The demand for greater public accountability is changing the nature of ex ante peer review at public science agencies worldwide. Based on a four year research project, this essay examines these changes through an analysis of the process of grant proposal review at two US public science agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the…

Reading and understanding texts of all kinds form a basic competence for participating in social and cultural life and for being successful on a job. Although most European adolescents have adequate reading competences at their disposal by the end of school, about a quarter of them cannot meet the minimal standards. The urgency of this societal…

The term "learning design" is used in this paper to refer to the process of designing effective learning experiences for a variety of contexts: in the classroom or laboratory, in the field, online and via standalone packages using a range of media. Learning design involves a wide set of knowledge, skills and competencies, including:…

The concept of research-led education is gaining increasing attention in higher education. However, the concept may be interpreted in different ways, some more feasible within an undergraduate curriculum than others. The approach described in this paper aims to introduce students to ways of thinking and acting like a researcher through engaging in…

A survey of 23 principal investigators of National Science Foundation-funded projects identified the chief facilitating factor to be direct contact with program officers. They had difficulties conceptualizing and envisioning their projects, finding time and confidence for writing proposals, and dealing with the complexity of the guidelines and the…

The procedural changes identified in analyzing the 1979 Marquette University internal grants competition had the positive effect of improving the reliability of the peer review ratings. Improved reliability results in greater confidence in the peer review process on the part of the applicants and the reviewers. (MLW)

In a master's-level gerontology course, students choose and develop a research statement in response to an actual request for proposals. They learn about what makes a good research question, develop a policy background, articulate a research plan, and perform group critiques of proposals. (SK)

Discusses competing grant applications both new and renewal, including those for traditional grants (research projects initiated and conducted by individual investigators) and those for program project grants which support multidisciplinary efforts of a relatively large group of investigators. (Author/DS)

Appalachian Regional Commission accomplishments from 1983-1985 included education projects focusing on basic skills, vocational education, and school dropout reduction serving some 100,000 people for $11.5 million and health projects placing 350 physicians in underserved areas. Future proposals and resources may focus on special areas within…

Diminishing resources have sent colleges and universities searching for innovative ways to increase external funding. Proposal development workshops to increase the number of individuals competent to submit competitive proposals were offered at the University of Oklahoma. Experiences in developing a model program are described. (Author/MLW)

The use of microcomputers for informing principal investigators of due dates for continuation and renewal proposals and for tracking proposals from submission to award or withdrawal/rejection in multiple-project research programs is discussed. (MSE)

This article describes the federal grant funding process for initial special education career researchers, including discussions of research priority development, the application review process, review criteria, characteristics of projects funded in recent competitions, and recommendations to improve researchers' ability to write competitive…

Analysis of 34 European-Union research-grant proposals written mainly by Finnish-led teams used genre analysis and a social constructionist theory of genre to investigate characteristic features of grant proposals, especially those not covered in academic writing courses. Ten recurrent moves were identified, reflecting the generic affinity of…