Grants: Proposals, Processes, & People | Office for Faculty Excellence

We are excited that our campus partners have come together to offer the following Grants Series! If you are interested in attending any of the sessions, please click the “register” link for the sessions that interest you. Some of these sessions will be recorded and those recordings will be posted here after they have completed processing.

Note: eTRACS (ElecTronic Research Administration & Compliance System) is the system used to manage funding proposals and post-award activities at ECU. Some eTRACS resources that you might find helpful include: ETRACS help: https://etracs.ecu.edu/.

Individuals requesting accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact ECU’s ADA coordinator at least 48 hours prior to the event at 252-737-1018 or ada-coordinator@ecu.edu.

Recorded Sessions from Previous Years

Peer Review Panel – Advice from Funded Faculty and Extramural Reviewers

This session featured a panel of ECU faculty from different disciplines with substantial extramural funding experience and experience serving on review panels for funding agencies.

Facilitated by Mary Farwell, with Stephanie Pitts and other grant active faculty.

View the Recording

IPAR portals – Grant Planning Information That You Might Not Even Know Is At Your Fingertips

What is the student profile at ECU? How many of the students in your program went on to graduate schools and in what areas? These and other questions are often those you need to address in a grant proposal. ECU’s Institutional Research staff are ready to assist you in finding these data, whether in existing reports/dashboards or by submitting a data request. This workshop explored sources of data useful for grant proposals and outline the process for requesting data not available in those resources.

Facilitated by Beverly King

View the Recording

Link to archived Grants Workshops

Date/Time	Session Title	Description	Links
September 3, 2025 2:00 - 3:30	Department Chairs: Introduction to eTRACS and Proposal Reviews	This session will guide approvers (chairs, delegates) on using the university’s InfoEd platform “eTRACS” for proposal and award information. The first part of the session will be simple navigation and how to use the search function. The second part will be focused on the content of an eTRACS file, and best practices for proposal submission review. There will be time designated at the end for questions. Facilitated by Jeff Friedrich and Mary Farwell	Register for Department Chairs: Introduction to eTRACS and Proposal Reviews Join Department Chairs: Introduction to eTRACS and Proposal Reviews
September 9, 2025 10:00 - 11:00	The Beginning Beginning	This session will be an introduction to grantsmanship at ECU and beyond. Join us for an introduction to lingo, processes, and cultures as it relates to different types of funding agencies. General information will be presented during the first half hour, leaving ample time for questions and discussion with participants. This session might be especially relevant for those who are very new to grantmaking and to individuals (e.g. graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) who plan to write proposals in the near future. Facilitated by Mary Farwell	Register for The Beginning Beginning Join The Beginning Beginning
September 12, 2025 2:00 - 3:00	Current and Hot Topics for Post-Award Management	This session will feature updates, emerging guidelines, and hot topics related to grant management and regulations at ECU and with various funders. Facilitated by Karen Mizelle	Register for Current and Hot Topics for Post-Award Management Join Current and Hot Topics for Post-Award Management
September 16, 2025 1:00 - 2:00	Reading Requests for Proposals and Application Guidelines	Adhering to RFP and sponsor guidelines can make or break a grant proposal, and not doing so is one way to find a proposal eliminated quickly. There are many different formats, but all contain key bits of information that should guide a successful proposal. This session might be especially relevant for anyone who has not had experience with a variety of funding mechanisms, such as early career researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students. Facilitated by Rick Smiley and James Denney	Register for Reading Requests for Proposals and Application Guidelines Join Reading Requests for Proposals and Application Guidelines
September 18, 2025 10:00 - 11:00	Make Your Case for Support to Corporations and Foundations	During this session, Terah Archie and Katy Johnson with ECU’s Corporate and Foundation Relations office will share a roadmap for building a project idea into a fundable concept and telling a compelling story that can be shared strategically with potential corporate and foundation funding sources. Facilitated by Terah Archie and Katy Johnson	Register for Make Your Case for Support to Corporations and Foundations Join Make Your Case for Support to Corporations and Foundations
September 24, 2025 1:00 - 2:00	Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases	This session will introduce helpful tools to search for funding opportunities and will focus on using the SPIN funding database. Attendees will learn how to set up custom searches and funding alerts. Facilitated by Jeanne Hoover and Jamie Bloss Can’t make the session? Contact us at blossj19@ecu.edu or scholarlycomm@ecu.edu for consultations or training sessions. This session will be helpful to anyone who is starting the search for possible funding sources.	Register for Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases Join Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases
September 29, 2025 10:00 - 11:00	Dissertation Funding Opportunities for Doctoral Students	This session will be an introduction to dissertation funding opportunities for doctoral level students and might be especially relevant for PhD and EdD students at least one year from proposing their dissertation topic. Facilitated by Kathy Cox	Register for Dissertation Funding Opportunities for Doctoral Students Join Dissertation Funding Opportunities for Doctoral Students
September 30, 2025 11:00 - 12:00	Writing Data Management Plans	Several of ECU’s top funders require data management plans that describe how data will be gathered, organized, and archived. Attend this session to see what tools ECU Libraries make available for drafting and revising data management plans with your colleagues, using funders’ templates and boilerplate language. This session might be especially relevant for individuals who intend to apply for federal funding to support their research. Facilitated by Allison Kaefring and Xiaolan Qiu	Register for Writing Data Management Plans Join Writing Data Management Plans
October 10, 2025 12:00 - 1:00	Scholars@ECU	Learn how to maximize your faculty profile in Scholars@ECU. Scholars@ECU is the ECU’s public facing faculty profile platform. The data populated in Scholars@ECU is generated from the Faculty180 profile and professional activity information. This session will cover a tutorial of how to enable a fully enhanced profile, add a headshot and biography, and provide information on how to create a unique profile from the data you’ve already populated in Faculty180. Facilitated by Cara Gohn	Register for Scholars@ECU Join Scholars@ECU
October 16, 2025 9:00 - 10:00	Campus Approval and Tracking Processes – the Scoop for PI’s	This session will provide an overview of the campus approval process when submitting and managing grants, address what needs permission, and from whom, and highlight support offices on campus that can help and how to (and how not to) work with them. Facilitated by Kevin Mills and Karen Mizelle	Register for Campus Approval and Tracking Processes – the Scoop for PI’s Join Campus Approval and Tracking Processes – the Scoop for PI’s
November 5, 2025 2:00 - 3:00	Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases	This session will introduce helpful tools to search for funding opportunities and will focus on using the SPIN funding database. Attendees will learn how to set up custom searches and funding alerts. Can’t make the session? Contact us at scholarlycomm@ecu.edu for consultations or training sessions. This session will be helpful to anyone who is starting the search for possible funding sources. Facilitated by Jeanne Hoover and Allison Kaefring	Register for Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases Join Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases
November 11, 2025 1:30 - 2:30	All About Effort: Proposing the appropriate amount of effort on a grant application	Are you confused by how to calculate effort (time) allocated to your sponsored project? Join the Office of Research Administration’s Dr. Deborah Lundin and the Office of Research Development’s Dr. Mary Farwell to help you navigate the effort policy with practical tips and guidance.	Register for All About Effort: Proposing the appropriate amount of effort on a grant application Join All About Effort: Proposing the appropriate amount of effort on a grant application
November 13, 2025 12:00 - 1:00	NIH-approved Generalist Repositories—Workshop on Open Science Framework & Dataverse	The NIH recommends the use of generalist repositories for data and data documentation that don’t have dedicated, domain-specific repositories (e.g., GEO, Metabolomics Workbench). Among the list of NIH-approved generalist repositories are two ECU-supported repositories: Open Science Framework (OSF) and Dataverse. This session is intended as a hands-on workshop to introduce the key features of both repositories and familiarize attendees with creating project spaces in OSF and Dataverse, uploading data and data documentation, and sharing the projects. Facilitated by Kerry Sewell and Xiaolan Qiu	Register for NIH-approved Generalist Repositories—Workshop on Open Science Framework & Dataverse Join NIH-approved Generalist Repositories—Workshop on Open Science Framework & Dataverse
November 17, 2025 12:00 - 1:00	Proposal Details that Matter	This session will feature quick overviews of some of the critical items to consider when developing a proposal, many that are often confusing, overlooked, or an afterthought. Topics include: Indirect costs, effort reporting, the campus approval process, purchasing food, honorariums, working with campus support offices, and more. Bring your questions! Facilitated by Mary Lisa Pories	Register for Proposal Details that Matter Join Proposal Details that Matter
November 18, 2025 11:00 - 12:00	Collaboration in Research	This session will discuss how to set up a successful collaboration and include authorship, roles on grant proposals and avoiding and resolving disputes and conflicts. Facilitated by Heather Wright and Mary Farwell	Register for Collaboration in Research Join Collaboration in Research
January 22, 2026 12:00 - 1:00	Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases	This session will introduce helpful tools to search for funding opportunities and will focus on using the SPIN funding database. Attendees will learn how to set up custom searches and funding alerts. Can’t make the session? Contact us at blossj19@ecu.edu or scholarlycomm@ecu.edu for consultations or training sessions. This session will be helpful to anyone who is starting the search for possible funding sources. Facilitated by Jeanne Hoover and Jamie Bloss	Register for Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases Join Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases
January 28, 2026 12:00 - 1:00	The Beginning Beginning	This session will be an introduction to grantsmanship at ECU and beyond. Join us for an introduction to lingo, processes, and cultures as it relates to different types of funding agencies. General information will be presented during the first half hour, leaving ample time for questions and discussion with participants. This session might be especially relevant for those who are very new to grantmaking and to individuals (e.g. graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) who plan to write proposals in the near future. Facilitated by Mary Farwell	Register for The Beginning Beginning Join The Beginning Beginning
February 5, 2026 2:00 - 3:00	Writing Data Management Plans	Several of ECU’s top funders require data management plans that describe how data will be gathered, organized, and archived. Attend this session to see what tools ECU Libraries make available for drafting and revising data management plans with your colleagues, using funders’ templates and boilerplate language. This session might be especially relevant for individuals who intend to apply for federal funding to support their research. Facilitated by Allison Kaefring and Xiaolan Qiu	Register for Writing Data Management Plans Join Writing Data Management Plans
February 13, 2026 12:00 - 1:00	IRB: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes	If you anticipate conducting research with human subjects and would benefit from an overview of ECU’s IRB supports and processes, this session is for you. A general overview of all types of permissions will be discussed, including exempt, expedited, and full status reviews. Facilitated by Susan Barakat This session might be especially relevant for individuals who have never submitted a request to IRB before.	Register for IRB: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes Join IRB: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes
February 18, 2026 9:00 - 10:00	IACUC: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes	If you anticipate conducting research that involves animals and would benefit from an overview of ECU’s IACUC supports and processes, this session is for you. This session might be especially relevant for individuals who have never submitted a request to IACUC before. Facilitated by Gaelle Deshayes (IACUC)	Register for IACUC: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes Join IACUC: Overview of ECU Resources and Processes
February 24, 2026 11:00 - 12:00	Project Budget Building Fundamentals	The budget and budget narrative portion of your application is an additional opportunity to effectively express your project idea. As such, these documents should fully reflect what you have written in your proposal narrative, and at the same time be compliant with the sponsor’s published parameters for budgets as well as with ECU’s budgeting policies, which can be a daunting task! This session will address best practices and helpful tips for developing your grant budget. The eTRACS budget feature will also be showcased. Facilitated by Karen Lombri, with Jeff Friedrich	Register for Project Budget Building Fundamentals Join Project Budget Building Fundamentals
April 9, 2026 1:00 - 2:00	Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases	This session will introduce helpful tools to search for funding opportunities and will focus on using the SPIN funding database. Attendees will learn how to set up custom searches and funding alerts. Can’t make the session? Contact us at scholarlycomm@ecu.edu for consultations or training sessions. This session will be helpful to anyone who is starting the search for possible funding sources. Facilitated by Jeanne Hoover and Allison Kaefring	Register for Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases Join Finding Funding Opportunities using Grant Databases