We are pleased to offer an online course, supported by ITHS, the UW School of Medicine and the UW School of Public Health, on grant writing for clinical and non-clinical new investigators. The Grant Writing Program is a 12-week course for junior faculty and post-docs developed by Annette Fitzpatrick and Larry Kessler. At the end of this program, participants are expected to have developed a completely written grant in the final stages to be submitted to a funding organization. The course will concentrate on both investigator-initiated (similar to R-type grants to NIH) and career-development grants (similar to K-type grants). This opportunity is open to all eligible persons regardless of race, sex or other identity.
Format
This 12-week course will meet on Wednesdays from 3:00–5:00 PM Pacific time beginning September 9 through December 2 with a final mock study section to be held during the week of December 7 (dates to be decided based on enrollee and mentor availability). Note that there are 11 class sessions and one session dedicated to individual participant-instructor meetings to discuss their methods. There will be no class held during the week of Thanksgiving.
The course will be online via Zoom and attendance at the class time is required with a few exceptions, such as religious holidays. All classes will be recorded. Please note that a large part of the value of the course comes from peer-to-peer interactions on their grant ideas and writing.
Download the draft course schedule here.
Cost
The course cost is $3,500 per enrollee. This is payable by August 31, 2026, to a budget from the Department of Health Systems and Population Health, SPH, UW. Please contact Than Htwe of the Department of Health Systems and Population Health (htwet@uw.edu) for fiscal arrangements. Please note that we cannot return any money even if a participant drops out. We have had students drop out in the past and that means the funds are essentially a lost investment. It is therefore important before funds are committed that the potential participant and their mentor agree to meet the course requirements.
A limited number of matching funds will be available from ITHS. Please do let the instructors know if your department would like to ask for matching funds. We are able to accommodate 3 requests this year.
Eligibility
Early career faculty and postdocs at ITHS Partner Institutions, including the University of Washington, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and other academic institutions affiliated with the University of Washington through the ITHS in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region are welcome to apply.
Participant Expectations
Writing a full R or K grant in 3 months is a huge challenge. Potential participants must realize that a significant time commitment is required. The course and independent writing will take an average of 10-12 hours per week for the entire course. Each year we have had students underestimate the commitment and, consequently, either need to drop out or feel constantly challenged to keep up with the pace of the course.
Mentor Expectations
- We require the mentor to review the work of their mentee and provide written feedback to the course participant as the grant is developed.
- Mentors should plan to attend one hour of one of the 4-hour mock study sections at the end of the course, this year the week of December 7. We ask that the mentors plan to attend for a full hour during the session in which their mentee’s proposal is being critiqued. They should participate as they would in an NIH study section.
Candidate Selection
16–20 total participants will be admitted into the course following a review of candidate qualifications, topic of the proposal, and mentor’s letter of support.
How to Apply
Please send the application materials to kesslerl@uw.edu & fitzpal@uw.edu:
