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Developing Competitive NSF Proposals

Live Online Workshop
Nov 17, 2026
10:30a - 3:30p (Eastern Time)
$395.00

This focused five-hour workshop is designed to help faculty and researchers move from a promising research idea to a competitive NSF proposal. Participants will learn how to identify the appropriate NSF program, interpret the solicitation, position their research for NSF, and develop a proposal that responds directly to current NSF requirements and reviewer expectations.

The workshop focuses not simply on the components of an NSF proposal, but on how reviewers evaluate the project as a whole. 

Participants will examine how to establish the importance and originality of the research, articulate a compelling Intellectual Merit argument, develop meaningful Broader Impacts, and connect the research problem, objectives, methods, outcomes, and resources into a clear and persuasive proposal.

The training also addresses current NSF proposal requirements, the merit review process, and the role of the Program Officer. Through discussion and hands-on proposal review, participants will learn to examine their own proposals from the perspective of an NSF reviewer and identify weaknesses before submission.

Who Should Attend

The workshop is designed for:

  • Early-career researchers seeking practical guidance for developing their first competitive NSF proposal

  • Faculty with a research idea who need help identifying the appropriate NSF program and positioning their project

  • Experienced Principal Investigators seeking to strengthen proposals and understand current NSF requirements and reviewer expectations

  • Research administrators and grant professionals who support faculty in developing NSF proposals

You Will Learn How To

  • Identify the NSF program that best fits your research

  • Read and respond strategically to an NSF Program Solicitation

  • Communicate effectively with NSF Program Officers

  • Develop a compelling Project Summary and Project Description

  • Clearly establish the research problem, gap, significance, and innovation

  • Develop a strong Intellectual Merit argument

  • Create meaningful and measurable Broader Impacts

  • Connect objectives, methods, outcomes, personnel, and resources into a coherent proposal

  • Understand current NSF proposal requirements and avoid common compliance problems

  • Review your proposal from the perspective of an NSF reviewer

  • Use reviewer comments strategically when revising and resubmitting a proposal

Dr. Mathilda Harris

Dr. Mathilda Harris

Dr. Mathilda Harris (Tillie) is the Executive Director of the Grant Training Center. During the past twenty five years she has written grants, conducted workshops on grant planning, developed strategic plans on grant procurement and assisted individuals and institutions nationally and internationally to successfully write and receive funding from federal, corporate, private, foundation and multi-lateral donors. She has served as a reader and evaluator of grant competitions for the U.S. Department of Education, the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, The National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Dr. Harris has worked with the private sector in the US and abroad in order to create joint ventures, augment sales in designated markets and create strategic planning to assure commercialization of innovative technology. She has also conducted SBIR/STTR workshops for staff and faculty at institutions such as Brookhaven National Laboratory and MIT Lincoln Laboratory.

She holds a doctorate from The George Washington University (Washington, DC), an M.A. from the University of Portland (Portland, Oregon) and a B.S. from the University of California (Berkeley).

10:30–10:50 a.m.  - NSF Today: What Has Changed and What Matters

  • Current NSF funding environment and priorities
  • Current proposal and policy requirements
  • What investigators need to know before developing a proposal
  • What makes an NSF proposal competitive

10:50–11:25 a.m. - From a Research Idea to an NSF-Fundable Project

  • Is the idea appropriate for NSF?
  • Identifying the intellectual contribution
  • Originality, innovation, and potentially transformative research
  • Connecting the research problem to NSF priorities
  • Discussion of participants' grant ideas

11:25–11:50 a.m. - Finding the Right NSF Program

  • Identifying the appropriate NSF program
  • Reading the solicitation strategically
  • Understanding program-specific requirements and review criteria
  • Communicating with NSF Program Officers

11:50–12:30 p.m. - Writing the NSF Proposal for the Reviewer

  • Project Summary and Project Description
  • Establishing the problem, gap, and rationale
  • Developing goals, objectives, questions, and methods
  • Creating a clear proposal argument
  • Writing so reviewers can quickly understand the project and its contribution

12:30–1:00 p.m. - LUNCH

1:00–1:40 p.m. - Developing Intellectual Merit

  • What Intellectual Merit means to NSF reviewers
  • Demonstrating significance and contribution to knowledge
  • Establishing originality and rigor
  • Connecting research questions, methods, and expected results
  • Demonstrating feasibility and investigator capability

1:40–2:15 p.m. - Developing Broader Impacts

  • What NSF expects from Broader Impacts
  • Connecting Broader Impacts to the research
  • Developing meaningful and realistic activities
  • Identifying beneficiaries, partnerships, and outcomes
  • Measuring and demonstrating impact

2:15–2:35 p.m. - Putting the Complete NSF Proposal Together

  • Major proposal components
  • Budget and Budget Justification
  • Biographical Sketch and Current & Pending (Other) Support
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan
  • Current research security, disclosure, and certification requirements
  • Avoiding administrative and compliance problems

2:35–2:50 p.m. - Inside the NSF Review Process

  • How NSF proposals are reviewed
  • Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts
  • Additional program-specific criteria
  • How reviewers evaluate strengths and weaknesses
  • The Program Officer's role in funding recommendations

2:50–3:20 p.m. - Proposal Review: Think Like an NSF Reviewer

Participants review selected proposal material and identify:

  • Major strengths
  • Major weaknesses
  • Intellectual Merit
  • Broader Impacts
  • Clarity and feasibility
  • What would make the proposal more competitive

3:20–3:30 p.m. - Final Takeaways and Q&A

  • Most common proposal weaknesses
  • Final pre-submission considerations
  • Questions and next steps

 

Preparing for the Workshop

Begin thinking of a project you want to develop. Having a specific project in mind will help you better understand the various proposal components presented during the course. Consider potential NSF section/s where you will submit your proposal.

If you decide to develop a proposal during the workshop, consider how you would answer the following questions:

  1. What is the need of your project?
  2. What is the significance of your project?
  3. What  makes your idea innovative?
  4. How will you budget your proposal?
  5. What is the time frame of the grant you are seeking?

What You Will Need

  • REQUIRED: Computer/Tablet - PC, Mac, iOS, Android, or Windows Mobile (mobile devices may require free appstore download)
  • REQUIRED: Internet connection - This is a live webinar
  • REQUIRED: Headset, headphones, or speakers - Access to a microphone or headset allows verbal questions, otherwise questions may be asked through chat box
  • Organization or Institution Information - A brief description and/or mission statement and/or current strategic plan of your institution
  • Proposals - Current, planned, or past; funded or unfunded; requests for proposals; review or judging criteria; reviewers' comments or critiques

 

Click on your question below to see the answer. If this page does not answer your question, feel free to contact us.

General Questions:

Q. When should I register?
Q. How can I tell if a training session is full?
Q. When do I get information about the training I registered for?
Q. Will I receive additional assistance after the class?
Q. How can I network with the other participants?
Q. Can two of us use the online training together?
Q. Can I record/receive a recording of this training?
Q. Does the Grant Training Center offer courses with partner institutions?
Q. Can I share the materials I get with friends and colleagues?

Payment Questions:

Q. Do I need to pay when I register?
Q. What types of payments do you accept?
Q. Is U.S. currency the only type accepted?

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Grant Training Center (GTC) has the sole and absolute discretion to reschedule and cancel all workshops. In the event of such a cancellation, GTC will attempt to notify attendees two weeks prior to the scheduled workshop. If a participant has paid for the cancelled workshop and is unable to attend the rescheduled session, he/she will receive either a refund or a credit toward a future workshop. If we do not hear from the attendee within 30 days, they will not be able to receive a refund.

In no event shall GTC be responsible for travel arrangements or other costs related to or arising from workshop attendance or GTC’s rescheduling or cancellation of the workshop. Participants should contact GTC prior to making travel arrangements to ensure the workshop is taking place.

If you are unable to attend the workshop and wish to receive a full refund, GTC must be notified at least seven (7) business days prior to the start of the workshop.

If you cancel less than seven business days prior to the start of the workshop, no refund will be given. Instead, you will receive credit for a future workshop, which is valid for one (1) year. No refunds will be allowed for any future workshops once credit is issued.

Force Majeure: If a workshop is canceled due to reasons of Act of God or nature, war, riot, strike, or labor dispute, the cancellation policy will not apply and the fee will transfer to the rescheduled workshop. If participants cannot attend the rescheduled date, the registration fee can be utilized for any Grant Training Center workshop of the same cost during a period of exactly one (1) year from the date of the original workshop.

Individual Membership Cancellation: Once an individual membership has been paid and processed, members will have three (3) days to cancel for a full refund. After the three (3) day period, no refunds will be issued.

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Group Registration

TOTAL: $395.00