Here you can find a collection of resources and data that may be useful in the writing and development of your proposal.
Connect with the Team
Strategic Research Initiatives provides resources and information to assist faculty with developing quality, competitive proposals. We are available to consult on agency fit, proposal narrative elements, give proposal reviews, and answer other program-related questions. Please contact a member of our team for additional support.
To request a review of your proposal draft, contact:
- Social Science, Humanities, Fine Arts & Education
hasse@research.ucsb.edu - Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
stem@research.ucsb.edu
Strategic Research Initiatives Proposal Writing Programs (C2S, PROWESS)
Strategic Research Initiatives offers annual proposal writing workshop series for STEM and Social Science, Humanities, and Education faculty.
Research Development and Grant Writing Newsletter
Strategic Research Initiatives subscribes to and distributes a Grant Writing Newsletter from Academic Research Funding Strategies. This monthly newsletter contains articles relevant to faculty and campus researchers on grant writing, funding agencies, etc.
Click here to access previous newsletters.
To sign up to receive the Research Development & Grant Writing Newsletter, join the UCSB Google Group here.
Selected Articles
Sample Proposals & Templates
Sample proposals may also be requested from Strategic Research Initiatives. Contact anyone on the team or email funding@research.ucsb.edu to make your request. A list of agencies and programs that we currently have sample proposals for is listed below, as well as a selection of successful proposals federal agencies have made available to researchers.
Writing a One-Pager for your NSF Program Officer
If you're planning to submit a proposal to NSF, it is often recommended that you contact the NSF Program Officer with any questions about fit to program, etc. As a part of that initial contact you should provide a short description of your project. Here we provide guidance from NSF for developing a one-page project summary to share with Program Officers.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Beckman Young Investigator Program
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award Program
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Department of Defense
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award
- Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
- Minority-Serving Institutions Equipment/Instrumentation
- Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (YIP)
National Endowment for the Humanities
- Humanities Collections and Reference Resources
National Institutes of Health
- R01
- R21
- T32
National Science Foundation
- CAREER
- EAGER
- NRT
- MRI
- PIRE
- STC
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
Searle Scholars Program
National Institutes of Health
Within the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) provides a wide range of sample applications and summary statements. TThe NIAID website has samples for the following:
- Research grants. R01, R03, R15, R21, and R21/R33
- Small business grants. R41, R42, R43, and R44
- Training and career awards K01, K08, and F31-Diversity
U.S. Department of Education
The Department of Education provides access to a variety of information, including successful grant applications in their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room. The selection below was taken directly from their website.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities typically provides 3-4 sample proposals for each funding opportunity. The following are links to samples provided by NEH.
This list is just a small selection of the samples which NEH makes available. Please visit the NEH program pages directly to access additional sample proposals.
Facilities
Strategic Research Initiatives has compiled descriptions of shared facilities and resources on campus for use in Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources documents.
The Shared Instrumentation website is a resource for UCSB researchers and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration across our many departments, institutes and centers.
Data and Computing
Campus Resources
The RCD website offers a virtual gateway connecting affiliates to a wealth of computational and data-related resources to support academic research. It provides seamless access to a myriad of tools, support services, and expertise available to our campus community.
Library Research Data Services
The Research Data Services department helps UCSB researchers manage and preserve their research data through consultations, long-term engagements, and instructional workshops. They offer support across the research data lifecycle, from pre-project planning to post-project archival, connecting researchers with both locally- and externally-provided curation services.
DMPTool is a free, open-source, online application that helps researchers create data management plans that meet the requirements of major U.S. funding agencies.
Agency Guidance & Resources
- National Endowment for the Humanities DMPs
- Institute of Education Sciences
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health
Other agencies often include their data management requirements in the funding opportunity announcement.
Broader Impacts
Strategic Research Initiatives prepared some guidance on creating the Education Plan for your NSF CAREER proposal.
NSF Mentoring and Individual Development Plan Guidance
Guidance if your NSF proposal will support graduate students or postdoctoral researchers.
Outreach and Broader Impacts Partnership Resources
UC Santa Barbara is home to over 40 STEM Education and Outreach Programs serving K-14, parents, and teachers with many different types of experience.
Advancing Research Impact in Society
A compilation of newly developed tools, scholarly works, and informational links that support the various aspects of broader impacts support.
DOE Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plans
Beginning in FY 2023, all DOE Office of Science Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) require applicants to include a Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan as an appendix to their proposal narrative. PIER Plans should describe the activities and strategies applicants will incorporate to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects. PIER Plans will be evaluated as part of the merit review process and will be used to inform funding decisions.
NIH Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP)
The NIH Plan for Enhancing Diverse Perspectives (PEDP) is a 1-page attachment required for some NIH grant applications that summarizes actionable strategies to advance the scientific merit of the proposed project through diverse perspectives
Serving as a Reviewer
Serving as a reviewer is an excellent way to gain insight into the inner workings of funding agencies, their priorities, and the peer review process, as well as build your professional network.
National Science Foundation
NSF encourages early career faculty to serve as reviewers, and gives detailed instructions on how to become a reviewer on their Why You Should Volunteer to Serve As An NSF Reviewer page.
National Institutes of Health
NIH invites faculty to serve in standing Study Sections via a selection process. NIH also hosts an Early Career Reviewer (ECR) program to specifically recruit early career faculty to serve as reviewers.
UCSB Data and Other Statistics
Common institutional data required by sponsors for proposals.
The Campus Profile, created by Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment, contains a variety of campus statistics, including student enrollment, student demographics, and personnel and financial information.
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)
A principal statistical agency located within the National Science Foundation (NSF), committed to advancing the methods for collection and accessibility of objective statistical information in the United States.
NSF’s Safe and Inclusive Plan for Off-Site Research
Any research proposed to NSF that includes off-campus or off-site research requires a document describing the research, outlining plans to assure a safe and inclusive setting for all participants, and describing how inappropriate behaviors would be addressed should they occur. For most programs, a Safe and Inclusive Working Environments (SAIWE) Plan is the required document. As part of a pilot program in BIO and GEO directorates NSF is requiring, instead, a Safe and Inclusive Fieldwork (SAIF) Plan. Below we provide a guidance document describing these plans and indicating which NSF programs are participating in the SAIF plan pilot, as well as a fillable SAIWE form and SAIF guide.
(must be logged into your UCSB Google account to view)