Thursday, September 22, 2022 – CHIPTS hosted a career-development webinar entitled, “Proposal Basics: Preparing Applications for Research Funding” featuring Laura Sheehan, Manager of Research Administration for the Department of Family Medicine in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Ms. Sheehan discussed funding opportunities, the fundamentals of preparing a proposal (including creating a budget), and the lifespan of a research project from inception to close-out.
Ms. Sheehan was joined by over 80 graduate students, post-doctoral students, early/mid-career investigators from academic institutions, and others interested in learning about research proposal development. She began by providing a basic overview of the research funding process, including identifying appropriate funding opportunities, exploring different kinds of sponsors, and understanding typical proposal components. The majority of her presentation focused on essential considerations when preparing a research proposal, including tailoring research plans to specific opportunities, creating a budget, organizing your team, building a timeline for submission, and how to avoid common mistakes. She left participants with words of encouragement to “just keep swimming” if a proposal is unsuccessful – if you find the right funding mechanism, follow the guidelines closely, and write a compelling narrative, your research will get funded.
View the recorded webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHOxvFvJ_8
Download the webinar slide set here: Proposal Basics: Preparing Applications for Research Funding - Slides
Check out these great resources from Ms. Sheehan’s presentation:
- UCLA Office of Research Administration (ORA) Training Programs
- UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Funding Search Tools & Grant-Writing Tips
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants & Funding: Developing Your Budget
- NIH Grants Basics: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_basics.htm
- NIH Grants Process Overview: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/grants_process.htm
- UCLA OCGA FAQs: https://ocga.research.ucla.edu/faq/#proposal-preparation