsmanship.
• Help coordinate large-scale, multidisciplinary proposals. • Support cohorts engaged in intensive, long-range grantsmanship training.
Finding Funding Opportunities
Writing Competitive Proposals
Matching a project to a funder takes skill, creativity, and deep understanding of the sponsor’s priorities. To assist you, we: • Provide training on grant search tools.
Preparing a competitive proposal requires a unique balance of scientific, technical, persuasive, artistic, and communicative skills. To assist you, we: • Provide an extensive, curated suite of research development resources. • Develop proposal writing workplans.
• Disseminate funding opportunities. • Help interpret funder guidelines. • Help assess readiness, responsiveness & eligibility to apply. • Facilitate contact with funding agencies & prepare PIs for sponsor meetings.
• Craft custom content & boilerplate text. • Provide critical feedback on narratives. • Match PIs with expert reviewers. • Interpret reviewers’ comments to craft response strategy.
Contact our office: throckmortms@vcu.edu 827-1443
✓ Contact our office early and
✓ Make a list of gaps in your
✓ Please share reviews from
✓ Review the resources on our
✓ Tell us about the sponsors you
✓ Submit an on-line request for
✓ Consult with your unit’s grants
✓ Tell us about your partners and
✓ Stay in touch.
often.
Tips for Working with Us
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office first.
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previous related submissions. assistance.