I agree with Mike...arranging for a Grant Writer on staff takes most of the intellectual and conceptual emphasis off of the PI and puts it on an adminstrative support person. Plus, it is really unlikely that a "one writer fits all" person will be effective for a diverse faculty. The demand for a institution-funded grant-writer usually comes up when some senior faculty members are convinced that they are too busy to be bothered with the "mechanics" of grant-writing and if they only had someone who could take their "big" ideas and rough out 90% of the application and proposal, the Great Thinkers could then edit in a few details, send off the grant (under their name, of course) and reap huge awards to the institution. I call this the "Coupon Template" approach to grant writing. Almost always, such grant applications fail to be funded, since reviewers are confounded by two different styles of writing and a whole lot of critical details and concepts are missing or confusing. Thus, when the grants aren't funded, no doubt the "grant writer" gets the blame for poor grantsmanship, and much soul-searching ensues about how to improve the grant writer's ability (i.e. success rate), or get a better writer. Plus, much of this approach tends to remove the PI from actually doing the heavy intellectual and operational lifting of the application, and comes dangerously close to some suspicious ethical and research integrity issues, but we'll leave that for another time. On the Plus side is the notion of a grant editor or greant application advisor. THIS approach is extremely useful and productive. At our university I was the Research Facilitator for many years and helped faculty and interested research staff identify funding sources, likely agencies and foundation; helped them craft a competitive proposal, including pointing out winning and losing aspects of a proposal; assisted them assemble the many boilerplate and technical/business elements of the application; and steered it through the often (to them) byzantine and arcane research administrative processes and offices, including IRB and compliance. I also guided them on how applications are reviewed, who's on the study section/review committees, what agencies are looking for, how to interact with and communicate with program officers, how to develop a grant application to address targeted areas within the PIs discipline and interest, etc. This approach not only yields a high success rate, but also keeps the investigator squarely in the High Responsibility mode...and gets them not only funded (and re-newed) but also gets them fired up about being a larger part of the research enterprise - and also teaches them how to mentor their own colleagues in their fields of research. Think of it as a personal trainer for new and emerging grantees. Especially, when the first go-around doesn't get funded, and you have to urge them to do "one more...come on...one more", until they hit it right. In some institutions, some of this gets handled by "pre-award" personnel...but often these staff people are very over-worked and not always trained or conversant in research disciplines, or may have only a casual understanding of how grants are reviewed (especially in places like NSF and NIH). Often central research administration staff may not have any direct personal experience writing and obtaining grant awards in their name (as well as missing out on the sheer delightful experience of getting a rejection letter for an application). Having a dedicated grant-conversant (and award experienced) editor or facilitator brings the broadest and most meaningfully cost-effective person to the process...the only catch (there always is one!) is that such folks are not entry-level recent grads...not every university or college is willing to recruit and retain such a person. Please excuse the long essay, but I wanted to flesh out as well as second these opinions. In the case of Grant Writer vs Grant/Research Facilitator, I'd bet on the latter as the better approach anytime. Cheers, Brian Brian Gladue, Ph.D. INSTAR Research Associates Maineville, OH 45039 Chairperson, IRB-S, University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45267 > > From: Mike McCallister <xxxxxx@UALR.EDU> > Date: 2005/06/29 Wed AM 09:24:52 EDT > To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG > Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Grant Writer > > Showing my bias-- I think "grantwriter" positions are destined to fail and > an overall bad idea. It's almost impossible to have a hit rate that > satisfies anyone unless the writer is tasked in a very small disciplinary > area. "twere me, I'd be looking for a technical writer/editor to support > the faculty doing their own work-- "grantwrters" are like sports coaches, > heroes when they win and criticized when they don't. Editorial assistance > is seen differently and the responsibility stays where it belongs, on the > researcher (or grad assistant). > > Spanky > > > At 08:10 AM 6/29/2005, Mitchell Maltenfort wrote: > >Rather than say "Me Three," I merely suggest that such descriptions > >be posted to the list. > > > >Mitch > > > > > >On 6/29/05, Julie Cole <xxxxxx@georgiasouthern.edu> wrote: > > > > > > I'd appreciate a copy of the job description and payscale of a grantwriter > > > as well. > > > > > > Many thanks, > > > > > > Julie > > > > > > >>> xxxxxx@U.WASHINGTON.EDU 06/28/05 7:45 PM >>> > > > > > > If you have a grant/proposal writer on staff, would you mind sending me > > > a job description and pay range to: xxxxxx@u.washington.edu? I would be > > > most grateful. Thanks. - Alpha DeLap, University of Washington > > > > > > > > > -- > >I can answer any question. > >"I don't know" is an answer. > >"I don't know yet" is a better answer. > > > > > >====================================================================== > > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") > >====================================================================== > > Mike McCallister, Ph.D. > Office of Research and Sponsored Programs > University of Arkansas at Little Rock > 2801 South University > Little Rock, AR 72204-1099 > > (o) 501-569-8474 > (c) 501-590-5609 > (f) 501-371-7614 > http://www.ualr.edu/orsp/ > > :-} Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of > :-} arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to > :-} skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, beer in the other, body > :-} thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming... What a > :-} ride!! > > "A sense of humor is a measurement of the extent to which we realize that > we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how > we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge." Dave Barry > > > > ====================================================================== > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") > ====================================================================== > > ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================
