NIH On-Demand Webinars

On-demand Webinars: Planning and Writing Successful NIH Grant Proposals

Research Development Services (RDS) is pleased to partner with the AtKisson Training Group to bring a series of six sessions, comprised of 18 parts, on-demand webinars for University of Arizona faculty and research scientists interested in pursuing National Institutes of Health proposals. Your All Access Pass is available here (you will need your @Arizona.edu email address to register). This pass is available through March 31, 2025.
 
As a reminder, while this webinar series is designed to provide an overview of tips, tricks, and best practices, always defer to the NIH SF424 Application Guide (currently Version H) for submission. Questions: contact us at ResDev@arizona.edu

SESSION ONE

• Part One: Early Stages of Proposal Development (33 minutes) - What to consider before you begin to write your proposal. Understanding the NIH process. Talking with your Program Officer.
• Part Two: Assessing Readiness and Choosing a Grant Mechanism (37 minutes) - Do you have all the components (Idea, Skills, Data, Environment, Productivity) for a successful proposal? Choosing a successful grant mechanism.
• Part Three: The Timeline (16 minutes) - The ideal timeline for planning, writing, and assembling your grant proposal. A look at the challenges.

SESSION TWO

• Part Four: Importance of the Specific Aims Page (45 minutes) - This segment summarizes the importance of developing, outlining, and writing your Specific Aims page.
• Part Five: Specific Aims Page Example #1 (17 minutes) - This example outlines how to write the Aims and Hypothesis using an animal model.
• Part Six: Specific Aims Page Example #2 (9 minutes) - This example outlines developing an intervention-style method using a hybrid proposal, how procedures cluster under aims, and addressing clinically-related questions.

SESSION THREE

• Part Seven: Significance and Rigor of the Prior Work (18 minutes) - Understanding this section of your application. Highlighting the importance of the problem and how the prior research supports your proposal.
• Part Eight: Innovation (10 minutes) - Demystifying the “innovation” criteria for NIH applications and review.
• Part Nine: Approach (45 minutes) - A deep dive into the strategy and organization of the most important component of your application.

SESSION FOUR

• Part Ten: Title, Abstract, and Administrative Components (14 minutes) - A closer look at these critical components of your proposal submission packet.
• Part Eleven: Biographical Sketches (25 minutes) - Evidence of the strength of your research team. Understanding the common errors and how to optimize your personal statement, your contribution to science, and your research support. *Updated based on this NIH notice, for proposals submitted after May 5, 2021.
• Part Twelve: Budgets and Justifications (13 minutes) - Thinking through what resources you need to do the work of your grant, and ensuring the scope of your proposal is appropriate for the funding. Modular versus non-modular. Justifying personnel (and everything else).
• Part Thirteen: Facilities and Other Resources (21 minutes) - Facilities and Other Resources / Authentication of Key Biological Resources / Vertebrate Animals and Human Subjects - understand how these administrative components can enhance the quality of your submission.

SESSION FIVE

• Part Fourteen: Resubmissions (50 minutes) - How to decide, and what to do.

SESSION SIX

• Part Fifteen: Transitions and Renewals (28 minutes) - Renewing R01's and K-to-R Transitions. Planning for your continued research funding stream.
• Part Sixteen: Writing the Progress Report (8 minutes) - How to use the progress report to shape the narrative for your future resubmissions. Different ways to organize your report.
• Part Seventeen: What's New in Competing Continuations? (10 minutes) - How Significance and Innovation play out in Type 2 proposals. Avoid your research being seen as “incremental steps”. How to “step up” your research.
• Part Eighteen: The K-to-R Transition (17 minutes) - Designing your K to maximize publications (2 papers per year). Importance of collaboration! When do you plan to submit your R01? Planning your career trajectory.