Registration open for Summer Grant Writing Workshop certificate program

• May 20, 2024
• Research

University Communications and Marketing

Registration is open until the end of May for the 2024 Summer Grant Writing Workshop, a certificate program hosted and designed by the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee to help early career faculty, doctoral students and staff secure funding for their research.

Those enrolled in the course learn how to craft research proposals that are clear and comprehensive and resonate with funders. Participants are encouraged to identify a grant opportunity early in the program, draft a proposal and submit their draft for feedback in mock peer review by other workshop participants.

The eight-week, virtual summer program, which is open to both USF and non-USF researchers, starts May 27. Each week, the program will consist of a:

• Monday Message email providing participants with a framework for the week ahead, as well as useful resources, templates, and samples.
• Wednesday Workshops presentations, the heart of the program. The two-hour long interactive sessions are recorded and posted for participants. (The first workshop will be on June 5.)
• Funding Friday. Representatives from sponsor agencies, peer reviewers, grant writers and other invited speakers will share their expertise, knowledge and experience. To get an idea of the caliber of invited speakers, check out the Summer Grant Writing Workshops Playlist on YouTube.

Invited speakers for the program include:

• Kimberly Littlefield, program director for the National Science Foundation's GRANTED program.
• Michael Simpson, program officer for the Office of Naval Research's STEM grants.
• Russel Wyland, director of outreach for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
• Karen Walker, associate director of research development at Arizona State University.
• Joshua Roney, director of research development at the University of Central Florida.

"The 2024 Summer Grant Writing Workshops is a terrific program for early career grant writers - including those in research administration seeking to develop a NSF GRANTED proposal," said Sandy Justice, director of the USF Research Development Institute.

Previous participants include faculty members and other research staff from Illinois State University and Lawrence Technological University, a private university in Southfield, Mich.

"We're experiencing very fast research growth, and the grant-writing workshops are a significant enhancement to our faculty development programming," said Kathryn Wrench, the school's director of sponsored research. "The workshops allow our faculty to connect with researchers and program officials they might not otherwise have opportunity to reach, and the encouragement of peers across the nation is a major bonus for an institution of our size. USF has a great program."

In 2023, more than 30 faculty and staff members from Illinois State participated in the workshop. The school is again organizing a cohort for the sessions this summer.

"It was especially valuable for some of our younger faculty and disciplines that are not traditionally as focused on grant writing," said Craig McLauchlan, associate vice president for research and graduate studies at Illinois State. "The accountability and time on task helped us create a community of practice that we hope will lead to increased success in funding for these scholars."

The cost of the workshop is $499. Discounts are available for USF faculty and staff, as well as other institutions registering groups of researchers.

To register, visit the USF Office of Research website.