Proposal Development within the College of Science

Prior to Proposal Writing

CoS PD team member, Elizabeth Christensen can provide the following services:

Search for potential funding opportunities

Meeting with PI and/or research group to discuss project ideas, field of study, potential ideas for funding

• Approximate turnaround time: 3-5 business days*

Discuss plans for proposal resubmission

Assessment of proposal reviewer comments

• Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days*

Preparing to contact a Program Officer/Manager

Assistance preparing a one-page white paper/summary to send to a PO to assess programmatic relevance of your proposed idea – a critical first step!

• Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days*

Strategy for developing a proposal narrative from scratch

This process will begin with a one-on-one consultation with Elizabeth and involve the development of a one-page outline to ease the writing process, following these guidelines:

• 1-3 sentences summarizing the goal of proposal
• Bullet points of major objectives of the proposal
• The format for this one-page outline is as follows:
  • 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial)
  • 1” margins on all sides
  • Single-spaced
• The full proposal will be developed and reviewed for clarity, responsiveness to RFP, and strength in tone
  • Allow 60 days prior to a proposal deadline. Exceptions will be considered for RFPs issued with shorter turnaround times.

Early in the Proposal Development Process

CoS PD team member, Elizabeth Christensen or Hollie Richards can provide the following services:

Assistance with Kuali

To save time and effort, we prefer to start the proposal in the Kuali system and collect the necessary components for review

• Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days*

Budget development

A budget will be developed following discussions with PI regarding anticipated project needs

• Note: Before working to develop a proposal requiring cost-share or matching, the PI will need to provide evidence that these commitments have been made by the appropriate parties.
  • Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days*

Prior to Proposal Writing

CoS PD team member, Elizabeth Christensen can provide the following services:

Editing non-Narrative text (e.g., biosketch, budget justification, facilities, etc.)

Review of text for grammatical and typographical errors, as well as compliance with the sponsor’s guidelines

• Required templates for NSF, NIH, and USDA
• Note:assistance with Data Management Plans (DMPs) should be directed to Betty Rozum, the on-campus DMP expert, in the USU library: betty.rozum@usu.edu
  • Anticipated timeline: appoximately 2-3 business days*

Note: All files must contain editable text (no PDFs). If using LaTex, Elizabeth will print out a hard copy and provide handwritten edits.

Editing existing Project Narrative text

We can provide up to two rounds of editing of the Project Narrative for a standard, single PI proposal (more complex proposals may warrant additional iterations).

• Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days*

Note: All files must contain editable text (no PDFs). If using LaTex, Elizabeth will print out a hard copy and provide handwritten edits.

Coordination with collaborators

Whether USU is the lead institution or a non-lead institution, we can assist with the coordination and organization of proposal materials with your collaborators

• Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days, if all documents are complete*

Proposal assembly

Assembling the entire application package to be submitted to the sponsor

• Including uploading of documents to sponsor portal (e.g., FastLane, ASSIST, etc.)
  • For NSF, assign your proposal a PIN in FastLane
  • Anticipated timeline: approximately 2-3 business days, if all documents are complete*

How to get started:

First, complete the short web form. This form will provide the CoS PD team with pertinent information about your project and level(s) of service requested. Next, Elizabeth and/or Hollie will follow up within 24 hours of the request to discuss the next steps going forward.

We look forward to working with you!

Note: All documents will be shared via USU Box.