SPARK

Sep. 2022 participants, L-R: Temitope Erinosho; Ming Li; Patricia Silveyra; Kristen Jozkowski; Paul Coates; Misty Hawkins.

SPARK (Strategic Planning and Action for Research & Knowledge) supports faculty, graduate students, and postdocs as they write, revise, and submit proposals for project funding. SPARK sessions are designed to ignite ideas into winning proposals. Formerly known as the bìguān, these sessions have evolved since 2018 to provide robust and flexible proposal writing support systems. SPARK provides protected time, dedicated space, and continuous access to a variety of experts for five consecutive weekdays. Experts include grant writing consultants, statisticians, graphic designers, business and budget specialists, and fellow scientists—all of whom offer unrivaled support during the grant writing process.

An SPH-B SPARK provides all-day dedicated space, silence, and continuous access to a variety of experts for at least five consecutive weekdays.

Aug. 2023 cohort, L-R: Maria Parker; Molly Rosenberg; Rebecca Lassell; Jordan Hill; Vanessa (Martinez) Kercher; William T. Riley, former director of the NIH OBSSR; and Associate Dean for Research Kelli Ryckman (Not pictured: Jerono Rotich,
Interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs)

In addition to the valuable protected time and space, as well as the expert consultation, participants sharpen their grant-writing skills and enjoy the opportunity to network with other researchers throughout the process. Researchers participate in preparatory meetings to discuss expectations, goals, and objectives. Upon conclusion, follow-up meetings provide an opportunity to reflect on what worked, what could be improved, and how to continue to keep their efforts on track.

To date, the school has hosted dozens of research support workshops, now known as SPARK —some in person, some virtually. Successful proposals drafted during these sessions have included submissions by SPH-B faculty Molly Rosenberg and Patrick Quinn.

Members of the SPH-B community interested in joining an upcoming SPARK session can find the registration form here.

School of Public Health‐Bloomington

SPARK

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