Office of Research Development

The Office of Research Development (ORD) supports Massey investigators, trainees and students in the development of cancer-focused proposals, from conceptualization to submission, and in the editing of manuscripts. This may include:

1. Developing an overall research strategy for funding proposals
2. Writing, editing and preparing supporting documents (e.g., budgets, budget justifications) for grant submissions
3. Reviewing and editing letters of support, letters of intent and manuscripts
4. Routing of grants to the VCU Division of Sponsored Programs for institutional approval prior to submission
5. Training faculty, trainees and students on best practices in grantsmanship and scientific writing
6. Providing project management for large team science grant proposals

Get started working with ORD

To begin a request, please complete the ORD Request Form. The form will be used to prioritize requests and help ORD assign the appropriate team member(s) to your project. A preliminary call will then be set up to discuss the details of your project. Please be mindful of the required timeframes indicated on the form by project type. Your request will be reviewed and considered based on current capacity and staff availability.

The timeline varies depending on the type of project(s) and support requested. General timelines include:

• Multi-Component/Multi-Institutional Grant Proposals (e.g., U54, U01, P01, P20)
  • At least sixteen weeks prior to the deadline
• Training Grants (e.g., K12, T32)
  • At least sixteen weeks prior to the deadline
  • At least twelve weeks prior to the deadline without Data Table support
• Research Grant Proposals (e.g., R01, R21, F31, Supplement, Foundation)
  • At least four weeks prior to the submission deadline without subcontracts
  • At least six weeks prior if the submission requires subcontract(s)
• Manuscripts
  • At least four weeks prior to targeted submission date

ORD wants to support as many submissions as possible. To do so, investigators are encouraged to submit their request via the ORD Request Form well in advance of the above deadlines.

Pre-award is the activities required prior to a grant being funded. This may include identifying a funding opportunity, developing a grant proposal and budget, preparing supplemental materials (e.g., budget, NIH Biosketches, letters of support, letters of intent, human subjects) and project management as needed. Pre-award also includes preparation of Just-in-time documentation (e.g., Other Support documents, IRB approvals, animal use approvals and human subjects training certification).

Post-award activities include what happens after an award has been funded. While ORD does not oversee these functions, Massey’s post-award team or your department (depending on which area receives the grant) can assist. Post-award functions include account set-up, budget management, annual reporting and project close-out. For Massey post-award support, contact mccpostaward@vcu.edu. For non-Massey managed grants, contact your department administrator.

A limited submission is when the funding agency restricts the number of proposals (often one or two) that can be submitted by a single institution. This limitation is typically put in place to manage the volume of applications and ensure a competitive review process.

Cancer-related limited submission funding opportunities are managed by Massey ORD. The ORD team holds an internal call for applications — distributed via email — to determine which application(s) move forward for each submission.

The ORD team provides optional services to Massey investigators who are submitting cancer-related grant proposals above and beyond what may be offered through their department and/or school. The ORD team welcomes collaboration with the departments and schools for proposal support and submission.

Note: Indirect dollars are awarded to the area that manages the grant during post-award. Please discuss your pre-award project(s) with your department administration team and/or contact ORD to discuss your needs.

Some cancer-related grants must be submitted through Massey and not the department (e.g., ACS-IRG, Cancer Center Support Grant). When a supplement to an existing Massey grant is submitted, it too must be submitted by Massey’s ORD.

The grant submission process requires a number of steps and coordination across various VCU units. High-level steps include:

1. Identify and review a funding opportunity
2. Contact either your department or complete the Massey ORD Request Form
3. Meet with your department or ORD administrative team to review funding criteria
4. Review requirements and prepare the necessary documents for submission
5. All required documents must be uploaded and routed for approval using the VCU Research Administration Management System (RAMS)-Sponsored Programs Online Tracking (SPOT). Either your department or ORD does this.
6. The Division of Sponsored Programs completes its review (edits will be requested if needed) and will submit to the sponsor.

The ORD team provides training on a range of topics such as NIH Biosketches, types of grants and finding funding opportunities, writing letters of support and letters of intent, and best practices for science writing/grant writing. Please email the ORD team at MasseyORD@vcu.edu to share what topics you are interested in learning more about.

Explore training navigation and grant development resources

Training navigation services are available for students, trainees and early-stage investigators conducting cancer research. Navigators help guide investigators through the research grant lifecycle and connect individuals with resources and training materials to aid in grant development. Researchers from underrepresented backgrounds are also eligible for training navigation services specific to funding opportunities and resources under NCI's Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) program.

Learn more about training navigation at Massey

Yes, editing is one of the services that ORD provides. The ORD team includes dedicated science writers to help you edit both your grant proposal and/or manuscript. See the necessary timelines on the form below.

For assistance, please complete the ORD Request Form.

If you would like to request a Massey letter of support from Dr. Winn, please review and complete the ORD Request Form.