Roundtable on Grant Proposal Writing and Submission (WITHDRAWN)

As social work research has advanced in its contributions to the scientific literature as well as policy and clinical practice, the pursuit of external funding has become a normative expectation of social work researchers. Yet training and support in grant-writing remain scarce. Moreover, faculty development to assist in external funding--evidenced by the growing number of academic deans for research--is uneven across schools. The current climate for obtaining such funding is challenging, but opportunities are still available from public and private sources.

This workshop is designed to help fill this knowledge and skills gap by providing instruction from four presenters who have complementary sources of expertise and experience: two program officers at the National Institute for Mental Health (one overseeing services research and the other career awards), a senior researcher/mentor; and, an early career researcher (the latter having success in procuring small and large research grants). The focus will be on writing successful funding proposals ranging from dissertations to small-scale pilot studies to larger projects and training mechanisms. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method proposals will be covered. The ultimate goal is to enhance research capacity for SSWR conference attendees interested in obtaining funding for their research.

The learning goals of the workshop are as follows: 1) To understand how to match a proposal with funding source based upon the topic and scope of the project 2) To learn about current funding mechanisms at NIH applicable to the interests of social work researchers including career award (K) and training mechanisms 3) To distinguish and develop specific aims, research questions and hypotheses for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods proposals 4) To understand how proposals are reviewed and evaluated at NIH

The workshop will follow a didactic and participatory format with time allotted for questions and answers. NIMH presenters will provide an overview of their work in assisting grant submissions and the researchers (senior/mentor and early career) will offer guidance based upon their experience. The above learning goals will constitute the structure of the workshop.