Researcher Support

The CEHD Office of Research and Policy (ORP) coordinates the college's research support activities, including pre-award proposal development, compliance management, RCR training, assistance with large-scale collaborations, and internal funding programs. See a full list of our support services.

Research Development

Funding Opportunities

CEHD maintains a listing of funding opportunities relevant to CEHD research (UMN login required). Other search tools and resources are available through the University of Minnesota Libraries.

Red Team Reviews

Designed to evaluate multidisciplinary proposals, a “red team review” brings together a group of several subject matter experts to assess a proposal’s competitiveness. A trained facilitator keeps the focus on the sponsor’s review criteria, brings reviewers to consensus on how to improve the proposal, and presents the reviewers’ comments and recommendations for the proposal team. Teams benefit by receiving specific recommendations rather than vague reviewer comments that may conflict with one another. Contact Ellen Freeman for more information.

Proposal Review Honoraria

CEHD will fund peer reviews of grant proposals in preparation. Amounts will vary depending on proposal scope. To arrange a review and payment, contact Ellen Freeman at least 3 weeks before the proposal deadline.

Pre-Award Proposal Development

CEHD’s grant coordinators are researchers’ first stop for proposal development. Grant coordinators:

  • Conduct individualized searches for funding opportunities
  • Prepare proposal budgets
  • Interpret sponsor regulations and University of Minnesota policies
  • Coordinate proposal materials
  • Work with Sponsored Projects Administration to submit proposals

CEHD's institutional commitment to research

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) promotes and sustains an active research and learning environment. CEHD comprises seven academic departments, two college-wide research centers, and more than a dozen departmental centers in the curricular, organizational, and research aspects of education and human development. CEHD enrolled over 4,100 students in fall 2020, and granted 1,784 degrees in the 2018-19 academic year. The college is home to over 180 faculty members and 16 endowed chairs and professorships, and 260 CEHD faculty and staff are directly involved in externally-funded research.

Collegiate investment in research takes several forms, including pre-award proposal development assistance, post-award sponsored project management, training in the responsible conduct of research, internal seed funding awards, and support for strategic research initiatives. CEHD’s Research Methodology Consulting Center (RMCC) supports researchers in study design, statistical modeling, and statistical analysis. Departments and centers regularly host research lectures and symposia, as well as offer opportunities for collaborative work. In fiscal year 2021, the college was awarded over $48.8 million in external research funding.

Recommended Proposal Development & Preparation Timeline

SPA

deadline



1

week
before deadline

  • Route proposal routing form (PRF) for approvals from all participating units
  • Grant coordinator completes proposal forms and readies proposal for submission

1

month
before deadline

  • Draft specific aims, research plan, and other narrative elements of the proposal
  • Send drafts to external reviewer, if using
  • Write human subjects protocols, if applicable
  • Work with grant coordinator on budget drafts
  • Prep biosketches for all participants

2

months
before deadline


3-4

months
before deadline

  • Generate proposal ideas
  • Check if a letter of intent is required by the RFP
  • If the sponsor is new to you, check with grant coordinator about submission method
  • Discuss proposal idea with subject matter expert(s)