The Biological Sciences Division has formed a new Research Development Team (RDT) to support faculty submitting large-scale interdisciplinary and collaborative research proposals. This support is intended to decrease the administrative burden of these complex submissions and allow faculty to focus on the science in the proposals.
The RDT will facilitate submission of large-scale proposals, both federal and nonfederal, that exceed $6 million in total costs, such as NIH P or U series, RC2, RM1, or NSF STC grants. The team will also aim to foster new collaborations and interactions amongst faculty across different departments and from different areas of focus within the BSD, as well as help bridge connections across UChicago divisions and affiliates. There will also be a possibility to apply for pilot funding if key preliminary data would be beneficial to a research team’s proposal.
The RDT will start with two to three full-time staff (including PhD-level editors and a pre-award grants administrator), with plans to add more staff if demand for these services grow. They will also work with experienced scientific illustrators on key figures in the proposals. The RDT will provide services such as project management, draft management and mentoring plans, resource sections, budget justification, letters of support, and other administrative sections, while working with scientific editors and illustrators to ensure accuracy, clarity, and consistency of the proposal.
This service will not replace department-level grants administration. Rather, it is intended to be an incremental service by staff specifically focused on, and experienced with, large-scale proposals who will work closely with departmental staff. This service is not mandatory, and faculty can still choose to manage their own proposal process or work exclusively with pre-award and editorial staff in their departments or at the University. The RDT will not charge the PI/department or collect any awarded IDCs. Awarded grants will still be managed by the departments.
The goal is that the new RDT will help stimulate more science at the interface of different disciplines and transcend traditional departmental boundaries by committing resources to support more far-reaching research proposals and to help increase the BSD's visibility and position as scientific leaders. If you have questions about the implementation of the RDT or have an upcoming proposal deadline that may qualify for RDT services, please contact the Office of the Dean for Basic Science.
