OVCRGE 2022-23 Grant Writing Bootcamp for Social Scientists

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE) is offering a Grant Writing Bootcamp for Social Scientists.

The bootcamp provides structured guidance and mentoring for developing an NIH proposal. The bootcamp will kick off with an introductory session—open to all—on Oct. 10, 2022, from 3-4:30 p.m. in room 260 Bascom Hall, that describes the NIH process, mechanisms, and proposal sections; provides general grant-writing tips; and presents an overview of the bootcamp process.

Additional sessions will focus on mentoring participants in crafting an NIH proposal. These will be held from mid November 2022 through May 2023 and will be restricted to participants who plan to submit an NIH proposal by July 2023. Proposals can originate in any discipline but should have a substantive component in the social sciences. The bootcamp will meet approximately twice per month from mid November to early May.

Description: The kick-off session is appropriate for all members of the UW–Madison community who would benefit from information on crafting successful NIH proposals and/or from general grant writing tips. The session will feature a panel of faculty with successful funding records and study section participation at NIH. The ongoing grant writing bootcamp is targeted to faculty and permanent PIs who have a goal of submitting or resubmitting an NIH grant application by June/July 2023.

The ongoing bootcamp is designed to provide participants with information, mentoring, peer feedback, and a structured timeline that will facilitate crafting a strong NIH research proposal. All participants will be expected to submit an external grant application by July 2023.  Proposals submitted by this time will qualify for insurance in the 2023 Fall Research Competition (https://research.wisc.edu/funding/fall-competition/).

The grant writing bootcamp will be led by Professors Lonnie Berger (Social Work; OVCRGE) and Marcy Carlson (Sociology). Additional senior faculty with extensive NIH grant writing and reviewing experience will provide mentorship on writing a successful grant application and will serve as ‘mock’ review panel members.

Eligibility: All members of the UW–Madison community are welcome to attend the kickoff session. To register, complete the cover sheet of the application form by Oct. 6 at: https://vcrge-uwmadison.smapply.io/. Log-in using your UW–Madison NetID and password. Select the “OVCRGE Grant Writing Bootcamp for Social Scientists” program title. Click “Apply” to start a new application. Applicants for the ongoing bootcamp must be committed to submitting an NIH grant proposal by July 2023.

Selection Process: Applications for the ongoing bootcamp will be reviewed by a group of senior faculty members to determine readiness to prepare an NIH grant proposal. There are a limited number of spots in the bootcamp each year.

To apply for the ongoing bootcamp: Return to your application and upload the following application materials in the form of a single pdf at https://vcrge-uwmadison.smapply.io/  by Oct. 24:

• A one-page specific aims section in NIH format.
• A current CV.
• Names and contact information for two senior UW–Madison faculty who have relevant substantive or methodological expertise and are willing to serve as mentors to you in developing your grant proposal.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application by Nov. 7, 2022.

If you have any questions, please contact Lonnie Berger, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, at lmberger@wisc.edu.  Technical questions may be sent to competitions@research.wisc.edu .