ASRC Grants 101 Bootcamp

glass beakers and flasks against a blue background

Developing a “concept paper” for federal or non-profit grants

Fall 2023

The focus of this Bootcamp will be conceptualizing your research to fit a specific federal funding agency or major non-profit sponsor (e.g., NSF, NIH, NEH, DOD, DOE, IES, Spencer, Simons, etc.) and writing a 1-3 page concept or whitepaper for discussing your idea with agency program officers.

Activities will include some lectures, reading & writing assignments, and group discussions with constructive feedback on ideas and work-in-progress. Groups of no more than 8 faculty will meet for 2.5 hours a week.

The ASRC Bootcamp program is led by:

Linda Vigdor, M.F.A., Ph.D.
Associate Director of Proposal Development
Advanced Science Research Center

For more information, please contact: lvigdor@gc.cuny.edu

The program is particularly relevant for:

  • Research active CUNY faculty who have not yet previously written & successfully submitted a grant proposal to a federal funding agency
  • PIs with NIH funding who would like to learn how to reframe their research to fit NSF
  • PIs interested in applying for the following NSF grants:
    • Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS)
    • Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) program
  • CUNY tenure track assistant professors who plan to apply for the ASRC’s NSF CAREER Bootcamp in 2024 and have not been the PI on a prior positively reviewed NSF proposal (not necessarily funded) and/or need to start conceptualizing their research and objectives

Completing this bootcamp may be a prerequisite for acceptance into the 2023 ASRC NSF CAREER bootcamp.

Bootcamp Format and Schedule

  • 1-2 groups will be formed. Groups will meet on Tuesdays (3–5:30 PM or Wednesdays, 4-6:30 PM).
  • The Bootcamp application has a section to indicate which slot(s) fits the PI’s schedule.
  • We will meet during the following weeks:
    October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; November 6, 13, 27, and December 4, (and tentatively, December 11).
  • Bootcamps will meet on Zoom. Zoom video and proficiency with Dropbox are required.

How to Apply

Applications for the Fall 2023 Grants 101 Bootcamp open August 30th and the deadline to apply is Monday, September 18th, 5:00 PM (NYC time)