Here you can find a collection of resources and data that may be useful in the writing and development of your proposal.

Connect with the Team

Strategic Research Initiatives provides resources and information to assist faculty with developing quality, competitive proposals. We are available to consult on agency fit, proposal narrative elements, give proposal reviews, and answer other program-related questions. Please contact a member of our team for additional support.

To request a review of your proposal draft, contact:

Proposal Writing 

Strategic Research Initiatives Proposal Writing Programs (C2S, PROWESS)
Strategic Research Initiatives offers annual proposal writing workshop series for STEM and Social Science, Humanities, and Education faculty.

Research Development and Grant Writing Newsletter
Strategic Research Initiatives subscribes to and distributes a Grant Writing Newsletter from Academic Research Funding Strategies. This monthly newsletter contains articles relevant to faculty and campus researchers on grant writing, funding agencies, etc.

Click here to access previous newsletters.

To sign up to receive the Research Development & Grant Writing Newsletter, join the UCSB Google Group here.

Sample Proposals 

Sample proposals may also be requested from Strategic Research Initiatives. Contact anyone on the team or email funding@research.ucsb.edu to make your request. A list of agencies and programs that we currently have sample proposals for is listed below, as well as a selection of successful proposals federal agencies have made available to researchers.

 

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Beckman Young Investigator Program

Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award Program

David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Department of Defense

  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award
  • Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)
  • Minority-Serving Institutions Equipment/Instrumentation
  • Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (YIP)

National Endowment for the Humanities

  • Humanities Collections and Reference Resources

National Institutes of Health

  • R01
  • R21
  • T32

National Science Foundation

  • CAREER
  • EAGER
  • NRT
  • MRI
  • PIRE
  • STC

Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Searle Scholars Program

National Institutes of Health

Within the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) provides a wide range of sample applications and summary statements.  TThe NIAID website has samples for the following:

U.S. Department of Education

The Department of Education provides access to a variety of information, including successful grant applications in their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room.  The selection below was taken directly from their website.

National Endowment for the Humanities

The National Endowment for the Humanities typically provides 3-4 sample proposals for each funding opportunity. The following are links to samples provided by NEH.  

This list is just a small selection of the samples which NEH makes available.  Please visit the NEH program pages directly to access additional sample proposals.

Facilities

 

Facilities Handout

Strategic Research Initiatives has compiled descriptions of shared facilities and resources on campus for use in Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources documents.

Shared Instrumentation 

The Shared Instrumentation website is a resource for UCSB researchers and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration across our many departments, institutes and centers.

Data and Computing

Campus Resources

Research Computing & Data

The RCD website offers a virtual gateway connecting affiliates to a wealth of computational and data-related resources to support academic research. It provides seamless access to a myriad of tools, support services, and expertise available to our campus community.

Library Research Data Services

The Research Data Services department helps UCSB researchers manage and preserve their research data through consultations, long-term engagements, and instructional workshops. They offer support across the research data lifecycle, from pre-project planning to post-project archival, connecting researchers with both locally- and externally-provided curation services. 

DMP Tool

DMPTool is a free, open-source, online application that helps researchers create data management plans that meet the requirements of major U.S. funding agencies. 

Agency Guidance & Resources

Other agencies often include their data management requirements in the funding opportunity announcement. 

Broader Impacts

NSF CAREER Education Plan

Strategic Research Initiatives prepared some guidance on creating the Education Plan for your NSF CAREER proposal.

NSF Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan Guide

Guidance if your NSF proposal will support postdoctoral researchers.

Outreach and Broader Impacts Partnership Resources

UC Santa Barbara is home to over 40 STEM Education and Outreach Programs serving K-14, parents, and teachers with many different types of experience.

Advancing Research Impact in Society

A compilation of newly developed tools, scholarly works, and informational links that support the various aspects of broader impacts support.

Department of Energy Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plans

Beginning in FY 2023, all DOE Office of Science Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) require applicants to include a Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan as an appendix to their proposal narrative. PIER Plans should describe the activities and strategies applicants will incorporate to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in their research projects. PIER Plans will be evaluated as part of the merit review process and will be used to inform funding decisions.

Serving as a Reviewer 

Serving as a reviewer is an excellent way to gain insight into the inner workings of funding agencies, their priorities, and the peer review process, as well as build your professional network.

National Science Foundation

NSF encourages early career faculty to serve as reviewers, and gives detailed instructions on how to become a reviewer on their Why You Should Volunteer to Serve As An NSF Reviewer page.

National Institutes of Health

NIH invites faculty to serve in standing Study Sections via a selection process. NIH also hosts an Early Career Reviewer (ECR) program to specifically recruit early career faculty to serve as reviewers.

UCSB Data and Other Statistics

Institutional Information

Common institutional data required by sponsors for proposals.

Campus Profile

The Campus Profile, created by Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment, contains a variety of campus statistics, including student enrollment, student demographics, and personnel and financial information.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES)

A principal statistical agency located within the National Science Foundation (NSF), committed to advancing the methods for collection and accessibility of objective statistical information in the United States.

 

NSF’s Safe and Inclusive Working Environments Plan

As part of a Pilot Program several solicitations from NSF’s Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO) and Geosciences (GEO) will soon require the submission of a Safe and Inclusive Working Environments Plan for any proposals that include research to be conducted off-campus or off-site. This document will be required in lieu of the plan and certification described in the Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG; NSF 23-1, Chapter II.E.9) and is discussed in an NSF video available here.