• Fit of the proposed project to the solicitation and prospective funder 
• Solicitation requirements and options for addressing them 
• Funder's mission and general and specific proposal review criteria 
• Overall responsiveness of the proposed approach 
• Background resources, tools, and insights from previously funded proposals 

• Structuring a proposal outline/checklist as a writing guide 
• Suggestions to increase the power and clarity of the presentation 
• Ensuring consistency across multiple sections and authors 
• Assistance with other components as needed (e.g., biosketches) 

• Editing for scientific content 
• Editing and formatting for clarity, cohesiveness, and overall effect 
• Condensing text and eliminating redundancies 

• Comments on the focus, organization, and development of preliminary drafts 

• Clarity of significance, innovation, and potential impact of proposed work 
• Compliance with review criteria, funder mission and guidelines, and past reviewer comments (if available) 
• Effectiveness and impact of near-final drafts 
• Proofreading of final version 

Please note that all services are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to institutional initiatives. We encourage PIs to contact us as soon as possible to ensure adequate time to fulfill their request. Timing guidelines for making a request are as follows: 

• Full Service

  • Conceptual Advice, Document Assistance, and Editing, Document Review
  • At least 2-3 months in advance of the submission deadline 

• Conceptual Advice only

  • Can be done at any time with a meeting request to the Research Development Team 

• Document Assistance and Editing with Document Review

  • Weekly or bi-weekly meetings until submission 

  • Notification at least 60-90 days prior to submission 
  • Early notification time allows us better scheduling

•  Document Review

  • At least one month to review the full proposal 

• Proofreading only 

  • 1 week to review specific aims page, 2 weeks to review the full proposal