How to Write a Successful Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant Proposal

David K. Skelly

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America

Volume

84

Issue

3

Publisher

Ecological Society of America

Publication Date

1-1-2003

Abstract

The Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG) Program of the National Science Foundation provides funding in several biological disciplines including ecology, animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and systematics. To be eligible, a doctoral student must have achieved candidacy and be enrolled in a U.S. institution of higher learning. DDIGs are available to students of all nationalities. Grants range in size and duration, but are generally a few thousand to $12,000; grant duration can extend up to 24 months. Additional funding is available for those proposing collaborative research with foreign institutions. Although they are not comparable in scale to regular NSF grants, these funds can represent a significant resource for a doctoral student. In addition, the Program represents an outstanding opportunity for graduate students to gain skills in proposal writing and to establish a track record with an important funding agency. Finally, getting a DDIG looks great on a CV. Between 25% and 30% of all DDIG proposals are funded. In the world of Federal grant funding, these are excellent odds. You can be successful if you follow some straightforward guidelines.

Comments

Originally published by the Ecological Society of America. Publisher's PDF available through remote link.

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