research-grants

# 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), and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) 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, or DARPA 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