Member May 2026: Grant Writing: The Secret of the Recipe-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session opened with housekeeping notes about respectful conduct, recording, questions, and the Academy’s policies. Dr. Al-Awadi then presented “Grant Writing: The Secret of the Recipe,” focusing on practical strategies for writing successful grants in rehabilitation research.<br /><br />He emphasized that research funding is highly competitive, with success rates under 30%, and that grant writing requires time, persistence, collaboration, and resilience in the face of rejection. He recommended starting preparation nearly a year in advance: developing ideas, reviewing literature, collecting pilot data, drafting, seeking feedback, obtaining ethics approval, refining the budget, proofreading, and submitting on time.<br /><br />Key advice included building a strong research team with mentors, statisticians, finance support, and IRB guidance; selecting a focused, testable research question using the FINER criteria; and finding the right funding agency based on mission, priorities, and project fit. He also discussed what reviewers want: well-designed, collaborative, clearly written proposals with justified timelines and budgets.<br /><br />He covered writing tips such as using clear language, active voice, concise paragraphs, and limited acronyms. Finally, he explored AI’s growing role in finding grants, editing proposals, checking compliance, and tracking submissions, while noting ethical concerns and the need for human oversight. He ended by encouraging perseverance and learning from rejection.

Keywords

grant writing

rehabilitation research

research funding

proposal development

funding agencies

reviewer expectations

artificial intelligence