Pre-Award Certificate

Must take both.

Proposal Development and Management Process

(half-day)
When research administrators in pre-award offices help new investigators learn how to apply for grant funding and more experienced investigators update their grant skills and knowledge, they must be able to assist investigators to understand the different types of proposals and how to write each effectively; how to read and interpret proposal guidelines; how to plan the proposal, involving timelines, partners; what proposal parts or sections are expected, how to address them, and the need to relate the various sections to each other.  In addition, this workshop will focus on sections of the proposal: goals and objectives, problem/need statement, methodology/project description, evaluation, and abstract.  It will also include incorporating timelines and budget justifications; using charts and tables to explain complicated data and save space; instruction on clear and effective writing; editing for formatting, grammar, and content; and tips on proposal writing style to make proposals more fundable.

Proposal Budgeting Fundamentals

(half-day)
This workshop will serve as a primer for budgeting fundamentals across the spectrum of grant applications and proposals. It will address concepts of comprehensive budgeting construction as well as afford practical advice for identifying budget components and how to assemble them. The application and calculation of Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs will be reviewed, as well as advanced topics such as per-patient costs, cost sharing, salary caps, subcontracts, participant support costs, fabrication costs, and consultants. Participants are expected to bring examples of complex budgeting frameworks (transfers, industry, and corporate sponsors) and will engage in a budget development exercise.  

Must take four.

eRA Tools and Systems

This topic covers an overview of electronic research administration (eRA) systems that assist in locating and submitting funding. Funding development tools such as Research.gov, Grants.gov, National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePorter, Foundationcenter.org, etc. will be discussed. Common electronic submission systems such as Grants.gov and NSF Research.gov will be overviewed in some detail with additional discussion of other systems such as Proposal Central, NSPRIES, e-Grants, etc. A historical overview of eRA may be provided, and system-to-system interfaces will be touched on. Integration of sponsor guidance, representations, and certification for compliance will be outlined. Strategies for successful submissions will be covered, along with tips for integration with institutional systems for IRB and clinical research management.

Finding Funding Opportunities 

This topic area demystifies the identification of funding opportunities and team matching. An overview of various types of electronic search directories, engines, services and databases such as PIVOT and GrantForward will be provided. Key considerations include application due date, funding limitation, eligibility and other restrictions. Additionally, search strategies using a wide range of funding programs, sources and opportunities applicable to specialty are provided. Participants will also review email alert services, the use of social media, artificial intelligence (AI) tools to streamline funding development, and dissemination of funding trends and opportunities in a global context. Tracking funding trends utilizing agency funding databases, new award reporting and forecasting via research.gov are also outlined. Personalized approaches to funding development, including professional meetings to facilitate connection with program officers and interaction with peers, will be discussed.

Pre-Award Preparation for Post-Award Success

Winning and sustaining sponsored funding requires intentional preparation by both investigators and research administrators across the full proposal lifecycle. This topic focuses on building investigator capacity through education, mentoring, and strategic engagement with funding agencies, while emphasizing the institutional structures necessary for successful award management. 

Participants will explore effective approaches to mentoring new, inexperienced or inactive investigators. Tips on designing and delivering impactful faculty workshops and establishing individualized and strategic funding plans will be discussed. Identifying best practices for communicating strategies for productive engagement with agency program officers are covered, as well as a clear understanding of the sponsor review process. 
In addition, the topic connects pre-award planning to post-award success by highlighting practical frameworks and resources to guide investigators through proposal development while ensuring alignment with institutional policies and sponsor requirements. Integration of budget development validation processes with post-award research management systems will be outlined. 

Award Review and Acceptance

The pre-award office has oversight of various issues that arise after proposal submission that leads to acceptance of the award. The pre-award grant and contracting process addresses publication restrictions, intellectual property, indemnification, and facilities and administrative costs questions. In addition, special situations such as international agreements and just-in-time (JIT) requirements are covered. Forecasting potential contract amendments and industry sponsor protocol changes that impact scope of work (SOW) will be reviewed. This subject area identifies complex agreements and clauses, how to determine what to accept, what to reject, and other award and acceptance terms and conditions. 

Must take one.

Electives vary from meeting to meeting.