How RD can help
Services
The Research Development (RD) team provides a range of services from high-level strategic consulting to more comprehensive support for large, team proposals. We welcome inquiries from faculty and researchers on:
Opportunity identification
- Funding strategy
- Dissemination of opportunities
- Workshops on early-career opportunities
- Targeted funding searches
- Limited-submissions and internal funding programs
Conceptual Advice
- Fit to the opportunity and sponsor
- Alignment with the funder’s mission
- Competitive intelligence
- Background analysis
- Solicitation requirements
- Non-technical proposal components
- Addressing reviewer critiques
Process Coordination
- Timeline development
- Collaborator matchmaking
- Cost-sharing commitments
- Team meetings, file sharing, and communications
- Site-visit preparation
- Color-team reviews
Proposal Writing
- Critical, constructive review and editing to improve responsiveness, clarity, and overall impact
- Guidance on graphic design
How requests for RD assistance are evaluated and prioritized
RD directors and, as appropriate, the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, review requests for assistance, taking into consideration factors including but not limited to:
- Current and projected workload of RD personnel
- Timeliness of request – 8 weeks or more before the due date
- Degree to which the proposed research is multi-, inter- or transdisciplinary, as evidenced by involvement of investigators from multiple departments and/or units
- Extent to which the proposed research crosses campus (General Campus, Health Sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanography) boundaries
- Budget size
- Likelihood of proposal success
- Anticipated campus impact
How do I know if the total dollar-request is large enough to request support?
We understand that typical budget requests vary greatly among disciplines. For the natural and applied sciences, “large enough” might mean $10 million or more. Social sciences and humanities budgets are often more modest. Investigators in all fields are encouraged to apply for RD assistance.