The grant writing process involves several key steps: 1) Developing a research idea and identifying potential funding sources that align with the project scope. 2) Thoroughly researching the funding organization and literature related to the research topic. 3) Crafting the technical portion of the proposal, including hypotheses, research plans, and measures for tracking success. 4) Carefully following all formatting and submission guidelines specified in the funding announcement.

1. Submitted by,
Reshma S Suresh

2.  The grant writing process
 A grant proposal or application is a document or set of documents that is submitted to
an organization with the explicit intent of securing funding for a research project(1)
 Grant writing is a job requirement for research scientists who need to fund projects
year after year (2)
10/24/2023
1. Grant Proposals (or Give me the money!) – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill (unc.edu)
2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03914-5
2

3. CHECKLIST
 What is the problem to be addressed? – Define the question
 Is the question unanswered? – Literature research
 Formulate hypothesis
 Choose appropriate study design
 Identify team and collaborators
 Determine environmental and financial needs
 Write study protocol
10/24/2023
Zlowodzki, M., Jönsson, A., Kregor, P. J., & Bhandari, M. (2007). How to write a grant
proposal. Indian journal of orthopaedics, 41(1), 23–26. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5413.30521 3

4. How many study
subjects you need
How much money
you need
Who your
collaborators will be
10/24/2023 4

5. 10/24/2023 5

6. Your
idea
Find a
match
Research
the funder
and topic
Writing the
technical
portion
Read the
call for
proposals
again and
again
Send and
forget
10/24/2023
https://scientific-publishing.webshop.elsevier.com/research-process/writing-successful-grant-
application-step-by-step/ 6

7. STEP 1: YOUR IDEA
 Why is your project interesting, and who might care about it? Who will benefit if you
successfully complete the project? Is your idea novel in the field, and why are you the
best person to complete the project? Are you being realistic in what you claim you can
achieve?
 These are all questions that will drive the success of your grant proposal.
 Unless each of these questions is tackled well, it’s not likely that your proposal will be
accepted.
 Funding organizations want to fund projects that fit these criteria.
10/24/2023 7

8. STEP 2 : FIND A MATCH
 Now that you’ve generated an interesting idea, take time to find out who funds similar
projects.
 Different funding agencies focus on different projects.
 For example, if you’re studying the effect of climate change on a certain animal
population, in addition to the obvious sources who are interested in climate study,
consider also climate ethics.
 At the same time, cast a wide net. There might be a variety of organizations that are
interested in your research topic.
10/24/2023 8

9. STEP 3: RESEARCH THE FUNDER AND TOPIC
 Every agent has its own style and process.
 Conduct a thorough literature search, which can later save you weeks of writing for
the actual project.
 Assume the selection committee knows nothing about you or your work, and that they
do know about others in your field who are researching what you’re researching.
 At the same time, don’t assume that the panel consists of experts in your field. So,
make sure you put your work into the context of current events and what the general
public would understand.
10/24/2023 9

10. STEP 4 : WRITING THE TECHNICAL PORTION
 What is your hypothesis and what problem are you hoping to address? Why hasn’t
this problem been solved already? Why do you think you’re the one that will succeed?
What is your plan, including key milestones? How will you track and measure your
success?
 Writing this portion of the grant can take a significant amount of time, as we’ve
discussed already.
 So, it’s important to budget enough time for this portion of the grant writing process.
10/24/2023 10

11. STEP 5: READ THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS AGAIN….AND AGAIN
 Calls for grant proposals are usually very specific about formats and what is required.
 Scan the document again for anything related to what must be included, and
guidelines to adhere to.
 Make sure your budget is realistic and complete, and in the format requested.
 If you need external letters of recommendation, make sure you’re giving people
enough time to respond and get them to you.
10/24/2023 11

12. STEP 6: SEND AND “FORGET”
 Prior to uploading files, and making sure everything can be opened and is free of
errors, double-check everything.
 During submission periods, agencies may be very busy, so you may not hear from the
review panel for some time.
 Often an agency will send detailed reviews of your application and invite you to
resubmit your proposal.
 Take advantage of these opportunities, and use their review to make appropriate
changes.
10/24/2023 12

13.  Be realistic and focused about your time.
 Keep it simple when it comes to style and formatting. Don’t use a font smaller than 11-
point. Margins smaller than 1” are generally not viewed well.
 Remember to avoid a “passive voice” when describing your project.
 Recycle, to a point. Everybody reuses parts of older grants, just make sure you’re not
including things that were specific to the former grant proposal. This will make your
proposal stand out, but not in a good way.
10/24/2023 13

14.  Budget wisely. Be conservative and realistic when it comes to your budget. Research
the average size of an award to get a good idea of what the program manager will be
awarding.
 Grant reviewers have seen it all. Don’t submit something that they’ve seen before.
Explain anything that might be unusual, too.
 If you’re asked to revise something, invest the time and work needed for that revision.
The reviewer will do the same for you.
10/24/2023 14

15. 10/24/2023 15