1. Seeking External Funding at UNC Charlotte
Lesley Brown
Director of Proposal Development
Research and Economic Development
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
8/27/2019

2. Developing a Strategic Plan for Funding Your Research*
*Lucy Deckard, Academic Research Funding Strategies, LLC
Develop your research agenda
Develop your education agenda
Determine expectations from your department
Find research grant mentors
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3. Developing a Strategic Plan for Funding Your Research
Find out which sponsors are likely to fund your research
Develop a process for identifying funding opportunities
Identify research development resources at your institution
8/27/2019

4. Research Development Resources at UNC Charlotte
Office of Proposal Development
Lesley Brown ( or long-range funding plans; strategic proposal design; identify collaborators
Susan Robinson ( or funding information
Joy McAuley ( or editorial assistance

5. Developing a Strategic Plan for Funding Your Research
Determine what you must do to be competitive
Identify potential collaborators if appropriate
Schedule your proposal writing
Plan to be declined
8/27/2019

6. New Faculty Guide to Competing for Research Funding by Mike Cronan and Lucy Deckard
New Faculty Guide to Competing for Research Funding: What all new faculty need to know about finding funding and writing research proposals,  provides an invaluable tool to help new faculty get started, or as a resource for research offices developing grantwriting workshops to help new faculty write more competitive proposals.  This 81-page book addresses the key competitive strategies and grant writing skills new faculty need to master for funding success at federal agencies and foundations
8/27/2019

7. OPD Canvas Site
The Office of Proposal Development Canvas Site has a copy of the New Faculty Guide to Competing for Research Funding available for you use
The site is set up for self-enrollment, but if you have problems accessing it, call or Lesley.
8/27/2019

8. Developing Long-Term Funding Plans
Know the major sponsors in your field
Develop a timeline to tenure (and beyond) and know how grant-writing fits into that timeline

9. Grant Support at UNC Charlotte
Research and Economic Development
College-Based Research Offices
8/27/2019

10. Grant Support at UNC Charlotte
Research and Economic Development
Office of Proposal Development
Office of Research Services and Outreach
Office of Research Compliance
Office of Technology Transfer
Office of Grants and Contracts Administration
Charlotte Research Institute
8/27/2019

11. Office of Proposal Development Support for Single Investigators
Developing research agendas
Locating funding
Identifying collaborators
Defining a competitive research/proposal strategy
Editing and formatting proposals
8/27/2019

12. Office of Proposal Development Support for Large-Scale Proposals
Designing proposal strategy
Facilitating project team meetings and communication
Managing the proposal schedule
Identifying faculty expertise and resources
Editing and formatting proposals
8/27/2019

13. Office of Proposal Development Support for Large-Scale Proposals
Preparing the budget and budget justification
Negotiating cost sharing agreements
Collect and format CVs, current and pending support forms
Draft letters of support/commitment
8/27/2019

14. Office of Research Services and Outreach
Provides institutional approval for extramural proposals
Reports on grant activity to the UNC Office of the President
Provides training to departmental administrators
Maintains NORM (online proposal and award management system)
8/27/2019

15. Office of Research Services and Outreach
Services for faculty
Agency guideline review and interpretation
Budget development
Proposal submission (electronic and mail)
8/27/2019

16. Office of Research Compliance
Oversight of human subjects in research (IRB)
Oversight of animal use in research and teaching (IACUC)
Oversight of institutional biosafety (IBC)
Export control
Research ethics
8/27/2019

17. Office of Technology Transfer
Industrial relations
Strategic partnerships
Intellectual property (IP) development, management, and commercialization
Economic development
University spinouts
8/27/2019

18. Grants and Contracts Administration
Post-award support, including:
Contract review and negotiation
Financial monitoring and reporting of sponsored research
Following the guidelines of grants and contracts
Account maintenance of grants and contracts
Periodic billings and reports and collecting past due bills
Monitoring final technical and invention reporting
8/27/2019

19. Charlotte Research Institute
Portal for business-university and government-university partnerships at UNC Charlotte
Funding is available to faculty for seed grants, symposia and special projects
Targeted Research Internal Seed Program (TRISP)
targeted-research-internal-seed-program- trisp
8/27/2019

20. Grant Support at UNC Charlotte
College-based Research Offices
Liberal Arts and Sciences: Peter Szanton, Director of Sponsored Research
Health and Human Services: Vikki Cherwon, Pre- Award Administrator
Education: Denise Bradley-Fluellen, Director of Research Development and Management
Engineering: Shanda Wirt, Director, Contracts and Grants
Computing and Informatics: Vacant, Research Officer
Other colleges work with Stafford Farmer and Ellen Zavala in ORSO
8/27/2019

21. Who Submits My Proposal?
The College-Based Research Offices in the Colleges of Engineering and Liberal Arts and Sciences submit single-college proposals directly to agency
Faculty in all other colleges submit proposals through the Office of Research Services and Outreach (ORSO)
8/27/2019

22. Who Do I Contact First?
The college offices and the central offices work seamlessly together
If you have a college-based research office, start there
Office of Research Services and Outreach:
Office of Proposal Development:
8/27/2019

23. Proposal Routing and Approval
Proposal routing is handled by filling out Internal Processing Forms or IPFs
NORM (Niner Online Research Management)
Online proposal and award information system
Tools needed to manage submission of proposals and closeout of funded projects
8/27/2019

24. Proposal Routing and Approval
NORM
Use your Novell user name and password
See FAQ and “Help with IPF Questions” for help
Or contact your College-Based Research Office or the Office of Research Services and Outreach
8/27/2019

25. Proposal Routing and Approval
Proposals must be approved by the following
All PIs and Co-PIs
Department Chairs
Deans
Center Directors
Head of any unit providing matching funds
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26. Finding A Fundable Idea
Unless you have something truly original to say about them, you should avoid topics typically considered to be “of central interest to the discipline.”*
*“The Art of Writing Proposals” ―The Social Science Research Council

27. Finding A Fundable Idea
Read literature/journals in your field
Serve as a reviewer for major journals in your field
Serve on proposal review committees
Read winning proposal abstracts
Network with colleagues
8/27/2019

28. Finding A Fundable Idea
Pick a topic within your expertise that has the potential to make a regional or national impact
Show how you will contribute to the field by extending work that has already been done or combining existing approaches to a problem
8/27/2019

29. What Reviewers Look For
Work that is important and that addresses a compelling need
A well-designed project that fills a gap in the field
A project that can be completed within the timeframe specified and with the funds requested
An investigator who is competent to carry out the research
8/27/2019

30. Make the Right Match

31. What Motivates Sponsors?
Some sponsors want to solve problems
Some sponsors want to make life better for groups and communities
Some sponsors want to add to knowledge
Your job is to match your project and capabilities to what the sponsor wants to achieve

32. Understanding Sponsors
Every funding agency has its own agenda:
NSF funds basic research
NIH funds research with broad, health-related outcomes
DOD funds basic and applied research
Federal agencies fund work that has national significance
8/27/2019

33. Understanding Sponsors
National foundations fund work that addresses national or international problems
Regional foundations and state agencies fund work that addresses regional, state and local problems
An agency’s agenda can be determined by examining its website and printed materials and by talking to program officers
8/27/2019

34. Locating Funding Sources
The Office of Proposal Development website has links to online databases and state and federal agency websites
Susan Robinson can do a custom funding search for you
Contact Susan at or ext
8/27/2019

35. Online Databases COS Pivot Funding Opportunities Database Formerly COS
International database of faculty expertise and funding opportunities
Claim your profile in COS to receive weekly updates on funding in your field
Or go to pivot.cos.com
Susan Robinson for instructions
8/27/2019

36. Online Databases Foundation Center
Provides information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects
Can be found on the Atkins Library website
8/27/2019

37. Grants.gov “One-stop-shopping” for Federal grants
Find and apply for grant opportunities from all Federal agencies
Register to receive notifications of grant opportunities
Over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies
8/27/2019

38. Contacting a Potential Sponsor
Introduce yourself and outline your background/expertise
Give a brief synopsis of the project and ask if it falls within the agency’s funding priorities
If it does not, ask for other agencies that might be interested
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39. Contacting A Potential Sponsor
If your project fall within the agency’s priorities
Are there aspects of the project that should be emphasized?
Are there unallowable costs?
Will a program officer review a preliminary draft?
Who will review the proposal?
When is the next deadline?
8/27/2019

40. Getting Started Identify grant programs for new faculty in your field
Team with a more established collaborator to build a track record

41. Leveraging Internal Resources
Use UNC Charlotte Faculty Research Grant ($8,000) as seed funding for larger projects
Pick a topic for your FRG proposal that will lead to a larger project that can be funded externally

42. Grant-Writing Basics
Workshop series to help you learn the basics of developing a competitive grant proposal
2 sessions in October/November:
Writing a Competitive Proposal: October 18, 11:30-12:45, Student Union room 265
Budgeting Basics: November 1, 11:30-12:45, Student Union room 265
8/27/2019