University of Wisconsin
School of Medicine and Public Health

Grant Writing Seminars

In conjunction with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH), the UW Department of Medicine is partnering with Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops (GWSW) to provide virtual seminars on grant writing. 

The seminar is held the second Thursday and Friday of February. The topic alternates each year:

  1. Early Career Grant Writing
  2. Write Winning NIH Grant Proposals

If you have questions about either offering, please contact Monica Jefcoat, office manager for the DOM Office of Research Services, at mjefcoat@medicine.wisc.edu.

Early Career Grant Writing

FEBRUARY 2 and 3, 2023 – 9:00 am to 12:30 pm*

This seminar is designed to demystify the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K and, to a lesser extent, F32 grant writing process for early-career faculty, researchers/scientists (MD/PhD level), research administrators, postdocs primarily involved in research-oriented study, and fellows on T32s or in the Physician-Scientist Training Program (PSTP).

Topics and Agenda
  • How the partnership between applicant, mentor and institution leads to funding and protected time for research training/career development
  • Identifying appropriate proposal types
  • Using review criteria to inform your grant application
  • Understanding the kinds of training and research to propose
  • Establishing and getting the most from your mentoring team
  • Preparing the Candidate and Research Plan sections
  • Obtaining reference letters
  • Tips and content ideas for Statements of Mentors and Co-Mentors

View the agenda.

Cost

The seminar is provided at no cost to all participants. 

The required textbook (The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook – NIH version) is provided at no cost to faculty registrants who are part of UWSMPH. 

If you are not faculty with a UWSMPH department, clinic, institute, or similar entity, you may need to provide a funding string for the $95 textbook fee. The exception is if you were registered for the "Write Winning NIH Grant Proposals" seminar in April 2022. This seminar uses the same textbook edition—you do not need to purchase another.

If prompted during registration to enter a funding string, please use the following format:

Dept ID (6 digits); Program (1 digit); Fund (3 digits); Project Number (7 characters)

Registration

Registration by Friday, January 13 is required. Reserve your spot.

The registration site will prompt you to provide a funding string for the $95 textbook fee based on your form responses (see Cost). If prompted to enter a funding string, please use the following format:

Dept ID (6 digits); Program (1 digit); Fund (3 digits); Project Number (7 characters)

*Times are for both days, in US Central Time. If registrants attended the "Write Winning NIH Grant Proposals” seminar in April 2022, they may join at 11 am on February 2. They should, however, attend all of February 3.

Write Winning NIH Grant Proposals

Coming in Winter 2024

Focusing on NIH grants, this acclaimed two-day seminar addresses both practical and conceptual aspects that are important to the proposal-writing process.

Topics and Agenda
  • Methods for idea generation and development
  • Identify appropriate granting agencies
  • Write with a linear progression of logic for both assigned and non-assigned reviewers
  • How to merit a fundable priority score

View the agenda from April 2022.

What Past Participants Say

“Very informative. Provided a great detailed description on how to write a proposal. I became very enthusiastic about working on my grant proposal.”

“Incredibly detailed, thorough consideration of strategies and best practices for writing successful NIH grant proposals. I definitely will be referring to these slides and the handbook as I craft a current application, and likely future ones as well.”

“The presentation and the material provided were helpful and increased my knowledge of grant writing.”

"This was an amazing seminar. Extremely useful and comprehensive. Dr. Robertson is a very effective speaker, spoke and presented the material at the perfect pace, and was very inviting and willing to take and answer questions."

"Very helpful points were provided. [The presenter] motivated me to work hard and put my passion for research into writing the grant and enjoying the process…I have a lot of experience with writing grants and this seminar will improve my skills for sure."

Please check back soon for more information about cost and registration.

About the Presenter

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John Robertson, PhD

Dr. John Robertson is the managing member of GWSW. He holds a PhD in pharmacology/toxicology and has been the recipient of competitive extramural funding from both the NIH and non-federal sources. He has presented more than 400 grant proposal writing trainings and consulted on over 750 grant applications since joining GWSW, authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters, served on editorial boards and grant review panels, and is routinely recognized for excellence in teaching.