Writing Research Proposals for Grants and Fellowships (Part 2)

Semester: Summer
|
Year offered: 2026

Course Structure 

This Nanocourse is Part 2 of a two-part series. After the completion Part 2, students will have produced a workable Specific Aims page (a one-page summary of the project) that they can expand into a full research proposal for grants and fellowships. Information on part 1 can be found here.

Course Description

A good research proposal does more than describe your project—it convinces reviewers that your idea matters. In Part 2 of this two-part class, we’ll walk you through how to draft your scientific questions into a convincing proposal. The class is a mix of chalk-talks and discussions, where students will analyze successful proposals and exchange feedback on their own proposals—in a friendly, low-stakes atmosphere. At the end of class, students will have produced a workable Specific Aims page (a one-page summary of the project) that they can expand into a full research proposal for grants and fellowships. Plus, they will have acquired an intuition about how to come up with compelling ideas and communicate them. If the students are diligent and friendly during the many workshops with their peers, they will also leave with a support network of other scientists willing to help them succeed at getting funded. This class is all about teaching lifelong skills in science communication. Therefore, students are under no obligation to apply for an actual grant or even propose viable projects.

Part 1 focuses on generating and organizing strong scientific questions; Part 2 focuses on turning those ideas into a clear, persuasive Specific Aims page through drafting, revision, and feedback.

Course Objectives

Students will:

  • Learn the standard structure of a Specific Aims page (most grants require one, though they may call it something different, like “Project Description” or “Statement of Work”).
  • Analyze the Specific Aims pages of successful grants.
  • Learn what aspects make a project “Significant” and “Innovative” (as defined by the NIH. Other grant organizations sometimes rename these sections to something like “Impact” or “Novelty”).
  • Analyze their own projects for what makes them Significant and Innovative.
  • Write a Specific Aims page for their own project in a manner that is clear and compelling.
  • Trade feedback on their manuscripts

Class Schedule

Time:
10:30AM – 12:30PM

Dates: 

  • Session 1: June 22nd
  • Session 2: June 29th
  • Session 3: July 6th 

Classroom:
Countway L1-032 Classroom

Milestone Credit

In order to receive Milestone credit, student must:

  • Attend all 3 class sessions
  • Complete the 2 homework assignments
    • Assignment 1: A rough draft of your specific aims page
    • Assignment 2: A polished draft of your specific aims page 

HMS-based PhD students and select HMS Masters students can combine Nanocourses for credit. More information about Milestone Credit can be found here.

Course Team

Instructor: 

Christina Usher, PhD

Senior Science Writer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Email: christinaL_usher@dfci.harvard.edu

HMS Curriculum Fellow (course support & inquiries)

Lorenzo Gesuita, PhD, Program in Genetics and Genomics Curriculum Fellow

Email: lorenzo_gesuita@hms.harvard.edu 

Registration

Register Here: https://hms.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1KW5lWs8JvXyiKG

Registration Deadline: Monday, June 8

Enrollment limit: 30 participants

Registration priority will be given to HMS-based PhD students and select HMS Master’s students who are taking the course for credit. More information can be found here.

Students requiring accommodations should contact the Disability Access Office upon admission to the nanocourse. Please provide the course name, instructor’s name and email, and course dates to ensure timely communication of accommodations.

See also: