DEVELOPING, WRITING AND SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION
Grant and Contract Writing Strategies
General Resources on Writing Grant
UNTHSC Grant Writing Resources
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The Office of Extramural Health (OEH) at The National Institutes of Health (NIH) publishes a comprehensive glossary of research and funding based terms.
What is a Grant?
Grants provide assistance to an investigator or a group of investigators to conduct an approved project or activity by supplying money, property, or both. The day to day operations of the grant generally fall under the control of the principal investigator. Equipment purchased under the grant remains with the grantee while any intellectual property developed during the course of the grant is owned by the grantee institution. Questions regarding grant preparation, submission and management should be forwarded to the UNTHSC Office of Grants and Contract Management in the Center for Research Management. Questions regarding intellectual property should be forwarded to the UNTHSC Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization.What is a Contract?
A contract is an award mechanism establishing a binding legal relationship between a sponsor and a recipient. The contract clearly defines the deliverables or products that a sponsor obligates the recipient to provide in a specified time frame for a specified financial amount. Questions regarding contract preparation, submission and management should be forwarded to the UNTHSC Office of Grants and Contract Management in the Center for Research Management.What is a Clinical Trial?
A clinical trial is biomedical or behavioral research study of human subjects on a specific disease state, treatment, device, pharmaceutical or other intervention. Clinical trials are required for licensure of a product to the public. All studies involving humans must be approved by the UNTHSC Institutional Review Board (IRB). The UNTHSC Office of Clinical Trials can provide information on current and future clinical trials being conducted at the UNTHSC and oversees clinical trials negotiations.What is Sponsored Research?
Sponsored research is investigator initiated research supported by industry. Questions regarding grant preparation, submission and management should be forwarded to the UNTHSC Office of Grants and Contract Management in the Center for Research Management Questions regarding intellectual property should be forwarded to the UNTHSC Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization.What is consulting?
Consulting is when an individual provides professional advice or services to a company, individual or organization on the basis of a written agreement for a fee. All research consulting agreements must meet the UNTHSC policy and should be routed through UNTHSC Center for Research Management.
The RePORTER provides information on recent NIH awards and can be searched by principal investigator, subject and agency. Abstracts of current NIH grants can be obtained using The RePORTER.
Grant and Contract Writing Strategies
There are several elements to a strong grant application. The subject must be interesting, innovative and, worthy of funding. Projects must be well focused with an experimental design that supports the proposed hypothesis. Key to a successful application is the presentation of all information in a clear and concise fashion that follows the application guidelines.
The following resources provide excellent information on various aspects of grant development and submission:
- NIH Tips on Writing Grants:
Many of the NIH agencies provide grant writing tips on their individual websites- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID):
All about grants- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS):
How to write a grant application- National Cancer Institute (NCI):
Quick guide to grant applications- National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI):
Applying for a NHGRI grant through NIH- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM):
Quick guide for the preparation of grant application- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK):
Writing grants- Demystifying the NIH Grant Application Process KM Berg, TM Gill, AF Brown,
J Zerzan, JG Elmore, and IB Wilson; J. Gen Intern Med 221(11)1157-95 2007
General Resources on Writing Grants
The Foundation Center Proposal Writing Short Course
Special Feature: Grant Writing for Tight Times: Science July 27 2007
How Not to Kill a Grant Application: Science January 2, 2000
External Grants and Contract forms and Templates
are available through the UNTHSC Office of Grants and Contract Management
- NIH Modular Process
- NIH Forms Page
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Grant Forms)
UNTHSC Grant Writing Resources:
UNTHSC Training Courses
The UNTHSC Center for Research Management sponsors a series of courses on various aspects of grant preparation.Assigned Grant Specialists
All UNTHSC faculty members have an assigned grant specialist that can answer specific grant related questions.UNTHSC Internal Pre-Review of Applications
The UNTHSC Center for Research Management sponsors a Pre Submission Review Program for principal investigators interested in having their applications critiqued by funded UNTHSC faculty members before submission.UNTHSC Faculty Research Interests can be identified by faculty name or area of expertise
UNTHSC Fact Sheet contains key contact information for application submission.
UNTHSC Pre-award Grant Procedures should be reviewed before submitting a grant.
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UNTHSC Institutional Forms
Internal UNTHSC Grants and Contract Forms and Templates
Conflict of Interest PDF Version
External Proposal Transmittal Form (PDF) Word Version
External Proposal Instructions Document (PDF) Word Version
UNTHSC Grant/Contract Institutional Policies
The UNTHSC Center for Research Management is responsible for setting institutional policy pertaining to grants and contracts.
UNTHSC Clinical Trials:
For Information on clinical trials being conducted at UNTHSC please contact the Office of Clinical Trials.
This page last updated May 15, 2012
