Stanford Research Development Office

The Stanford Research Development Office (RDO) is a team of six dedicated professionals with experience in PhD-level research, academic administration, and professional editing. RDO aims to strengthen collaborative or strategic research, scholarship, and creative activities by setting up Principal Investigators (PIs) to secure sponsored research funding. We provide proposal development support from conceptualization through submission, including editing and project management support. Our team also oversees VPDoR’s financial proposal support programs and, in collaboration with the School of Medicine, Limited Submissions for the university. 

RDO’s goal is to enhance the competitiveness of proposals while reducing the burden on PIs. We support researchers and research teams across the university, with an emphasis on complex or strategic proposals. Please reach out to us if you’re applying for extramural funding. Even if we’re not the right office to support you, we can help you figure out where to start.

Research development encompasses a variety of strategic, capacity-building, and hands-on proposal support activities, with potential impact in many areas along the path to funding success. Our team provides services tailored to meet the needs of PIs along each stage of developing their proposal.

How can RDO enhance your proposal’s competitiveness? 

The table below illustrates common support activities; this is not an exhaustive list. For more information about our services, including consultations, proposal development support, and more, see our services tab. We also provide financial support for proposals via VPDoR-Managed funding programs.

Contact us at stanford_rdo@stanford.edu to discuss your project and how we can help.

Request Support

* Includes Social Sciences as in NSF’s broader definition of STEM and is used more to indicate the breadth of disciplines supported rather than to restrict the domains that would receive support.

Newsletters

RDO publishes newsletters on limited submissions competitions, arts and humanities funding, and general research development updates.

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What types of proposals does RDO support?

RDO assists with a variety of proposal types for external funders, with a focus on large, complex, or strategic proposals. This often includes large, multi-PI, and/or multi-disciplinary proposals, but can also apply to other projects, such as those aligned with Stanford’s Long Range Vision, grants that expand or transform a unit’s capabilities, or those that are considered of high impact in a given field. In addition, we can also consult on first-time applications (e.g., a sponsor that is new to you) and resubmissions, regardless of the size of the project. See our FAQs for more detail, and please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Who can request support from RDO?

We support Principal Investigators and their proposal-writing teams. We serve PIs from all schools and coordinate with local research development support available in some schools and units. 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.

While we do not have the bandwidth to offer one-on-one support to postdocs or students on their applications, all are welcome to browse our website for resources and tips. 

For more details, see our FAQs. 

Partners

RDO focuses on the concept/text side of proposals, complementing other pre-award services such as research administration. See “Related Offices” for more information.