Grant-o-thon: A Designathon-informed Grant Writing Program to Enhance Research Grant Writing Skills in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

PROBLEM: Early career researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face substantial barriers when writing research grants and have limited writing support. A designathon approach was applied to organize a grant writing workshop (grant-o-thon) tailored for early-career LMIC researchers. This study describes the planning, implementation, and participant-reported outcomes of the grant-o-thon as a participatory training approach. APPROACH: Grant-o-thons were organized in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Consistent with the designathon model, the grant-o-thon was structured in three stages: preparation using co-creation with end-users, intensive collaborative teamwork supported by mentor feedback and weekly writing deliverables, and structured follow-up. Each grant-o-thon consisted of six weekly 90-minute online sessions focused on US NIH grant writing. Each session included a 30-minute didactic lecture open to all and a 60-minute small-group activity for participants who submitted specific aims. Small group participants were matched with coaches and assigned to groups based on research interests. Follow-up surveys assessed self-reported skills, mentorship experiences, and later grant-related activities. Survey data were analyzed descriptively, and open-ended responses were analyzed thematically. OUTCOMES: A total of 221 participants attended the didactic lectures, and 32 joined the small group activities. Among 60 survey respondents, 51 (85%) were from LMICs. Participants in both formats reported higher self-assessed grant-writing competencies after the program. Many described peer mentorship as a valuable component of the experience. In 2025 follow-up data, small-group participants reported higher NIH grant submission rates than lecture-only participants (P = .0097). NEXT STEPS: These findings suggest that this designathon-informed grant-writing program was feasible and acceptable for early-career LMIC researchers. Future iterations will focus on strengthening post-grant-o-thon mentorship and deepening partnerships with existing global health training programs. In light of limited grant-writing support, adaptation of this participatory model may be warranted.