Asking a colleague to review a grant draft

The deadline is real. The draft is long. Ask for defects in the aims or the budget — not a read of every page they will not finish.

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Grant drafts fail in committee because the aims are mush or the budget tells a different story. They do not fail because a colleague did not read appendix D.

Ask for a review of one of those two.

Put the section in the briefing

Specific aims, as text. Or the budget lines that changed. A link, in words, to the shared draft they already have. No attachment.

Say what you already know is weak. That is not humility theater. It aims their time.

The deadline is the agency's, not yours

Say the real date. If they cannot make it, you need that no early enough to ask someone else. A soft "no rush" here is how you submit the weak version.

They were not in your session

Your assistant has been cheerleading the significance section for an hour. That context does not transfer. The colleague needs the aims and the question: where would a reviewer stop believing you?

Academic collaboration is the longer form of asking across labs. This is the shorter one: one draft, one section, one Friday.

Frequently asked questions

Can I attach the proposal PDF?
No. Point at the copy they can already open, and paste the specific aims or the budget table as text. A briefing does not carry files.
How much time should I ask for?
Name the pages or the section. "The two pages of aims, by Thursday" is a request. "Whenever you get a chance" is how the deadline arrives first.
What if they are at another university?
No shared drive required. They get email. If they already have a RelayLink account, you need an accepted contact first — not after this send.