Research, Innovation & Impact

Feb. 4, 2025

Paul de Figueiredo, Bond Life Sciences Center principal investigator and NextGen Precision Health Endowed Professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri, describes the many tasks involved in preparing large, interdisciplinary grant proposals as a “black hole” for researchers to manage.

“With support from a team, researchers can focus on the science,” de Figueiredo says. “These proposals have many different pieces. There’s lots of coordinating activity that needs to happen.”

The Division of Research Strategic Proposal Development Service (SPDS) is the “team” that de Figueiredo mentions. He has worked with SPDS on several large grant proposals since joining Mizzou’s faculty in 2023.

SPDS provides support for large-scale, complex and strategically important grant proposals valued at $1 million per year or more. There is no charge to use the team’s services, which are individualized based on an investigator’s needs and coordinated with academic units and departments. Proposal management, narrative development, budgeting, compliance and graphic design are examples of services provided.

“Several years ago, Mizzou set the ambitious goal of doubling its research expenditures, and in order to accomplish that goal, we needed to build research infrastructure to increase our capacity to support researchers across campus,” says Susan Renoe, associate vice chancellor for research development and strategic partnerships. “We did that in multiple ways, including enhancing professional development and research impact, adding competitive intelligence and creating SPDS.”
 

How SPDS helps researchers

SPDS Director Sarah Polasky says the wraparound support that her team provides is critical to the university's success in winning highly competitive awards, such as those for centers, institutes or training programs.

“Having SPDS professionals assist the proposal writing team with multifaceted support ensures that the institution has invested as much effort as possible into winning the award,” Polasky says. “Whether at the department level or centrally located, research development teams are becoming more common at higher education institutions.”

According to de Figueiredo, there are several components associated with big grant proposals that are difficult for researchers to manage:

• Document identification and tracking — large projects often require documents ranging from a data management plan to a compliance plan for research subjects to letters and biosketches.
• Project management —  frequent communication to keep contributors on task with respect to the overall project goals.
• Proposal document review and revision — making sure all content, often submitted by numerous people, is cohesive and free of errors.
• Budgeting — a very important part of the equation that is often accompanied by subcontracting and other fiscal documents.
• Graphics and illustrations — logos, figures, charts, timelines and illustrative models are a key component in an effective proposal narrative.

SPDS helps with all of those things and more. For example, Carolyn Anderson, Simon-Ellebracht Professor in medicinal chemistry and professor of radiology, works with the team on industry-sponsored projects. She says they help her manage relationships with partners and connect her with resources like Mizzou's Technology Advancement office.
 

Mahmoud Almasri, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and others worked with SPDS to land two National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator grants.

These high-risk, high-reward projects involve 19 scientists from five institutions. Almasri and his co-investigators say the SPDS team managed timelines, created professional graphics, edited proposal drafts and worked closely with all of the institutions through multiple budget revisions, ensuring every detail was addressed.

In fiscal year 2024, SPDS worked with more than 60 principal investigators, helping them submit $268 million in proposals to more than 75 organizations and agencies. This work, in partnership with campus units, garnered $122 million in awards. 

"SPDS understands that we are trying to put together a high-quality product, and they don't balk at the work that comes with that," de Figueiredo says.