1. Grant Preparation Workshop: Stage 1 Understanding NIH Submissions
Presenters:
Kate Petcosky-Kulkarni, Office of Proposal Development
Renna Lilly, Office of Sponsored Programs
Carter Cornwall, Study Section Reviewer

2. Office of Proposal Development (OPD)
Goals:
To support investigators by focusing on the administrative components of grants prior to submission
To permit investigators to focus time and energy on the scientific components of proposals
Alleviate the administrative burden of pre-award support from departmental administrators
To permit all BUSM faculty to readily respond to complex, interdisciplinary grant applications

3. OPD Services: Planning stages
Contact sponsors:
obtain background information
confirm eligibility criteria
clarify guidelines/policies to ensure proposals are administratively compliant and address programmatic priorities described in funding announcement
Meet with PI(s) early:
discuss application
create task list
Initiate subcontracts
plan timeline to complete application to meet OSP and sponsor deadlines

4. OPD Services: Proposal Development and Review
Complete all administrative components including:
Budgets
Application packages
Internal BU proposal summary sheet
Track proposal tasks, including those assigned to collaborators at other institutions, to ensure timely completion
Review the final proposal to verify that all components are complete, have been formatted correctly, and adhere to sponsor guidelines
Submit complete and final application to BU OSP for final review, approval, and submission

5. OPD Services: Post OPD and award management
If awarded, management of grant is handled by the departmental administrators
we work closely with PIs and departmental administrators at the time of application to be sure salaries are correct and budgets are appropriate from the departmental standpoint.
We keep a thorough database of all applications to:
provide metrics of the office activities
provide departments reports of their applications for planning purposes

6. Grant Writing Pilot Program
Pilot project led by Dr. Elaine Lee
Coach investigators (non-Native English speakers & new investigators) in developing strong and compelling scientific narratives
Stage 2 Workshop will incorporate editing and writing session before and action “study section” critique in April
Focusing on NIH proposals:
New submissions
Responding to reviewer comments for resubmissions
Formal course work in grant writing currently in development with GMS

7. OPD: Measures of Success
Primary goal: provide excellent pre-award support to faculty in BUSM who submit grants through BU-OSP
Faculty should find the process of submitting a grant “easy”
time freed up to focus on the science
have needed administrative support for complex, interdisciplinary proposals
Offer templates for standard proposal sections
Facilities/resources, data sharing, multi-PI leadership plans, etc.
Grants submitted to BU-OSP should be correct, complete, and compliant so that OSP-RAs are not spending unnecessary time and effort reviewing incomplete or incorrect applications before submission
Increases likelihood of an “on-time” submission
With these factors addressed, this will hopefully lead to higher success rates for proposals submitted.

8. BUSM Departments, Sections and Centers Currently Supported by OPD
Anatomy & Neurobiology
Rheumatology/Arthritis Center
Biochemistry
Biomedical Genetics
Cancer Center
Computational Biomedicine
CReM
Dermatology
Endocrinology
Framingham Heart Study
Graduate Medical Sciences
Microbiology
NEIDL
Neurology
Ophthalmology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology & Biophysics
Preventive Medicine
Psychiatry
Pulmonary Center
Surgery
Vascular Biology VA

10. Tips to keep in mind when planning a submission
1. You are not alone-putting together a grant is a team effort
PI: working/editing science, finalizing details with collaborators
Dept Admin and/or OPD: developing budget, completing admin sections, completing/routing internal documents, uploading pieces into application, routing to OSP
OSP: conducts final review and submission of application*
*all applications for external funding need to be approved by OSP prior to submission
2. Plan ahead- New OSP submission policy
Do you have a subcontract? Consultants? Collaborators? Additional paperwork is required from them which takes time
3. Discuss your project with your Dept. chief/chair - They need to approve it before OSP can submit, especially if there is a proposed cost-share, require additional space….etc
4. Discuss your application with colleagues- They can be great resource for boiler plate information (resources, equipment, data sharing…etc) and help critique your science

11. Important Questions
Which submission method- Adobe or ASSIST?
How many years of funding?
Modular or detailed budget?
Subcontracts?
Multiple Principle Investigators?
eRA commons
Account w/PI designation?

12. Administrative Components
Cover letter and/or PHS Assignment Request Form
Budget & Justification
Biosketches
Facilities & Resources
Equipment
Narrative
Letters of Support
Consortium Agreements
Current/Pending Support (K Grants)
Letters of References (K & F Grants)
Vertebrate Animals or Human Subjects Attachments
Multiple PI Plan
Resource Sharing Plan
Authentication of Key Biological and/or Chemical Resources
Appendix

13. OPD: Contact information
Office: 72 E. Concord St., R703 Director: Kate Petcosky-Kulkarni, MA Grant Writer: Elaine Lee, Ph.D Manager: Chelsea Rathbun Associates: Julia Huntsman Katie Stocking Amanda Tan