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Develop, manage, and submit

You’ve found an opportunity and built your team. Now it’s time to prepare your proposal. Grants Hub can support you with a range of á la carte services or a comprehensive package that will help you cross the finish line first.

Proposal Management

Preparing a proposal—especially a large-scale one with many collaborators—can be daunting. Grants Hub proposal managers can…

• Create timelines and workplans
• Track required documents, deliverables, and deadlines; follow up with team members to keep everything on track
• Facilitate regular proposal team meetings
• Coordinate partner institutions, stakeholders, and consultants
• Plan and coordinate site visits and reverse site visits

When to Contact Grants Hub

• For comprehensive proposal management support, please request service as early as possible. Large center-type proposals can take months of preparation.

Editing and Writing Support

A successful proposal tells a compelling story to reviewers. Grants Hub writing specialists can…

• Edit for spelling, grammar, clarity, and style
• Provide reviewer-lens feedback aligning to solicitation criteria and sponsor priorities
• Help draft non-technical docs (biosketches, facilities and resources documents)
• Coordinate pre-submission review and feedback for selected large proposals and site visits

When to Contact Grants Hub

For basic editing support, please request service at least one week before the submission deadline.

Proposal Graphics

High-quality graphics can communicate more than text alone and make your proposal much more persuasive. Grants Hub graphic designers can develop…

• Infographics, overviews, charts, and other visuals for the written proposal
• Slide decks and virtual visit backgrounds
• Logo and branding packages for selected center-level proposals

When to Contact Grants Hub

For graphic support, please request service a minimum of two weeks before the proposal deadline. Requests for a large number of figures or complex visuals may require more time. Grants Hub can typically provide up to three rounds of revision with sufficient notice.

Site Visit Support

Site visits and reverse site visits are critical steps in the review of some large-scale proposals that require a tremendous amount of planning, practice, and preparation. Grants Hub staff are here to handle the logistics and help you convey your message effectively.

• Share best practices for site visit preparation
• Coordinate communications, team-building, timelines, and deliverables
• Facilitate planning and practice sessions, and coordinate red team reviews with outside reviewers
• Create slide templates, logos, graphics, and other materials that present a consistent visual identity
• Review and edit slides, scripts, and documents for maximum impact
• Manage logistics of in-person or virtual meetings

When to Contact Grants Hub

• Site visit invitations often arrive with only a few weeks’ notice. If you are applying for an opportunity that includes a site visit or reverse site visit stage, please request service as soon as the proposal has been submitted (if you haven’t already been working with the Grants Hub). This will let us start site visit preparations even before you get an invitation.

Pre-Award Research Administration

Grants Hub can take care of the nuts and bolts of submitting your proposal, either as your main point of contact or in collaboration with your college’s pre-award support unit. Grants Hub research development specialists can…

• Develop proposal budgets and justifications
• Collect and check documents for sponsor/Iowa State compliance and upload to sponsor portals or Streamlyne S2S system
• Initiate/route proposal development (PD) and quick proposal (QP) documents in Streamlyne
• Coordinate with subrecipients, program officers, and Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA)

When to Contact Grants Hub

For pre-award support, please request service four weeks or more before the proposal deadline, depending on the complexity of your proposal. See the Pre-Award Support at ISU document for details. Requests for Streamlyne assistance alone may require less time.