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It's difficult to get your research proposal funded, but ...
“Strip away the one-third of proposals rejected because they don't meet basic requirements like deadlines and add to that the ones so badly composed as to insult reviewers, and the picture starts to look brighter. If you do your job before you submit, things aren't so bleak.”
—Susan Kemnitzer, deputy director, NSF Electrical Communications and Cyber Systems Division in the Engineering Directorate
Can others at UAF help?
Consider reaching out to others. Proposal-writing activities that may be rare and tricky for one unit may be very common for another. This is an important component of UAF's "shared services" initiative.
For example, proposals to the National Institutes of Health have very particular requirements and forms that are unlike other federal agencies. For a unit like the Geophysical Institute, proposals to NIH are rare and take more time and effort to get right, while the Institute of Arctic Biology submits this type of proposal regularly and with relative ease. A phone call or two could save you quite a bit of time and effort.
Common proposal-related links
- National Institutes of Health Funding Opportunities
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Funding Opportunities
- NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
- Federal Government Grants
- Science Magazine, Where to Search for Funding—Lists other sources of funding and more tips on writing successful proposals
