The Grant Pacing Workshops are designed to help you prepare the best possible grant. These workshops include two half-day, in-person workshop sessions. Between sessions, Dr. Bastarache and the Edge team will be available to connect you to Edge resources.
TOPICS FOR F WORKSHOP 
Creating a grant preparation timeline
Using task lists to ensure momentum
Avoiding common pitfalls
Reading and understanding a Funding Announcement
Overview of major fellowship application sections
TOPICS FOR K & R WORKSHOPS
Creating a grant preparation timeline
Using task lists to ensure momentum
Avoiding common pitfalls
Crafting a Career Development Plan
Constructing a budget & justification
The goal of the workshops is to help you keep steady progress to completion of your application for grant submission deadlines.
Open to Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Meharry Medical College postdoctoral fellows and early career faculty.
APRIL 2025 SUBMISSIONS
January 12, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
REGISTER FOR F WORKSHOP
FEBRUARY 2026 SUBMISSIONS
Session 1 | Oct 7, 1 PM – 4 PM
Session 2 | Oct 15, 1 PM – 4 PM
REGISTER FOR K WORKSHOP
EDGE REVIEWS
EDGE REVIEW SURVEY ON INTENT
Due November 13, 2025
EDGE REVIEW MATERIALS
Due December 4, 2025
EDGE REVIEWER VIDEO
Received by January 13, 2026
FEBRUARY 2026 SUBMISSIONS
Session 1 | September 23, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Session 2 | October 3, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REGISTER FOR R WORKSHOP
EDGE REVIEWS
EDGE REVIEW SURVEY ON INTENT
Due November 13, 2025
EDGE REVIEW MATERIALS
Due December 4, 2025
EDGE REVIEWER VIDEO
Received by January 13, 2026
A registration email with workshop dates typically goes out one month before the first workshop of a series. Email Verna Wright to be placed on the distribution list for future series or with inquiries.
eNotebook
- available upon registration; contact Adrienne Babcock. A registration email with exact workshop dates typically goes out one month before the first workshop of a series. Email Verna Wright to be placed on the distribution list.
Video Library
- For a link to a Timeline demonstration and/or a Budget Justification discussion (both Zoom recordings), please email Verna Wright
Checklists
- K Career Dev Plan Checklist
- K Institutional Letter Checklist
- K Mentor Letter Checklist
- Biosketches and Letters of Support Checklist
- Budget Checklist
Handouts
- Powerful Aims Grid
- Sample Detailed Budget Justification
- Excel Timeline Template
- Trello Timeline Example
- Vanderbilt Institutional Submission Process
- Study Section Scoring System and Procedure
Resource Links
- 2022 NIH Updated Resources v5
- Edge Reviews Link
- VICTR Studios
- Grant Pacing Blog – Announcement
- Grant Pacing Blog – Durango Kid series
- RCR – Counting What Counts blog
- VICTR StarBRITE Responsible Conduct of Research Calendar
- Kaizen for Rigor, Reproducibility, and Transparency Training
- NIH Rigor & Reproducibility Page
- NIH Application Guides
- NIH K-Kiosk
- NIH Human Subjects Decision Tool
- NIH Clinical Trial Decision Tool
- NIH “Open Mike” Blog– announcements from NIH Extramural Research
- NIH RePORTER & Matchmaker – database
- NIH RePORTER & Matchmaker – Edge for Scholars blog
Writing, Editorial, Personal, and Other Types of Assistance
- List of Medical Editors
- “No Help? You Can Still Delegate. Here’s How.” – Getting the most out of virtual assistance.
- Upwork and Fiverr– Lets you post task or project descriptions, receive bids, and choose the one you like best. Good for editorial jobs and writing help.
- Fancy Hands – Describe your task, let Fancy Hands choose someone for you.
- Zirtual and delegated (formerly Red Butler) – Assign you a dedicated assistant for the number of hours you choose. You then assign tasks directly during that time.
- “Rules of Thumb for Writing Research Articles” by Tomislav Hengl and Michael Gould
- “The Science of Scientific Writing” by George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan
Email the Edge team at info@edgeforscholars.org
The project management strategy of backing out the timeline and including specific dates for completion of tasks works well.
~ Grant Pacing Workshop Participant
Breaking everything down into smaller pieces is really useful.
~ Grant Pacing Workshop Participant
I cannot recommend The Fellowship Grant Pacing Workshop highly enough. From navigating the FOA, to breaking down the application into its individual components, to planning a schedule to keep myself on track while still allowing flexibility, the skills and knowledge I acquired in this workshop were instrumental in helping me submit a successful fellowship grant application.
~ Grant Pacing Workshop Participant
Assistant Professor
- K23
Assistant Professor
- K23
Assistant Professor
- R01 Recipient
Instructor
- K08
