/research-grants

name: research-grants
description: Write competitive research proposals for NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, and Taiwan NSTC. Agency-specific formatting, review criteria, budget preparation, broader impacts, significance statements, innovation narratives, and compliance with submission requirements.
allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Bash
license: MIT license
metadata:
    skill-author: K-Dense Inc.

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来源仓库: https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/claude-scientific-skills 项目名称: claude-scientific-skills 开源协议: MIT License 收录日期: 2026-04-02

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Research Grant Writing

Overview

Research grant writing is the process of developing competitive funding proposals for federal agencies and foundations. Master agency-specific requirements, review criteria, narrative structure, budget preparation, and compliance for NSF (National Science Foundation), NIH (National Institutes of Health), DOE (Department of Energy), DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), and Taiwan's NSTC (National Science and Technology Council) submissions.

**Critical Principle: Grants are persuasive documents that must simultaneously demonstrate scientific rigor, innovation, feasibility, and broader impact.** Each agency has distinct priorities, review criteria, formatting requirements, and strategic goals that must be addressed.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• Writing research proposals for NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, or NSTC programs
• Preparing project descriptions, specific aims, or technical narratives
• Developing broader impacts or significance statements
• Creating research timelines and milestone plans
• Preparing budget justifications and personnel allocation plans
• Responding to program solicitations or funding announcements
• Addressing reviewer comments in resubmissions
• Planning multi-institutional collaborative proposals
• Writing preliminary data or feasibility sections
• Preparing biosketches, CVs, or facilities descriptions

Visual Enhancement with Scientific Schematics

**⚠️ MANDATORY: Every research grant proposal MUST include at least 1-2 AI-generated figures using the scientific-schematics skill.**

This is not optional. Grant proposals without visual elements are incomplete and less competitive. Before finalizing any document: 1. Generate at minimum ONE schematic or diagram (e.g., project timeline, methodology flowchart, or conceptual framework) 2. Prefer 2-3 figures for comprehensive proposals (research workflow, Gantt chart, preliminary data visualization)

**How to generate figures:**

• Use the **scientific-schematics** skill to generate AI-powered publication-quality diagrams
• Simply describe your desired diagram in natural language
• Nano Banana Pro will automatically generate, review, and refine the schematic

**How to generate schematics:**

python scripts/generate_schematic.py "your diagram description" -o figures/output.png

The AI will automatically:

• Create publication-quality images with proper formatting
• Review and refine through multiple iterations
• Ensure accessibility (colorblind-friendly, high contrast)
• Save outputs in the figures/ directory

**When to add schematics:**

• Research methodology and workflow diagrams
• Project timeline Gantt charts
• Conceptual framework illustrations
• System architecture diagrams (for technical proposals)
• Experimental design flowcharts
• Broader impacts activity diagrams
• Collaboration network diagrams
• Any complex concept that benefits from visualization

For detailed guidance on creating schematics, refer to the scientific-schematics skill documentation.

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Agency-Specific Overview

NSF (National Science Foundation)

**Mission**: Promote the progress of science and advance national health, prosperity, and welfare

**Key Features**:

• Intellectual Merit + Broader Impacts (equally weighted)
• 15-page project description limit (most programs)
• Emphasis on education, diversity, and societal benefit
• Collaborative research encouraged
• Open data and open science emphasis
• Merit review process with panel + ad hoc reviewers

NIH (National Institutes of Health)

**Mission**: Enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability

**Key Features**:

• Specific Aims (1 page) + Research Strategy (12 pages for R01)
• Significance, Innovation, Approach as core review criteria
• Preliminary data typically required for R01s
• Emphasis on rigor, reproducibility, and clinical relevance
• Modular budgets ($250K increments) for most R01s
• Multiple resubmission opportunities

DOE (Department of Energy)

**Mission**: Ensure America's security and prosperity through energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges

**Key Features**:

• Focus on energy, climate, computational science, basic energy sciences
• Often requires cost sharing or industry partnerships
• Emphasis on national laboratory collaboration
• Strong computational and experimental integration
• Energy innovation and commercialization pathways
• Varies by office (ARPA-E, Office of Science, EERE, etc.)

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)

**Mission**: Make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security

**Key Features**:

• High-risk, high-reward transformative research
• Focus on "DARPA-hard" problems (what if true, who cares)
• Emphasis on prototypes, demonstrations, and transition paths
• Often requires multiple phases (feasibility, development, demonstration)
• Strong project management and milestone tracking
• Teaming and collaboration often required
• Varies dramatically by program manager and BAA (Broad Agency Announcement)

NSTC (National Science and Technology Council -