Strategic Research Development (SRD) offers comprehensive research guidance for early career faculty new to applying for federal funding or those applying to new federal funding agencies. Our expertise and resources support the following general areas in pursuit of funding:

• Develop a research funding strategy:
  • Which agencies and mechanisms make sense to apply to right away? What do you need to do to prepare to apply for other agencies/mechanisms in the next few years?
  • Review our agency-specific Insights and Best Practices summaries to align your work with a federal funding agency’s mission and priorities.
  • Identify private funders for your field (contact Corporate and Foundation Relations for non-federal funder support)
    *We recommend all faculty set aside 1- to 2-hours weekly to peruse results of standing funding searches, to tweak search criteria as needed, and to browse websites of pertinent funding agencies, foundations, and professional societies:
     
• Understanding a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
  • Where to find and how to interpret essential logistics (eligibility, due dates, limited submissions, etc.)
  • Interpreting the announcement and the funding agency’s mission
  • Going beyond the application announcement to understand agency goals and priorities (see federal agency Insights and Best Practices)
     
• Consider early career investigator-specific awards
  • NSF CAREER Guidance
  • Many agencies have their own early investigator awards (link to federal page)
     
• Engage with a program officer or other funding agency official about a specific funding opportunity or mechanism
  • ‘Toolkit’ for contacting a program officer
  • Assistance with drafting your introductory email
     
• Develop a compelling proposal: 
  • Tailored project management tools - see our templates and tools. 
  • Grantsmanship guidance, developmental editing, and copyediting of proposal (by request) 
  • Assistance with understanding and responding to reviews and revising proposals for resubmission
     
• Connections with other experts and resources at Tufts
  • Other faculty with prior experience with specific funding agencies/grant mechanisms
  • Identifying potential collaborators, community partners, or educational outreach programming
  • Building a mentoring team

If you have questions about what we do, or how we can help you, contact us. Consultations may be requested here and accommodated based on SRD capacity.