In Spring 2024, the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) hosted its eighth session of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing Series. Led by faculty who have demonstrated a history of success with NIH proposals, the (now) biennial series is designed to prepare early-career faculty at Illinois to submit their first R01 or other individual investigator proposals to the NIH.
Open to all Illinois investigators, the 2024 series attracted more than 150 researchers from 70 units and 12 colleges and schools across campus. IHSI Senior Research Development Manager Maggie Berg has organized the program since 2015.
“This is the highest level of engagement we have seen since the series launch,” noted Berg. “I think this continues to be a very popular program because the advice and perspectives from investigators who have successfully obtained NIH funding are invaluable, especially as the funding landscape becomes more competitive.”
2024 Series Sessions
The 2024 NIH Grant Writing series was held via Zoom in six weekly sessions from Jan. 30 through Mar. 5, providing information and advice on all aspects of the grant writing process. Recordings are below and workshop resources are available upon request.
- INTRODUCTION TO THE NIH
Justin Aronoff | Assistant Professor | Speech & Hearing Science
Maggie Berg | Senior Research Development Manager | IHSI
Brian Monson | Associate Professor | Speech & Hearing Science - NIH PEER REVIEW PROCESS
Alison Bell | Professor | Evolution, Ecology, & Behavior
Ben Hankin | Professor | Psychology
Jason Ridlon | Associate Professor | Animal Sciences - SPECIFIC AIMS DEVELOPMENT
Jodi Flaws | Professor | Comparative Biosciences
Brendan Harley | Professor | Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Sepideh Sadaghiani | Associate Professor | Psychology - BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL, PART 1
Catharine Fairbairn | Associate Professor | Psychology
Andrew Smith | Professor | Bioengineering
Brenda Wilson | Professor | Microbiology - BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL, PART 2
Maggie Berg | Senior Research Development Manager | IHSI
Heidi Imker | Associate Professor | University Library
Gee Lau | Professor | Pathobiology
Dan Llano | Professor | Molecular & Integrative Physiology - Responding to Reviews
Naiman Khan | Associate Professor | Kinesiology & Community Health
Laura Mattie | Associate Professor | Speech & Hearing Science
Liliane Windsor | Professor | School of Social Work
Mentorship Program
Before each NIH Grant Writing Series, deans, department heads, and directors are invited to nominate early-career faculty to participate in a mentorship program. In addition to attending the seminar series, selected nominees are paired with an experienced faculty mentor, participate in a peer review workshop, and compile an advanced draft of an NIH proposal. Since 2015, a total of 88 faculty, including the 2024 NIH Grant Writing Series Cohort, have been nominated by their departments and selected to complete the full program.
Helen Corley Petit Associate Professor of Psychology Catharine Fairbairn, a 2016 program alumna, served as a panelist this year.
“The NIH Grant Writing Series is a tremendous gift to grant writers at Illinois,” Fairbairn said. “The NIH can feel like a real mystery for first time grant writers – and even to old-timers – because many of the rules are unwritten and mentorship can be hard to find. This series gave me the information and the on-campus connections I needed to turn my grant into a success."
Connect with IHSI
IHSI’s Research Development team works directly with Illinois investigators to expand health sciences research across campus. The team provides proposal development support, offers grant seeking workshops and resources, and coordinates campus-wide responses to local and national funding priorities.
Contact Maggie Berg to discuss partnership and support for your grant proposal at all stages of development, including strategic planning, project management, grant proposal review to ensure completeness, accuracy, alignment with the solicitation and sponsor mission, and more.
IHSI will host the NIH Grant Writing Series again in Spring 2026. Subscribe to the IHSI newsletter to learn more about upcoming events, program announcements, research support services, and more.