Competition for federal and/or highly competitive research fund has become increasingly fierce. To help Cornell faculty obtain grants, OFDD offers a program providing a $500 honorarium to an external colleague who agrees to review a Cornell faculty member’s completed grant application prior to submission or resubmission to an outside agency. Details are as follows.

1. The program is open to assistant professors underrepresented who need help in preparing a grant application to a federal or other highly competitive agency. The program intends to aid: a) principal investigators resubmitting unfunded applications that received priority scores reasonably close to the funding cut-off score or equivalent for non-NIH grants; and b) new investigators preparing their first major grant application. Applicants to the program who do not fit into either category will be considered as special cases upon request.
2. Faculty members who wish to use this program should contact OFDD well in advance of their grant application deadline. OFDD will ask for the name of the colleague chosen to provide a critical review; their CV, and a letter from the colleague agreeing to provide the consultation (see #3 below). The faculty member should complete questions asked in the template below to apply and receive approval for the program.
3. The consultant should be a well-established researcher with a track record both as a grant recipient and as a reviewer for granting agencies; preferably they will have served on a review panel for the same agency to which the investigator is applying. The consultant should be familiar with the Cornell investigator’s academic discipline.The consultant should be willing and able to offer specific and detailed advice on ways to improve existing existing unfunded applications and should help new investigators organize and outline their initial applications. The consultant is expected to read a draft of the completed application and offer written suggestions for its improvement. Except in unusual circumstances, the consultant should not be a Cornell faculty member.
4. OFDD will provide a $500 honorarium to one approved consultant per grant request. The Cornell faculty member will need to request payment to the consultant after the consultant’s review has been received. The Cornell faculty member should provide OFDD the name of the reviewer, home address, and office phone number.

Application Template

Date:

Name of Applicant:

Department/Unit/Division

Email address:

Telephone:

Grant application title:

Agency:

Grant number (if known):

Type of application – a) new investigator or b) revision. If revision, score received on initial application if relevant; c) other (please state).

Intended reviewer and institution (if known):

Reason for request (briefly):