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Research & Scholarship
Research Contacts
ORS Navigator
ORS@uab.edu
GDRM Navigator
SON-Grants@uab.edu
(For all pre & post award grant activities)
Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship
Dr. Marie Bakitas
mbakitas@uab.edu
Assistant Dean for Research & Scholarship
Dr. Ellen Smith
esmith3@uab.edu
Director of Research Operations
Cathy Tarver
cotarver@uab.edu
  • The Grants Development, Review & Management (GDRM) service provides mentorship and technical support in the "pre-award" proposal preparation budget development, scientific review and submission, and post-award" budget and personnel management for all intramural and extramural funding opportunities.

    GDRM Faculty & Staff

    Cathy Tarver

    Cathy Tarver

    MBA, BS

    Director, Research Operations

    David Vance

    David Vance

    PhD, MGS

    Director, Regulatory and Review Processes

    Pariya Wheeler

    Pariya Wheeler

    PhD

    Regulatory and Review Processes

    Megan Cardenas

    Megan Cardenas

    BS

    Program Manager II, Grant Post-Award

    Meg Bruck

    Meg Bruck

    MSHI

    Program Manager II, Grant Post-Award

    Lily Williams

    Lily Williams

    BA

    HRP Generalist Senior

  • Pre-Award Services

    Pre-award services include proposal preparation, budget development, scientific review and submission. The Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) will work with you to develop a timeline that is specific to your submission and sponsor’s requirements. The ORS serves as the primary contact with Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) regarding grant activities.

    I. How do I get started? (6 months or more before the due date)

    • Discuss your idea with your colleagues/mentor/faculty
    • Identify your team (co-investigators, methodologist, statistician, consultants, multiple sites)
    • Identify a funding source, Request for Proposals (RFP) or program announcement (PA)
    • Draft specific aims
    • Contact the program officer (NIH/HRSA) to determine which agencies might have interest in your idea
    • Request a Notice of Intent to submit (NOI) or Notice of Participation (NOP)

    II. 3-6 months before due date

    • Draft narrative of the proposal
    • Review sample grants available in the School's grants library and CCTS grants library
    • Finalize team – agree on roles and effort
    • Meet with ORS to further discuss
      • Idea/specific aims/eligibility to apply
      • Resources
      • Funding sources/sponsor requirements
      • Study section
      • Plan for internal/external grant review

    III. 2 months before due date

    IV. 1 month before due date

    • Meet with ORS to finalize budget planning:
      • Costs and allowable expenses
      • Direct and indirect costs
      • Project personnel effort and cost
    • Request updated facilities and resources documents from ORS or other sources

    V. 2 weeks before due date

    • Submit proposal documents to the ORS to initiate routing to your Chair and/or Associate Dean for Research, and Dean, for final review and approval
    • Proposal documents include:
      • Draft narrative of specific aims and research strategy or equivalent (for non-NIH)
      • Final budget
      • Budget justification

    VI. 6 business days before due date

    • PI submits all components to the ORS in its final and complete form
    • No changes after this date

    VII. 5 business days before due date

    • ORS final review and submits to UAB OSP:
      • Extramural checklist
      • Responsible Personnel List (RPL)
      • Final proposal for institutional review and approval

    VIII. On the due date

    • OSP submits your application to the sponsor

    IX. What happens after submission?

    • Monitor NIH or Foundation websites for review dates and panels
    • When you receive your review score, summary statement, reviews-inform ORS and send documents to SON-Grants@uab.edu
    • If your grant is being considered for funding you may receive a request for just-in-time information-see “Completing the Pre-Award Process” on the NIH website.
    • PIs may be requested to provide numerous documents related to human subjects approval and other support.
    • Be aware that to obtain funding most sponsors will require IRB approval
  • Post-Award Services

    The ORS provides faculty and research staff with the following services:

    • Understanding the Notice of Award
    • Setting up grant account
    • Establishing and monitoring grant budget
      • Initiate subcontracts and fee for service (FFS) agreements
    • Hiring grant staff
    • Managing time and effort reporting during the award period
    • Assuring grant and research compliance
    • Identifying funding sources for participant incentives (i.e. Greenphire cards)
    • Reviewing your budget monthly (i.e. budget analysis)
    • Submitting progress reports per sponsor guidelines (i.e. RPPR/Progress Reports)
    • Obtaining “No cost extensions”
    • Performing “Grant Closeout” activities
  • Funding Opportunities

    PCORI Funding

    Funding opportunities targeting maternal health, hypertension management and more open May 3.

    Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)

    Accelerate, innovate, disseminate your research with the UAB CCTS. Sign up for CCTS weekly Digest Newsletter which includes the latest news, training and funding opportunities.

    Foundation Directory Online by Candid

    90% of U.S. Foundations don't have website. With Foundation Directory Online, you can put Candid's extraordinary database and fundraising expertise to work for you while uncovering information on all 240,000 U.S. Foundations.

    Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA)

    HRSA programs help those in need of high-quality primary health care. HRSA also supports the training of health professionals, the distribution of providers to areas where they are needed most and improvements in health care delivery.

    National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding Opportunities

    NIH offers funding for many types of grants, contracts, and even programs that help repay loans for researchers. Learn about these programs, as well as about NIH's budget process, grant funding strategies, and policies, and more. The NIH provides a series of short videos to walk investigators through every step of the grant process and tips for success.

    PIVOT

  • Grant Review Services

    Scholarship peer-review is encouraged at all phases of proposal development from conceptualizing, writing, rewriting, and/or revising a grant submission.

    This could involve simply reaching out to the ORS to discuss ideas, informal reviews (e.g., reflective peer feedback, the formation of small thinks tanks, etc.) or a more formal review process (e.g., mock reviews, external reviews, etc.)

    Below are available review options for SON Faculty.

    We strongly recommend proposal reviews be sought months in advance to make sure that you have enough time to incorporate feedback in a meaningful way.

    If you would like to submit a request for services at any of the phases below please submit a request via the GDRM Editing Services Request From or if you have any questions, please contact SON-Grants@uab.edu.

    Recommended Time Before Submission Review Activity What is involved in the review Who should do this?
    PHASE 1 – CONCEPTION
    (Outcome = Notice of Intent)
    6-12 months in advance Brainstorming ideas Based on one’s research trajectory and in consultation with mentors and colleagues, the faculty are encouraged to brainstorm to develop a viable idea that has the potential for funding. Contact SON-Grants@uab.edu to discuss options. Everyone
    6-12 months in advance CCTS Nascent Project Panel The CCTS Nascent Project Panel (NPP) assembles a standing panel of transdisciplinary expertise with relevance to clinical and translational research. The NPP meets early with FACULTYs in their project development process to brainstorm the scientific opportunity, to hone proposed study aims, to consider the set of preliminary data in hand or needed and to create a framework for a grant proposal or new research initiative. For more information, contact Jean Lambert jeanl@uab.edu Recommended for everyone
    6-12 months in advance Identify Funding Mechanism Once the ideas are well developed enough, they should be drafted into an abstract and an aims page. Likewise, the appropriate funding mechanisms (e.g., R21, R01, R34) should be identified; this represents a pivotal step to ensure the scope of the study will fit within the resources supplied by the funding mechanism. This information is needed to support the submission of the Notice of Intent. SON-Grants@uab.edu can assist with preliminary searches with faculty to find the appropriate mechanism. Faculty are also encouraged to look for mechanisms via NIH Matchmaker. Recommended for everyone
    4-6 months Consult NIH Matchmaker Matchmaker allows one to submit an abstract online and immediately see what grants have been funded by NIH. It is an excellent source for idea generation and gauging whether one’s ideal is innovative or not. Highly recommended for NIH grants
    6-12 months in advance Talk to Program Officer Draft the aims page and submit to the program officer. The FACULTY, and or mentor, should schedule an appointment to discuss the aims page and glean any insights from the Program Officer about the appropriateness of the study idea for the funding mechanism or specific RFA. Highly recommended for NIH grants
    6-12 months in advance Letter of Intent In some circumstances, a letter of intent may be required or suggested. It is recommended to do this whenever possible to solicit appropriateness of the idea to the funding mechanism. Mechanism dependent
    6-12 months in advance Notice of Intent This is an official step in working towards the grant submission. It helps the ORS and SON identify resources needed to support the grant. Mandatory for everyone
    PHASE 2 – PRODUCTION
    (Outcome = Solid Grant Idea and Draft)
    2-6 months in advance Grant Drafts During this phase, multiple drafts of the grant will be written. Faculty are encouraged to solicit feedback from their research team and mentors at all stages in order to hone the scientific impact and merit of the study idea. Everyone
    2-6 months in advance CCTS Mock Reviews CCTS normally needs 2 weeks to put together a mock review. Often, the CCTS will ask you to provide a list of potential reviewers. The entire grant does not need to be drafted, a partial draft with an aims page can be used. For more information, contact Jean Lambert at jeanl@uab.edu Highly recommended for everyone
    2-6 months in advance UAB UWIRC & Centers Mock Reviews Many of the UWIRCs offer mock reviews for their members (e.g., Neuroscience, CFAR, Palliative Care). Faculty are encouraged to reach out to their centers for such reviews. Highly recommended
    2-6 months before submission ORS Mock Review Various review resources are available for HRSA, Foundation, NIH, etc. during development. Contact SON-Grants@uab.edu to discuss options. Optional
    Once the grant mechanism and rough project details are determined Budget Consultation Determine feasibility of scope with financial resources. Draft budget with assistance of ORS Staff. Mandatory meeting with be setup with the GDRM after the NOI is received.
    2-6 months in advance Methods/Statistics Working Group Consultation An initial consultation is provided to help all faculty understand what will be involved in developing the study design. This is an organic process in which multiple meetings may be needed. As feedback will be provided, time will be needed to incorporate and guide the grant development. Contact SON-Grants@uab.edu Highly recommended for everyone
    PHASE 3 – REFINEMENT
    (Outcome = Successfully Submitted Grant)
    2 months in advance External Review via the ORS or the UAB Office of Research The ORS offers external review from an expert in the field who can provide a review of the grant. For more information contact the SON-Grants@uab.edu
    The Office of Research offers external reviews on any type of grant (NIH, HRSA, CDC, etc.) This service is most helpful for grants that are in the final stages of revisions. Most reviewers are former faculty members and program officers. Their turn around time is about 1 week, however these requests should be submitted 2 months prior to submission for revisions and suggestions to be included. For more information contact Frannie Horn fhorn@uab.edu
    Recommended for high priority grants when there is no available expertise at UAB
    Request no later than 2 weeks before due date Editing Services Professional and scientific editing resources are available through the ORS. Requests need to be pre-arranged with at least 2 weeks lead time before final submission. For more information contact the SON-Grants@uab.edu Optional
  • Forms & Resources

    All requests to initiate the following forms must be made through SON-Grants@uab.edu.

    Old copies of any of the above forms will NOT be accepted.

    ORS Examples and Instructions

    UAB Forms

    NIH Forms

Research Contacts
ORS Navigator
ORS@uab.edu
GDRM Navigator
SON-Grants@uab.edu
(For all pre & post award grant activities)
Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship
Dr. Marie Bakitas
mbakitas@uab.edu
Assistant Dean for Research & Scholarship
Dr. Ellen Smith
esmith3@uab.edu
Director of Research Operations
Cathy Tarver
cotarver@uab.edu