Make Grant Writing Faster, More Efficient and More Effective
Faculty achievements are pivotal to driving growth at institutions. Academic output like grant awards, and the discoveries or breakthroughs that come as a result, bring notoriety and prestige to an institution (and consequently attract top faculty and increased applications).
Given the importance for both personal and institutional growth, faculty spend an average of 171 hours per grant proposal (according to a 2015 study). Yet grants only have a 20% acceptance rate on average.
In addition to the time investment, the lack of an intuitive process can amount to a considerable deterrent for first-time applicants. Even experienced applicants can find the process arduous.
Academic institutions can provide their faculty the tools to make their grant writing faster, more efficient, and more effective. Reducing obstacles like paper processes and providing intuitive, automated processes can empower faculty to apply for more grants. And frequency matters – those who apply for more grants receive more funding than those with fewer grant applications.
Hence, it is vital to have a system that helps take the manual burden off grant applications. One piece of the process that can easily be automated is the preparation of biosketches.
Grant Biosketches: Proving Your Experience and Qualification
One crucial factor considered in grant reviewers is the applicant’s past track record and their ability to conduct the research. The investigators’ biosketches must concisely convey all the information needed to convince the review committee that they can direct the project.
A biosketch included in a grant application is different from a resume one might prepare for a job or an academic CV documenting professional growth. Grant biosketches have very detailed formatting and content requirements.
With unique requirements for each grant and the high stakes at play, extensive effort is necessary for each application. But compiling data and formatting biosketches should not take up the applicant’s precious time.
Biosketch Builder: Enter Info Once, Reuse Again and Again
Our Faculty Information System (FIS) has been built around one core ideal – freeing faculty from mundane administrative tasks, without sacrificing the institutional oversight needed to drive strategic academic operations. With our latest release, all FIS users will have access to the new biosketch builder tool.
FIS already houses faculty information such as education history, work experience, professional contributions, publications, and research. And with real-time connections with ORCID and other online databases, it keeps current and previous work in sync. Creating a biosketch is as simple as selecting what should be included and downloading a formatted and editable form at the click of a button. The biosketch builder is templatized for both NIH and NSF biosketch formats and can be easily adapted for specific needs.
When you free faculty from administrative burden, they can be more efficient, apply for more grants, bring in more funding, and make discoveries that will impact the way we understand the world.
Contact us to learn more about how you can empower your faculty with FIS.