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HORT603 - Grants and Grantsmanship
Course Outline/Syllabus
Credits: 1
Instructor: David Rhodes (Office, Room HLA 114)
Spring Semester
Thur. 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM; Room HLA 210
This course is intended to prepare pre-doctoral students for post-doctoral grant writing activities, and will consider general and specific techniques which can increase the chances of funding of grant proposals. Various sources of funding will be considered, including USDA, NIH, NSF, DOE, NASA, BARD, Industry and Foundations. Each student will be asked to write a proposal on a research topic of their choice. This topic may include their own thesis topic. Generally, proposals should follow USDA-NRICGP guidelines. However, proposals to other agencies will be allowed, depending on specific student needs. Proposals may form the basis for the written component of the preliminary examination in the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (HLA) Department. All proposals will be submitted electronically. Students will also participate in the peer review of these proposals by preparing reviews of three proposals and participating in a final panel meeting in which proposals are ranked. Reviews will also be electronically submitted. Students will be graded on the quality (and timeliness of submission) of their proposals and written reviews, and their participation in the panel meeting.
Grades
Points will be awarded as follows:
- Proposal Title, Agency and Program Area (max. = 10 points)
- Cover Page (max. = 5 points)
- Project Summary (max. = 15 points)
- Curriculum Vitae (max. = 10 points)
- Budget (max. = 10 points)
- Budget Justification (max. = 10 points)
- Facilities and Equipment (max. = 10 points)
- First Draft of Project Description [including References, Figures, Tables, Collaborative Arrangements etc] (max. = 5 points)
- Final Project Description [including References, Figures, Tables, Collaborative Arrangements etc] (max. = 105 points)
- Primary Review (max. = 30 points)
- Secondary Review (max. = 30 points)
- Ad Hoc Review (max. = 30 points)
- Participation in Panel Meeting and Panel Summary (max. = 30 points)
- Maximum total points = 300
Students achieving a total number of points of greater than 250 will be given a final grade of A. Students achieving a total number of points of 200 - 250 will be given a final grade of B. Students achieving a total number of points of 150 - 199 will be given a final grade of C. Students achieving a total number of points of 100 - 149 will be given a final grade of D. Students achieving a total number of points of less than 100 will be given a final grade of F.
The course will include the following topics and deadlines:
Week 1. General Introduction
- overview of course objectives
- overview of the course assignment (write a grant proposal following USDA-NRICGP guidelines, or guidelines from an alternative agency)
- overview of course grading system and course deadlines
- overview of mechanisms for electronic submission of proposal sections and reviews
Week 2. USDA-NRICGP proposals
- a brief history of the USDA-NRICGP
- NRI program descriptions
- grant application guidelines
- overview of proposal sections required by NRI
- overview of proposal sections required in this course
Week 3. Techniques in Successful Grant Writing
- deadline for submission of proposal Title
- deadline for selection of agency and program area
Week 4. Proposal Organization
- preparation of Cover Page
- preparation of Facilities and Equipment
- preparation of Curriculum Vitae
- preparation of Project Summary
- preparation of Project Description
Week 5. Preparing a Budget
- preparation of Budget pages
- preparation of Budget Justification
Week 6. The USDA-NRICGP Grant Review Process
- deadline for submission of Cover Page
- deadline for submission of Project Summary
- deadline for submission of Budget and Budget Justification
- deadline for submission of Facilities and Equipment section
- deadline for submission of Curriculum Vitae
Week 7. NIH Grant Proposals
Week 8. NSF Grant Proposals
Week 9. DOE Grant Proposals
- deadline for submission of first draft of Project Description and References sections (if preliminary data is to be included, provide appropriate Figures and/or Tables)
Week 10. Spring Break (No Class)
Week 11. NASA Grant Proposals
Week 12. Bard Grant Proposals
Week 13. Industry and Foundation Proposals
- deadline for final draft of Project Description, References, Addenda (optional), Collaborative Arrangements (optional), and relevant preliminary data as Figures and/or Tables (optional), and any editorial changes to CV, Budget, Budget Justification, Facilities and Equipment, Project Summary and Cover Page
- Primary, Secondary and ad hoc review assignments
- guidelines for review preparation and submission
- roles of Primary, Secondary, and ad hoc reviewers in the review process and Panel Meeting
Week 14. Other Sources of Funding
- deadline for electronic submission of reviews
Week 15. Panel Meeting(s)
- discussion and ranking of proposals [times, places and groups to be announced]
Week 16. Concluding Discussion and Student Evaluation of the Course
- come prepared to discuss what you learned from this course
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