External Grant Review Service
FIU’s Office of Research & Economic Development (ORED) offers an external grant review service to support the review of a select number of meritorious applications prior to submission to a funding agency. The program is open to all PI-eligible FIU faculty members whose research projects meet the eligibility criteria that appear below.
Mission
The mission of the External Grant Review Service is to provide investigators with access to expert external guidance and advice prior to submitting grants.
Eligibility Criteria
- For assistant professors, a minimum annual budget request of $125,000 in total direct costs
- For associate and full professors, a minimum annual budget request of $250,000 in total direct costs
- Exceptions for foundations or other smaller, nonfederal sponsors will be reviewed on a case-by-case
basis - New submissions for research projects to federal funding agencies, such as NSF, USDoE, or NIH
- Resubmissions of proposals that received competitive scores but were not funded
- Full proposals invited by sponsors following review of preliminary proposals
- First submissions of NIH R01 competitive renewals
Process
Faculty members with research projects that they believe meet eligibility criteria should contact Maureen Pelham, Director of Research Development, with the information referenced below. If the proposal is deemed eligible for this program, ORED will engage two of the recommended experts or other content experts to complete full reviews of the proposal using the relevant funding agency’s (NIH, NSF, DOE, etc.) review criteria. Proposals will not be distributed to reviewers until confidentiality agreements have
been signed. Each reviewer will be asked to provide detailed written analysis of the proposal’s strengths and weaknesses; identify opportunities to improve the scientific design; and assess the impact and overall significance of the proposal. ORED will compensate the reviewer according to the following payment schedule:
| Annual/First Year Direct Costs of Full Proposal | Honoraria |
| $125,000 – $250,000 | $350/written review; $400/written review plus telephone consultation with PI and ORED representative |
| $250,000 – $750,000 | $550/written review; $600/written review plus telephone consultation with PI and ORED representative |
| $750,000+ | $800/written review; $900/written review plus telephone consultation with PI and ORED representative |
In addition, ORED may pay $250 for written reviews, and $300 for written reviews and telephone consultations on preliminary proposals that request $100,000 or more in external funds.
To be considered for this program, applicants should submit the following information to mpelham@fiu.edu at least six weeks prior to the sponsor’s deadline:
- Full proposal
- Copy of review from federal panel or funding agency, if applicable
- Copy of invitation to submit full proposals, if applicable
- Name of funding agency
- Sponsor deadline
- Total direct costs estimated for the funding period
- Names, curricula vitae, and contact information for two to three external content experts
For more information, please contact Maureen Pelham at (305) 348-0485 or at mpelham@fiu.edu.
