In support of various aspects of research, the Office of Strategic Research Initiatives (OSRI) plans occasional workshops and webinars in coordination with faculty and other offices in the Division of Research. Please see links below for upcoming and past workshops, and reach out to OSRI staff with any workshop suggestions you may have.
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Upcoming Workshops and Webinars
- Proposer's Toolbox (ProTools) Fall Workshop Series
- Webinar: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Funding Opportunities
- NSF CAREER Commit-to-Submit Program (January through June 2025)
Proposer's Toolbox (ProTools)
Overview
Offered annually in the fall semester, ProTools is a four-part, hands-on workshop series to help faculty develop and practice essential proposal-writing skills. If you’re just getting started writing proposals – or if you’re looking to improve the impact of your writing – this program is for you. This four-part training series will equip you with the essential knowledge and tried-and-true strategies you need to write winning proposals. Designed for BU faculty from across the academic spectrum, these in-person workshops will provide straightforward guidance and hands-on activities to help you tackle the critical elements of a standard research proposal for most major funders, all within a relaxed, discussion-oriented environment.
Each successive workshop will build on lessons from previous sessions (see below), so participants are strongly encouraged to attend all four sessions. All workshops will be held at the Innovative Technologies Complex just off Main Campus. These are discussion- and participation-heavy workshops, so in-person attendance is required. A remote option will NOT be available.
Space is limited for these events, and registration is required, so please sign up early. Please check back as we plan for the Fall 2025 session. Last year's schedule is listed below.
Important information about each workshop will be emailed out to all registered faculty the week before each meeting.
Schedule
How (Good) Proposals Work
Friday, September 15, 10:30 - 12:00 p.m., CE-2011
Proposal writing is hard, especially if you don't have the right tools. In this workshop, we’ll go through the core components, useful strategies, and common pitfalls for grant proposals, with a focus on federal funders. You’ll learn about the staff and resources here at Binghamton University that can help you out, and you'll dive into writing with some quick-but-effective practice tasks to get your proposal-writing brain in gear.
Connecting with Funders
Friday, September 29, 10:30 - 12:00 p.m., ES-2008 (location change)
How do you find the right fit for your project? We'll talk about how and when to make contact with program officers, along with a quick overview of how proposals get reviewed by panels and study sections. We'll share some email templates you can use to make first contact, and you'll start writing up a short pitch for your project that you can use when speaking with funding agency personnel.
Write Great Objectives
Friday, October 13, 10:30 - 12:00 p.m., CE-2011
Great proposals need great objectives (or aims, or hypotheses, or whatever else you may call them). But it can be surprisingly difficult to describe – in brief, compelling language – what you plan to achieve with a given project. We’ll look at examples of effective objective statements and specific aims from a range of disciplines, then you'll construct (or refine) your own objectives using a simple but effective writing guide.
Sharpen Your Message
Friday, October 27, 10:30 - 12:00 p.m., CE-2011
As a proposal writer, your most important job is to engage and maintain your reader’s attention. True, you first need to have a great idea or project, but if you want to stand out in the pile of applications sitting on your reviewers’ (virtual) desks, your documents need to be clear, compelling, and memorable. In this workshop, we’ll share advice on how to make your proposal both purposeful and easy to read.
Past Webinars and Workshops:
SPA360 (Sponsored Programs Administration 360)
Introduction to Using the Research Foundation Report Center (Video)
Introduction to Broader Impacts. (Slides)
Research Communication (Slides)
How to become an NSF or NIH Reviewer. (Video)
Transdisciplinary Seed Grants.
Managing and Leveraging Intellectual Property in Grants and Contracts
The Research Foundation Electronic Workflow System (slides)
Research Impacts Panel
Early Stage and Quick Turnaround Programs (e.g., RAPID, EAGER, R03, R21)
Organizer: Robert Lawrence | August 11, 2021 - noon - 12pm |Slides
Campus Core Facilities and Shared Resources for Research
Organizer: Robert Lawrence | June 30, 2021 | Slides
Making an Impact from Page One (Video / Slides)
Organizer: Kevin Boettcher | May 6, 2020
Broader Impacts Refresher (Video / Slides)
Organizer: Michael Jacobson | April 29, 2020