ReSET at a Glance
Do you need help coming up with a study idea or writing a convincing proposal? Want to be a clinical collaborator and work effectively with researchers? Or maybe you want to understand more about grant sections, RFAs, how to work with your PO, how to craft budgets? Would you like a grant support team to work with you and keep you on a timeline? ReSET provides the structure and guidance necessary to help you produce a well-written grant and get it out the door.
Why ReSET?
There is a need in the department for structured, real-time individualized grant writing support.
A 2024 ObGyn Departmental survey found that faculty and trainees lacked structured, real-time, individualized grant writing support. From 2011-2016, the Duke School of Medicine provided resources and organized mentorship for grant writing through the K-Club and Pathway-To-Independence. These programs, which incorporated lectures, workshops, mentored support teams, and internal mock reviews improved the success of obtaining grant funding. The ReSET Program aims to fill this need for ObGyn.
Who can participate in ReSET and what are the benefits?
Any member of the Ob/Gyn department interested in improving grant writing skills.
ReSET is open to anyone in the department who is interested in learning more about grant writing. It is mandatory for all K12 scholars (BIRWCH, KURe and WRHR) and strongly recommended for any department member who has not submitted a grant (departmental, institutional, federal or nonfederal) before and is planning to submit within 6-9 months.
Hands-on grant-writing workshops, lectures, and a GRADS (mentoring) Team work together to create an environment for successful grant writing and timely submission.
What are the components of ReSET?
The ReSET curriculum consists of 1- to 1.5-hour lectures on essential grant writing topics and hand-on workshops on writing specific sections of the grant.
Lectures
- Finding the right scope for your proposal
- Writing strategies: common pitfalls, key resources
- Understanding tasks, timelines, and organizing your team
- Effective communication : balancing technical and non-technical language for broader appeal
- Searching for funding opportunities
- How to write your research proposal in a way that is responsive to the funding announcement
- How to craft a budget
- Working with research administration (ORA and RASR)
- The science of using figures effectively
- How and where to disseminate/present your results
- How and when to communicate with your project officer
- Incorporating feedback from collaborators and reviewers
- Your grant got scored: responding to NIH reviews
Hands-On Grant Writing Workshops
- Specific aims
- Significance and innovation
- Research design
- Non-science sections (biosketches, facilities, budget, etc.)
When and where are lectures and workshops given?
Lectures and workshops will generally be held on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Baker House Room 214 from 9:30 - 11:00 AM. We anticipate beginning the meetings in August 2025, and the schedule will be posted on this webpage.
What is the GRADS Team?
The Grant Development Support (GRADS) Team facilitates grant submission progress, and provides grant section reviews and career development advice for individuals submitting a grant.
- Each team includes one faculty member from outside the field of expertise, a SOM grants administrator, and one to two peer mentors.
- Teams facilitate the grant submission progress, review sections of the grant, and provide career development advice
- Teams are provided with coordinated access to departmental and institutional support offices
- Interactions are scheduled according to the grant cycle timeline for the individual’s grant
- Goal is for a grant application to be completed in 6-8 weeks
- Teams will meet with the grant PI for up to 5 hours during the preparation period (depending on the magnitude of the grant) to review the specific aims page, significance and innovation sections, and the research design
How do I sign up to receive grant development support?
If you will be submitting an external grant in the next six months and would like a GRADS team to support your progress in completing the grant application, complete the ReSET Request for Grant Development Support form.
As leader of your GRADS team, you (the grant submitter) will organize a timeline for your team. The team is expected to meet for approximately 1 hour at 1-2 week intervals during the 2 months prior to submission. The purpose of the meetings will be to review your Specific Aims, Significance and Innovation, and Research Design sections, as well as any other grant sections.
How do I sign up to present a lecture or be a grants mentor/reviewer? Is there a stipend?
Do you have expertise in grant-writing and/or reviewing? To indicate your interest in delivering lectures, leading workshops, or serving as a mentor, complete the ReSET Sign Up: Lecturer and Grant Mentor form.
Faculty, alumni, peers, grant writing professionals, and K12 program administration/leadership will be the backbone of the program. Monetary stipends will be allocated for efforts related to the structured education and mentorship.