Member May 2026: Grant Writing: The Secret of the Recipe (On-Demand)-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The session introduced a talk on grant writing by Dr. Al-Awadi, who framed grant development as a long, iterative process requiring persistence, teamwork, and resilience. He emphasized that successful research depends on strong science, clear writing, and substantial time investment, with funding success rates often under 30%. The presentation outlined a step-by-step timeline for preparing a grant, from developing ideas and collecting pilot data months in advance to drafting, seeking feedback, handling IRB submission, and final proofreading.<br /><br />Key advice included building a research team, finding mentors, understanding your audience, and choosing a funding agency that fits your goals. Dr. Al-Awadi also highlighted how to formulate a strong research question using the FINER criteria: feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant. He offered practical writing tips such as using clear language, active voice, concise paragraphs, justified budgets, and avoiding excessive jargon or acronyms.<br /><br />The talk also addressed the growing role of AI in grant writing, noting its usefulness for searching opportunities, editing, budgeting, and compliance, while cautioning that human oversight and disclosure requirements remain important. Finally, he discussed coping with rejection by reviewing feedback objectively, revising, and resubmitting, while maintaining relationships with funders and colleagues.

Keywords

grant writing

research funding

FINER criteria

pilot data

IRB submission

AI in grant writing

grant proposal revision