RDO offers assistance with organizing and executing pre-submission peer review of complex proposals, also known as red team review. Designed to evaluate the competitiveness of a proposal prior to submission, a red team review brings together relevant experts, chosen by the proposal team, to provide feedback on an “almost finished” proposal. When red team review is carried out with adequate lead time, teams benefit from specific, actionable feedback and recommendations to enhance their proposal before the deadline.
How can RDO help facilitate red team review?
- Strategize with proposal teams to identify red team reviewers in their network, ranging from subject matter experts to experts on the sponsor/opportunity
- Establish a review timeline, in coordination with the proposal team
- Adapt red team review protocols as needed to suit the funding opportunity and proposal team goals
- Assist in drafting communications such as the initial request to reviewers, review meeting scheduling, and proposal review instructions
- Contact reviewers to provide the proposal draft and review instructions
- Host and facilitate a review meeting, collecting written feedback when appropriate
- Consolidate reviewer comments into actionable recommendations
- Debrief the proposal team on the red team review discussion, answer any questions, and help with planning next steps if the proposal writing team opts not to be present during reviewer discussion (a common red team review practice).
Depending on the scope of the proposal and conventions of the field, red team reviewers are sometimes compensated for their time. PIs may be eligible to apply for the Small Propel Grant to offset these costs.
If you would like to discuss setting up a red team review, please contact stanford_rdo@stanford.edu. Aim for at least 8 weeks in advance of the sponsor deadline to begin planning. RDO may be able to accommodate more limited requests (e.g., short proposals, review of only one section) on shorter notice.
(Note: If applicable, PIs in the Schools of Engineering and Medicine will be referred to research development services from Engineering Research Administration and the School of Medicine Proposal Development Office, respectively. See FAQs for more details.)
Interested in learning more about pre-submission peer review?
Check out RDO's Red Team Review FAQ.