External Grant Preparation Support

1. Incentivize and support high-quality federal NIH (e.g. K, R01, R03, or R21) grant submissions, with a strong likelihood of success, from social science researchers across Cornell.

2. Provide institutional support for health and social-scientific research.

3. Build inter-campus collaborations by leveraging NIH and social science expertise across Cornell.

4. Proactively recruit junior faculty, particularly junior faculty of color, to increase faculty diversity and inclusion and support the next generation of research in the social sciences.

PI-eligible Cornell social science researchers are eligible to participate in the formal cohort, while postdocs and ABD PhD students are welcome to attend individual workshop sessions. Participants who are not affiliated with CCHEq or CPC will be encouraged to affiliate with these centers. 

The program series consists of four, hour-long sessions (from February to early April) in which participants will work toward developing a well-considered Specific Aims page. Participants selected for the cohort attend each workshop, complete short “homework” assignments for each session, and draft a Specific Aims page. From there, they will be eligible to apply for additional funding tracks in late spring and summer.

Timeline

After completion of the Grant Writing Workshop Series, participants will have the opportunity to apply for additional funding and support via one of two tracks in Spring 2023. 

Cohort members who complete this process, including Specific Aims - and do not apply for one of the two tracks - will receive $3,000 in discretionary funds to pursue their research to pilot a new idea.

Track One: Pilot Grants

This track is for those eligible from the workshop completion cohort who do not yet have preliminary data and are on a grant submission timeline that is after February 2024. 

Upon completion of the workshop series, cohort members submit a revised Specific Aims page, a one-page “response to reviewers,” a description of what preliminary data is needed to enhance the competitiveness of the proposal, and a brief budget. Successful proposals receive up to $3,000 for data collection or other research-related costs associated with enhancing the project. Funds may not be used for hardware purchasing or faculty salary. 

Track Two: Grant Writing Fellows Program

This track is for cohort members who have identified a grant submission timeline within the 12 months following the workshop series. 

Upon completion of the workshop series, cohort members submit (a) a revised Specific Aims page and a brief, one-page response to reviews from the original submission, (b) a PI and team (including a mentor who has agreed to the role), (c) a targeted mechanism and rationale for why the proposal is a good fit for that mechanism/call, (d) a timeline for submission of proposal, and (e) budget for proposal. 

Mentors are selected by the PIs. Participating centers can provide assistance in helping their members identify relevant mentors. The mentor’s job is to (a) engage additional experts as needed to make the project competitive; (b) read and edit drafts of the proposal; and (c) assist with identifying institutional resources to support the proposal. Mentors will receive up to $2,500 for a commitment to mentor applicant through the grant submission process. The mentor may or may not serve as a co-PI. 

Successful proposals receive up to $10,000 for up to 1-month of summer salary to use on grant preparation (RA, pilot data, or travel for proposal planning at researcher’s discretion). Please note that summary salary will need to be disclosed on a PI’s current and pending when submitting a proposal to NIH. 

Fellows are expected to submit a grant proposal to NIH by February 2024 (a one-grant cycle extension is permitted – from October 2021 proposed to February 2022, for example). Upon submission, fellows receive an additional $1,000 in a discretionary or research account. 

NIH Grant Writing Workshops

CCSS, in partnership with The Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell Center for Health Equity (CCHEq) and the Cornell Population Center (CPC) will host four, hour-long workshops open to Cornell social researchers (faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and researchers) interested in learning about the NIH grants process and developing strategies for crafting a competitive proposal. 

PI-eligible Cornell social science researchers are eligible to participate in the formal cohort, which will attend all four workshops, create a Specific Aims page that will be reviewed, and may apply to the NIH Grant Writing Fellows Program. If there is space, additional Cornell social science researchers beyond the cohort (postdocs and ABD PhD students) are welcome to attend individual workshop sessions. Contact population@cornell.edu if you have questions or would like access to the past workshop recordings.

Upcoming Workshops

The Grant Review Process at NIH, Recorded Session

This session is planned to focus on the grant review process at NIH and covered four general themes:

• An overview of the National Cancer Institute
• Steps in the NIH Review Process
• Best practices for Working with Program Officers
• Strategies for Effective Social Science Grants from an NIH Insider's Perspective

Presentations by Kelly Blake and Rebecca Clark

Kelly Blake, Program Director at the National Cancer Institute 

Rebecca Clark, Chief of Population Dynamics Branch at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development

2023 Track One Awards: Pilot Research Grants

This track is for eligible faculty from the 2023 cohort who will gather data and submit their NIH grant proposal after February 2024.

2023 Track Two Awards: Grant Development Fellowships

This track is for 2023 cohort members who will submit their NIH grant proposal on or before February 2024.