Proposal Development Assistance

Multi-Investigator Proposal Assistance

The Division of Research Program Development (DRPD) provides proposal development assistance primarily for multi-investigator proposals. There is no charge to departments or colleges for our services.

Services Include

Identifying appropriate collaborators: Recommending potential UF-based faculty who may bring needed complementary expertise to the proposal
Grant coordination: Setting team meeting schedules, both virtual and in person; scheduling or facilitating online meetings; setting a writing schedule/timeline
Assistance with preparation of administrative (non-technical) sections of the proposal: Gathering background information or data; gathering and/or editing boilerplate information; writing additional boilerplate sections based on the PI’s plans; aggregating information such as conflict of interest lists from investigators’ biosketches
Graphics assistance: Providing clean flow charts or organization charts based on a PI’s ideas and plans; with additional lead time, provide access to a graphic designer to assist with more complex figures
Review and editing: Providing editorial-level reviews focusing on flow and compliance with the RFP; coordinating a scientific review provided by faculty experts; formatting and stylistic editing when requested

Services Not Provided (departmental and college grants staff and/or UF Proposals should be consulted for these items)

Budget assistance
Uploading documents to electronic submission platforms
Final submission to sponsor
Access to staff outside of regular business hours cannot be guaranteed
Biosketches, Current & Pending Support (C&Ps), and Collaborations and other Affiliations (COAs)

What to Expect

Scheduling of DRPD staff time is handled primarily on a first-come, first-served basis. If the full suite of services listed above is desired, DRPD must be contacted early in the planning process (2-3 months ahead of the sponsor deadline).
After initial contact to discuss grant coordination needs, DRPD staff will meet with the PI(s) to establish a grant writing timeline for submission and to develop a contract for service. View a checklist of potential services with typical timelines.
PIs should involve their departmental and college grants staff as they usually would. Since policies, especially regarding budgeting, can vary from unit to unit within the university, their expertise is crucial to building a successful proposal. For smoothest submission, introduce departmental and college grants staff to DRPD staff involved in the project via email, with a short description of the services requested from DRPD.
DRPD staff will attend any team meetings deemed appropriate by the PI(s), if available – virtual meetings, retreats, workshops, etc. – for planning purposes.

For more information or to request our services, contact Dr. Sobha Jaishankar at (352) 392-8247 or sjaishan@ufl.edu.

Boilerplate Text for Proposals

Templates and resources for writing common proposal elements.

University and College Profiles

Looking for information about specific UF research facilities or boilerplate text?

The following UF Resources and Boilerplate Text may be used as a basis for a UF profile, diversity statement, or college profiles. Please note that some sections require inputting current facts. We suggest tailoring these statements for your specific proposal using the resources provided below each statement.

Learn more

Proposal Writing

Writing resources, tips and guides for specific agencies, UF institutional facts and more.

General

Department of Defense

Basic Research at the Department of Defense

Environmental Protection Agency

Tips on Writing Competitive Proposals (EPA)

National Institute for Health

National Science Foundation

Examples of Successful Proposals

Writing a successful proposal is one of the most important steps in the application process. Click here to view examples of successful proposals by UF PIs. You must have active UF credential to view.