Concocting that Magic Elixir: Successful Grant Application Writing in Dissemination and Implementation Research

This paper reports core competencies for dissemination and implementation (D&I) grant application writing and provides tips for writing a successful proposal.

Two related phases were used to collect the data: a card sorting process among D&I researchers and an expert review among a smaller set of researchers. Card sorting was completed by 123 respondents. In the second phase, a series of grant application writing tips were developed based on the combined 170 years of grant review experience of the writing team.

The card sorting resulted in 12 core competencies for D&I grant application writing that covered the main sections in a grant application to the US National Institutes of Health: (a) specific aims that provide clear rationale, objectives, and an overview of the research plan; (b) significance that frames and justifies the importance of a D&I question; (c) innovation that articulates novel products and new knowledge; and (d) approach that uses a relevant D&I model, addresses measurement and the D&I context, and includes an analysis plan well-tied to the aims and measures.

Writing a successful D&I grant application is a skill that can be learned with experience and attention to the core competencies articulated in this paper.