Writing-Intensive Proposal Development Seminar

The Villanova Institute for Research and Scholarship (VIRS) is pleased to offer a semester-long writing intensive proposal development seminar. This program builds upon the successful writing intensive course previously run through the AVPR’s office but has been redesigned to facilitate increased hands on workshops toward the goal of drafting the complete proposal or major sections of the proposal throughout the seminar. The course is tailored specifically toward faculty who have selected their funding organization, have their solicitation in hand, and are prepared to submit their proposal within the year following the workshop.

**Please fill out this form to be notified when VIRS will be offering this seminar next.

A team approach greatly increases one’s chances of success in grant development. In this semester long seminar, an interdisciplinary faculty cohort participate in a series of workshops led by grant and writing professionals to apply proposal development best practices toward the preparation of their grant proposals. Villanova research support experts and faculty with expertise in ecuring funding will work with participants to translate their targeted solicitation into a comprehensive proposal development plan that includes drafting and justifying their budget, arranging ancillary materials and resources, and understanding, writing, and revising different sections of proposals. The seminar will structure in collaborative workshops and peer review sessions that draw from the insights, experiences, and expertise of their research team and the cross-disciplinary group. The weekly sessions ensure that faculty have time carved out of the busy semester to commit to crafting their proposal and that they do so with a team, to increase their chances for a competitive proposal. Participants who attend all sessions and finish a complete first draft by the end of the semester will benefit from having their proposal sent out to an external professional reviewer at the expense of VIRS once they have undergone revisions and are prepared to submit.

Goals

The seminar seeks 1) to provide training on a facet of academic professional life that provides needed resources to fund faculty research but is challenging and often time-consuming for faculty to master; 2) to launch successful grant proposals in support of individual professional successes for a diverse group of Villanovans; 3) to increase support for faculty from typically less funded disciplines and racial/ethnic, gender groups; and 4) to raise awareness for faculty of the funding resources and infrastructural support available on campus.

Eligibility

Tenured, Tenure-Track, or Full-Time Faculty from any discipline and at any career stage who have targeted the appropriate funding organization for their project, have the solicitation in hand, and are committed to collaborating weekly with the support team and cohort to complete a first draft of a proposal (or significant sections of a first draft) for the end of the seminar. We aim to create a cohort that brings together a diverse group of faculty from STEM, Nursing, Humanities, and the Social Sciences.

Attendance Policy

Due to the intensive and collaborative nature of the seminar, attendance will be limited to 8 participants. To ensure success, we ask faculty to commit to attending all sessions. While we understand emergencies may occur that could cause an absence, we ask that you do everything possible to sustain the collaborative work the group is undertaking and participate fully. Absences may disrupt important workshops and peer feedback sessions, reduce the chances of your or another participant’s proposal benefitting from important input, and forfeit your ability to send the finished proposal for professional evaluation at VIRS expense. Seminar sessions will be held for two hours per week on a day to be determined by mutual agreement of participants.

Application

Please submit a 1-page summary (as PDF) of the proposed project to VIRS at virs@villanova.edu. Include in the email subject line your last name, department, and “ProposalWorkshop” (e.g. Carson-English-ProposalWorkshop). Include in this one-page description: 1) the funding agency you have targeted (including the specific program and all links to information available on the internet); 2) the program proposal submission deadline; 3) what steps in proposal preparation you may have already taken; 4) a description of the proposed project and the aims/goals for your project; and 5) why you are committed to devoting intensive time to the preparation of this proposal this semester so that the cohort can depend on your contributions. A pool of 8 workshop attendees will be chosen by VIRS from applicants. Those who have presented the most compelling case that they have a solid plan to produce a full proposal for submission to an external funding source will be given highest priority.