Services

The LSPDS currently provides services at no cost to the investigator and in two key areas: 

Pre-award administrative and fiscal support

• Project Management and timeline coordination
• Collection and organization of required documents (e.g., biosketches, letters of support)
• Provision of draft templates of commonly required non-scientific documents (e.g., facilities and other resources, data management and sharing plan)
• Preparation and justification of budgets and other cost-focused documents 
• Compliance review for sponsor and institutional guidelines 
• Guidance on submission procedures and assistance in routing documents through UI Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) and proposal systems (e.g., Cayuse)
• For investigators utilizing LSPDS support, assistance with sponsor inquiries leading up to receipt of an award (e.g., just-in-time requests) 

Writing and editing support

• Drafting key proposal sections, including
  • Overall section
  • Administrative Core
  • Training Program 
  • Multi-PI Plans
  • Institutional Environment
• Editing for clarity, consistency, and alignment with sponsor expectations and review criteria
• Ensuring a cohesive and unified narrative across all proposal components 

Investigators are encouraged to request LSPDS services several months ahead of the submission deadline, or as soon as they are made aware of a funding opportunity for a large-scale or complex proposal. 

See Ideal Timeline

Policies and Procedures

Policies to ensure that LSPDS services are effective and equitable 

• The lead/contact Principal Investigator (PI) must be affiliated with the CCOM.
• Projects are prioritized according to the proposal’s potential impact on the university. This will depend in part on:
  • Scope and scale of the grant (i.e., institutional training grants and large-scale and/or multi-component grants will be prioritized)
  • Requests where LSPDS is able to offer substantive input will be prioritized over requests for more basic services
  • Realistic timing (advanced notice and reasonable turn-around times)
• The University of Iowa’s routing deadline is five business days before the submission deadline: teams must be committed to meeting this deadline.
• PIs are expected to write the first drafts of scientific and technical sections (e.g., research plans, technical aspects of instrumentation). The Grant Writer can provide templates and editorial support for these sections.

Process for working with the LSPDS team

• Lead time – Contact LSPDS staff as soon as you begin to plan your proposal. The earlier we are involved, the more we can help.
  • Send an email to com-lspds@uiowa.edu to inquire about our availability and to find out if your project qualifies for LSPDS support. 
• Initial consultation – LSPDS staff will hold an initial meeting with PIs to discuss the scope, timeline, and specific needs of their project.
• Ongoing collaboration – Throughout the proposal development process, LSPDS and the project team will hold regular meetings to ensure that sufficient progress is being made and that the content of the proposal aligns with funding agency expectations.