Presenter: John D. Robertson, Ph.D. | Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops
Sponsored by the UF Health Cancer Institute
Breakfast, lunch and workbook included! Space is limited so please register early.
Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops was founded by academicians, for academicians to help researchers obtain formal training in how to support their work with grant proposal writing.
This seminar teaches new or emerging investigators how to write a grant application, a subject that is sometimes missing from the formal educational backgrounds of most junior faculty members. This seminar is appropriate for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, early-career scientists and their mentor(s)/sponsor(s). It emphasizes the partnering between applicant, mentor/sponsor and institution that is necessary to make these proposals successful, resulting in protected time for research.
The NIH’s mentored Career Development Awards and NIH’s Ruth L. Kirschstein F32 National Research Service Award for individual postdoctoral fellows are used as representative applications; the principles and fundamentals learned are transposable to equivalent grants offered by other agencies – only the specifics vary. Content of the seminar includes tips and strategies on getting reference letters; selecting and getting the most from a sponsor/mentor; how review criteria can be used to inform the writing of a CDA; the kinds of research and training that should be proposed; preparing plans and statements of the mentor/sponsor and much, much more. Attendees will leave the program prepared to write their first (or next) grant proposal, whether it is a fellowship or career development application.
All registered participants will receive an extensive handout and a copy of The National Institutes of Health Grant Application Writer’s Workbook. The latter is designed to facilitate application of what is learned in the seminar to the writing of each attendee’s first (or next) grant proposal.
The Grant Application Writer’s Workbook
National Institutes of Health Version
The January 2026 edition has been updated to comply with the recently updated FORMS-I general and program-specific instructions for NIH grant applications due on or after January 25, 2026. Some of the updates and information include: a new preface has been added; detailed instructions for preparing the Biographical Sketch Common Form and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement; added information about NIH’s new award structure that prohibits subawards for foreign components from being nested under a parent grant; guidance on how NIH is resuming operations after the government shutdown; added content about NIH’s plan to move away from strict paylines in making funding decisions; guidance on how to stay current with NIH Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs); and added note that NIH has instructed Institutes and Centers to discontinue the use of Notices of Special Interest (NOSIs). All Notice of Funding Opportunity numbers, URLs, and screenshots have also been updated.
Instructor
John Robertson, Ph.D.
Dr. John Robertson holds a Doctorate in Pharmacology/Toxicology and has been an Associate Member at Grant Writers’ Seminars & Workshops since 2010. In 2017 he became the Managing Member. He has been the recipient of competitive extramural funding from both the NIH and non-federal sources. He has authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and three book chapters. In addition, he has been a member of grant review panels, a reviewer for a number of biomedical journals, and served on editorial boards. He has also been routinely recognized for excellence in teaching.
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Agenda
*Schedule is approximate depending upon scope and extent of questions and discussion.
Thursday, Nov. 5 | 8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
8 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
General grant proposal writing concepts
The three requirements needed for success in any application: Your idea, your commitment, your grantsmanship skills
Grant application contents: similarities of all formats
9:30 a.m.
Understanding NIH funding priorities
Notices of funding opportunity
The importance of program officers
Search NIH information for researchers
F-series and K-series grant mechanisms
10:15 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m.
Preparation of the application: Research training plan
How to create a compelling Specific Aims section
Noon
Lunch break
1 p.m.
Approach
Rigor and Reproducibility
Significance
Background and Preliminary Studies
Respective Contributions and Selection of Sponsor and Institution (F)
2:45 p.m.
Break
3 p.m.
Preparation of the application: Additional sections
Doctoral Dissertation and Research Experience (F) / Candidate Background (K)
Training Goals and Objectives (F) / Career Goals and Objectives (K)
Activities Planned Under this Award (F) / Career Development and Training Activities (K)
Statement(s) of Support by Sponsor(s) (F) / Mentor(s) (K)
Reference Letters
Biographical Sketches
Facilities and Other Resources/Major Equipment
Institutional Environment and Commitment to Training
Project Summary/Narrative
Critical internal review of your proposal
The review process
The concept of peer review
The importance of identifying your reviewers
Review criteria and procedures
Resubmission of scored and triaged applications
4:45 p.m.
Questions/adjournment
