Step 10

RUN THE INTERNAL GRANTS REVIEW

You will convene and monitor an Internal Grants Review. This should be scheduled during the final two weeks of a six-week version of the scenario.

The Internal Grants Review is intended to provide the Research Scholars with a competitive advantage in external grant competitions. It connects scholars across disciplines, in multidisciplinary peer exchanges, on Research Institute proposals.

It should improve the quality of proposals and enhance the success rate for grant acceptance in the highly competitive funding environment of the Collegiate Contest.

All Institute proposals must be submitted to this internal review prior to being submitted for formal evaluation and external funding competitions (e.g., the Collegiate Contest). The Internal Grants Review involves two sessions:

  1. Reviewer Report Sessions (30 mins)
  2. Response to the Reviewer Report Sessions (45 mins)

REVIEWER REPORT PANEL SESSIONS

A Reviewer Report Panel session consists of three Research Scholars from different disciplines. Each panel member’s draft proposal is critically reviewed by the two fellow panellists.

Each Research Scholar is responsible for providing a copy of their draft proposal in advance of the scheduled session.

Using the ten-item Peer Review Report Form, the Research Scholars review the two draft proposals they have received before the scheduled panel session.

At the panel session, the Review Reports are delivered in hard copy to be presented and discussed for 45 minutes.

The written reports are required to prepare the Reviewer’s Response.

RESPONSE TO THE REVIEWER REPORT PANEL SESSIONS

Responses to the Reviewers’ Reports are discussed in a follow-up session with the same peers.

Each Research Scholar prepares, in advance, a Response to the Reviewers’ Reports, using the eight-item Response Form below.

The Responses to Reviewers’ Reports are presented and discussed for 30 minutes.

Each peer should summarize their Response based on their answers to the eight question prompts. Then an open and free exchange of ideas should ensue. The Response session is informal in structure, operating more as a friendly exchange.

Suggestions

  • Schedule the sessions at different times, perhaps dividing the sessions into thirds, with each group meeting at the same time for about 30 to 45 minutes. This keeps noise levels down and makes it easier for you to monitor the exchanges.
  • Ensure that each session starts on time and is running smoothly and that everyone is focused and remains on task.
  • You will have to determine how to organize the sharing of documents – proposals and reports. Hard copy is the safest and most flexible form for in-class exchanges such as these.