Office of Research Development

RESEARCH PROJECT GRANT (RPG) RETREATS

Review Panel Information

Research Project Grant (RPG) retreat format involves three to four presentations, each lasting no more than 20 minutes,followed by 25 minutes of critique and discussion with review panelists and audience members. Presenters are provided with a power point template that summarizes their project’s hypothesis, specific aims, overview of scientific approach, and anticipated results.

The review panel may consist of three to five senior investigator-mentors with peer-review experience and a broad grasp of contemporary basic, translational and/or clinical biomedical or bio-behavioral research. A reviewer and a presenter may have organizational or scientific overlap, as this is a collegial rather than a competitive process. Presenters are encouraged to suggest individuals or expertise to serve as reviewers.

These sessions “mimic” the NIH study sections, with mentors serving as primary and secondary reviewers. The primary reviewer provides a description of the proposal and a critique of the strengths and limitations. The secondary reviewers comment on the primary reviewer’s critique and add additional insights. RPG retreats provide scholars an appreciation of the methodological rigor required for NIH grant submissions, the NIH scoring criteria and review templates, the organization of study section reviews and the psychology of reviewers, and the potential inter-reviewer variability.

Review Criteria Documents:

• R-series
• F-series
• K-series
• Biostats

Office of Research Development
173 Ashley Ave, 101 BSB
MSC501
Phone: 843-792-5828 | Fax: 843-792-1657