Peer review of your research proposal prior to submission is a critical step to the development of a competitive grant application. The Office of Research supports efforts by our Centers, academic departments, and individual faculty by providing feedback to faculty members’ grant proposals. Early peer review can identify potential weaknesses with sufficient time for the proposer to address them.

Faculty who have not identified colleagues to assist with review of a proposal draft, or who would like additional review of their proposal drafts, can contact the Office of Research for assistance.  Cleveland State is home to a number of faculty with strong records of accomplishment of successful applications for federal research funding who can provide agency-relevant suggestions to strengthen your proposal. The Office of Research can connect you with internal reviewers based on the needs of your proposal.

In certain cases, faculty who are developing proposals of significant scope that require review by technical experts outside of the CSU community may request support from the Office of Research to secure an external review. The Office of Research can assist with introducing you to an external reviewer, and in certain cases can offer an honorarium for the external review. PIs may suggest preferred reviewers to the Office of Research. The Office of Research will review requests for external review on an individual basis.

In all cases, it is expected that the PI will recognize efforts made by the reviewer and make use of the suggestions provided. The proposal draft should be complete so that reviewers can provide the most beneficial input. PIs should allow sufficient time for the Office of Research to make arrangements with reviewers, with a recommended minimum of 4 weeks prior to the proposal submission deadline to begin the process.

Contact Ben Ward in the Office of Research for assistance with these proposal review services or to register your interest in serving as an internal reviewer.