Proposal Development Support

OVCRI Proposal Development Unit

OVCRI Proposal Development Unit:  The unit offers specialized proposal development assistance for proposals led by early career faculty members as well as multi-investigator proposals that are large, complex, or otherwise strategic to the institution.

Customized assistance may include:

Solicitation analysis 

  • Create master list of required content based on solicitation
  • Develop preliminary outline for technical narrative content
  • Track updates to solicitation and FAQs

Project management of the proposal process

  • Create and maintain proposal development timeline
  • Assist with assignment and tracking of team member content responsibilities
  • Facilitate early communication with OSP pre-award staff about potentially complex issues
  • Assist with content collection and document version control

Narrative development support

  •  Advise team members regarding rhetorical strategy
  • Help maintain consistency between various pieces of content as details shift
  • Provide close editing of narratives and basic formatting assistance 

Request a proposal developer
Proposal Development Assistance
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External Funding Process Flowchart and Checklist

Research Proposal Review and Mentoring (RPRM) Program

The RPRM program was established in early 2022 with the goal of enhancing S&T’s research success via major strategic proposals, expanded mentoring opportunities, and enhanced proposal review processes.  Panelists are formally appointed for two-year terms and are tasked with the efforts listed below.  To access RPRM program assistance, please contact Maria Shaub at shauba@mst.edu.

Strategic Proposal Review

Strategic Proposal Review:  Strategic proposals may be large-scale, multi-institution, early career, instrumentation, or others.  Panelists participate in red team reviews of these strategic proposals, evaluating scientific merit, persuasiveness, and responsiveness to evaluation criteria. 

Kummer Ignition Grant Research Proposal Review

Kummer Ignition Grant (IGI) Research Proposal Review:  Twice each year, the RPRM panelists assist the VCRI and OVCRI staff to select IGI awardees.

Limited Submissions Internal Review

Limited Submissions Internal Review:  As needed, RPRM panelists review and rank proposed projects for limited submission opportunities and provide feedback that is shared anonymously once selections are announced. 

Mentoring of Early Career Faculty (ECF) Members

Mentoring of Early Career Faculty (ECF) Members:  RPRM panelists are each assigned one or two junior faculty members and review draft proposal components on a recurring basis, providing constructive feedback.  They act as scientific advisors and provide input to enhance early career success.  They also introduce an understanding of and respect for the services provided via the OVCRI and OSP offices, explaining the necessity of timelines and processes.

NIH Proposal Mentoring Program

The purpose of this program is to support faculty members’ endeavor in pursuing research grants. A proposal  review panel with experienced NIH grantees has been assembled. Current panelists are professors Nuran Ercal (chemistry), Hu Yang (ChemE), Pericles Stavropoulous (chemistry), Chang-Soo Kim (electrical engineering), and Yue-Wern Huang (biological science). The panel has proposed a few activities. Although the program focuses on NIH, the panel would also provide assistance for health or biomedically related proposals to agencies such as NIOSH, DoD, and Health Effect Institute.

If you are interested in having your unfunded proposals diagnosed by the panel or if you plan to submit your proposals to NIH, please contact Professor Yue-Wern Huang at huangy@mst.edu or 573-341-6589. For unfunded proposals, please include the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) number (e.g., PAR-20-310) and Summary Statement.