Research Development Support Team

The Office of Research Development (ORD) at NIU provides individualized support to faculty seeking funding for research, scholarship, and artistry. As a campuswide resource, we help you strategically plan, develop, and strengthen your funding portfolio. Our services are designed to help faculty chart their research trajectory, develop competitive proposals, and build collaborative partnerships that enhance overall funding success.

Our research development specialists primarily support faculty in three key areas:

Trajectory Planning  

• Training and resources for funding opportunity searches 
• Guidance on interpreting funding announcements and determining project alignment  
• Developing long-term (5-10 year) funding strategies  
• Strategic planning for pivoting new research, scholarship, or artistry areas to new directions or funding streams  

Proposal Development  

• Support in shaping and refining project ideas  
• Proposal development checklists and timelines to define roles and responsibilities and meet submission deadlines  
• Templates and sample documents to support writing  
• Constructive feedback on proposal drafts, ensuring alignment with funding opportunity goals, requirements, and review criteria  
• Support in interpreting reviewer comments and revising proposals for resubmission  

Fostering Collaborations and Program Facilitation

• Connecting faculty with shared interests to explore collaborations  
• Connecting faculty with other campus units and resources including Sponsored Programs
• Administration, Office of Innovation, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and Office of Student Engagement and Experiential Learning  
• Develop and facilitate events and training programs to equip and expand faculty capacity for securing external funding pursuits.