Proposal Development

Getting funding for your research requires more than a solid research plan. The grants administration team at IQSS can help you to find opportunities, target individual funders, write a competitive proposal, develop a detailed budget and financial plan, and submit a timely and complete application.

Writing Proposals

IQSS can help you put your original research ideas into the form of a competitive research proposal. If you are new to the funding process, or would like a systematic review of the grant writing and review process, IQSS provides regular seminars on proposal development. If you are considering whether to seek funding from new sources, or would like feedback on an existing proposal, IQSS provides individualized consulting. Please contact us for more information.

Developing Budgets

Budget development is essential to preparing and submitting a competitive proposal. Your project budget sets the stage for the actual implementation of your research, detailing in precise terms all the resources that will be used to solve the problem set forth in your proposal.  It is essential to forecast your projected expenses accurately--many sponsors hold you accountable to spending within a small margin of error for each line item in your budget while also looking negatively on underspending your award. 

IQSS staff can help you develop the best possible budget.  To assist with these preparations we have developed a questionnaire designed to help you identify the financial needs of your project.  This information will, in turn, help us plan the submission of your proposal.

For inquiries, please complete the attached Grant Budget form and then contact Ali Saren, Grants Manager at IQSS, at 617-496-7294. Or contact us by email.

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Submitting Proposals

We can help IQSS affiliates with all aspects of proposal submission, including:

  • Organizing and formatting information using funder-required templates
  • Acting as the main source of administrative information for faculty and researchers
  • Maintaining copies of proposals and award documentation
  • Ensuring compliance with federal and nonfederal sponsor submission requirements
  • Preparing budgets and related personnel forms
  • Entering proposals intro electronic submission systems, such as Fastlane and Grants.Gov
  • Coordinating with Harvard's Office of Sponsored Programs on award submissions

Please be aware that Harvard's Office of Sponsored Programs requires advance notice (and in some cases, advanced approval) for submission. Let us know as early as possible if you are considering submitting a proposal through IQSS.

For inquiries, please use the form attached to the Developing Budgets page and then contact Ali Saren, Grants Manager at IQSS. Or contact us by email.

Additional Forms and Resources

To facilitate your proposal development, we offer the following forms and templates:

  • Budget and project planning form - Use this when you plan to submit a proposal through IQSS.
  • NSF-style bio template - Use this for NSF formatted bios.
  • NIH-style bio template - Use this for NIH style bios.
  • Letter of support template - Use this when requesting a letter of support from IQSS or other supporters.
  • IQSS Facilities - This describes current IQSS research facilities. Use this for the Facilities section of proposals.

For inquiries, please contact Ali Saren, Grants Manager at IQSS. Or contact us by email.

Files