Grant Writing Boot Camp

ALACRITY runs a periodic grant writing bootcamp, focused on supporting early career individuals submitting grant proposals to NIH (particularly NIMH) on behavioral interventions and implementation strategies such as psychotherapy, case management, digital health/technology, and implementation strategies such as training, shared decision making, and quality support/measurement.

We also make videos available for asynchronous learning. Register below for access.

Learning objectives

To provide guidance and instruction to eLearners will: 

  1. Obtain group-based guidance during the proposal preparation process. 
  2. Become familiar with how to set up your proposal for success and understand the NIH review process. 
  3. Be able to write clear and succinct specific aims. 
  4. Identify and match your study aims to NIH research priorities. 
  5. Identify theory and mechanisms of action. 
  6. Select and  write the best methodological approach for your hypotheses. 

Synchronous Learners

Each session will have an asynchronous recording of the didactic portion and then a corresponding live session for workshopping drafts and feedback.

There are two participation options:

  1. you can watch the didactic sessions and commit to submitting drafts for workshopping during the live sessions (submissions will be due one week before the live session)
  2. you can watch the didactic sessions and listen in/offer feedback during the live sessions (not commit to submitting drafts)

Priority for participation will be given to early career individuals in the following order: 

  1. those with a connection to the UW ALACRITY Center (UWAC) or UW Suicide Care Research Center (SCRC) 
  2. those with other UW connections
  3. potential participants who are making a commitment to submit drafts  
  4. other individuals outside UW

Asynchronous Learners

Asynchronous learners may register for access to videos from the sessions.

Videos are provided as a courtesy, without guarantee that they remain current to changing NIH requirements.

Registration coming soon.

Sessions 

Session (asynchronous / video)Session plan for Synchronous Learners
Session 1: Overview and Introductions 📼 Introduction to facilitating centers, boot camp logistics, and overview of the NIH review process  Introductions
Session 2: Specific Aims 📼
The Specific Aims page is perhaps the most important single component of a grant proposal. We will describe how to set the stage for your proposal by deconstructing the anatomy of the specific aims page. You will learn how to concisely hook the reader, provide relevant background, create coherent aims, and close with a final paragraph that provides a foundation for your proposal.    		Team-based review of up to four specific aims pages.

Week of July 13 Confirmed: 7/16 at 11am  
Session 3: Theory and Mechanisms 📼
In this session we will discuss the importance of theory, how it applies to behavioral interventions and implementation science and how to use theory to create conceptual models and identify targets and mechanisms. We will go into detail with causal pathway diagrams.     		Review up to four theoretical models from participants

Week of July  27 Exact date/time coming    
Session 4: Methods and Analysis 📼
The methods and analysis sections of a grant proposal are where you demonstrate how you will feasibly answer your important research question(s). Although there are countless research methods and analytic approaches, we will focus specifically on approaches most relevant to your proposals, including those used in implementation science, human-centered design, and adaptation. These may include discussion of the Discover, Design/Build, and Test process, user/usability testing, microtrials, pilot studies, hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials, as well as standard approaches to analyzing qualitative and quantitative data .		Review up to four methods sections  

Week of Aug 10th Exact date/time coming    
Session 5: Human-Centered Design methods 📼
This session will delve more deeply into selection and use of human-centered design (HCD) methods.    		Review up to four descriptions of HCD methods.

20 August, 11:30am
Session 6: Forms-I: PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information, and Biosketches 📼
This session will review Forms-I Section G.500 and offer biosketch pointers    		Review up to four biosketches, space for questions/feedback on Forms-I Section G.500

3 September, 11am  
Session 7: Mock Review  Mock review panel of up to 4 submissions

16 September, 3pm  
Session 8: Responding to Reviewers (video pending)
During this class, presenters will provide general guidance about responding to reviewers and resubmitting. Prior to this session, we strongly encourage participants to share their original submissions and drafts of planned responses with the presenters. The presenters and peer participants will provide feedback.		Late October/early November
Exact date/time to be announced