Grant writing: one of the more daunting yet instrumental elements of the research process. Researchers must find funding opportunities and then persuade potential funders about the viability of their research project, providing watertight details about the project’s aims, research staff, university resources, and allocated budget.
Opportunely, each year the Center for Social Science Innovation (CSSI) hosts the Grant Writing Residency Program (GWRP). GWRP is designed to help researchers successfully navigate the grant writing process through CSSI grant development staff support, funding, and dedicated, quiet offices.
Additionally, participants meet with CSSI staff and other participants to discuss progress and barriers and receive one-on-one feedback on their proposal drafts.
This spring’s GWRP cohort included four faculty members from three colleges at the University of Iowa. As the program wrapped up, the researchers reflected on how the experience helped them develop competitive and refined grant proposals.
Cara Hamann, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health, spent the program developing a grant proposal that will transform a researcher-assisted adolescent bicycling safety educational program into a public-facing toolkit that can be used by educators in their own communities.
Hamann envisions the toolkit will contain engaging curriculum and videos, as well as cones, helmets, and bicycles for adolescents to practice the safety skills they are learning. Hamann plans to use GWRP’s funds to craft eye-catching designs for the toolkit’s logo and packaging.
Beyond the program’s resources, Hamann found the community to be pivotal in the grant development process.
“It’s been nice to be a part of a cohort where we can talk to each other and bounce ideas off each other. And we’re from different disciplines, so seeing how my idea resonates with someone in library science and psychology is really helpful,” Hamann reflects.
Hamann plans to submit her grant proposal to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, this summer.
Ethan Kutlu, assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), found the program to be so “inspiring,” he spent the program developing not one, but three grant proposals.
Kutlu’s first grant proposal explores how people come to understand the speech of others with unfamiliar accents. His second proposal aims to examine how children who speak one language at home transition to speaking and navigating English in the classroom. Building from the second proposal, his final proposal seeks to uncover how bilingualism impacts the development of children’s reading, math, and language skills.
“We know very little about language experience because language is always changing. Looking at bilinguals allows us to understand how people use and adapt to language,” explains Kutlu. To look closely at the unique language positionality of bilingual individuals, Kutlu used the program’s funding to begin pilot testing their language abilities.
As Kutlu developed his grant proposals, he found comfort in the ability to easily troubleshoot any roadblocks.
“There were days where I was stuck, and I could just have a chat with Kris [Ackerson, CSSI’s grant development manager], Ethan [Rogers, CSSI associate director] or Mark [Berg, CSSI director]. When you’re alone and trying to solve a problem by yourself, it generally takes two months. Here it just takes a day,” Kutlu comments.
Kutlu plans to submit his proposals this year to a diversity of federal and private funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and Jackie Spencer Foundation.
Aislinn Conrad, associate professor in the School of Social Work in CLAS, spent the program creating a grant proposal for a project that will engineer an AI-driven camera to detect and identify different forms of physical abuse.
Conrad hopes to manufacture and commercialize this device for places where individuals are susceptible to undetected abuse, such as daycares and nursing homes.
“We have to harness AI for good. If we have the capability and capacity to do something to help children, adults, and elderly people who can’t speak for themselves, then it’s important to use the tools to monitor, track, and intervene early,” Conrad attests.
As she developed her proposal, Conrad appreciated the space and time the program set aside for the process.
“GWRP helps you carve out the time because so much of time as a researcher is distributed to so many other things,” she says. “GWRP helps you be intentional about a grant product.”
Conrad plans to submit her grant proposal to the National Science Foundation in June.
Iulian Vamanu, associate professor in the School of Library and Information Science in the Graduate College, spent GWRP developing a grant proposal for a project that will explore how public libraries can foster community resilience through social services, job training, and public health information. After identifying the most effective resilience-building resources, Vamanu then plans to train library staff on how to implement them.
“Public libraries are not just about recommending books, but they perform a wide range of activities that are often invisible, especially to local governments. I wanted to tell a story about the importance of these institutions in the community,” Vamanu explains.
Unexpectedly, during GWRP, Vamanu’s originally identified funding mechanism was terminated. However, with the help of Ackerson, he managed to identify three alternative sources of funding and plans to submit his proposal by the end of this calendar year.
Vamanu appreciated the encouragement and guidance of CSSI staff during this time.
“The community was super supportive,” he reflects. Not just in terms of intellectual feedback, but moral support. It was really nice feeling the level of positivity in the building. It really feels like home.”
“Although grant writing can be an intimidating task, I am impressed by the time, dedication, and resilience the researchers displayed throughout the Grant Writing Residency Program,” says Mark Berg, CSSI director. “It was a pleasure to collaborate with everyone, and I am hopeful each will receive positive news about their proposals after submission.”
To learn more about CSSI’s Grant Writing Residency Program, click here.
Applications for the next cohort of the GWRP will open this fall.
To read about the proposals submitted by the 2024 cohort, click here.
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