Generative AI Tools for Grant Development

The table below shows examples of GenAI tools that can assist with different aspects of grant development.

Disclaimer: This list is for informational resources only and does not imply endorsement. Additionally, please be aware that some of these tools may require paid subscriptions. Refer to the section on Key Policy Guidance on the Limitation of LLMs in Research Grant Development webpage for information about the Tri-Agency Council’s guidelines on the use of Gen AI for proposal development.

The Google Gemini App is covered by U of A’s existing agreement with Google and is currently the only generative AI platform approved for use with U of A data, other GenAI tools are not currently authorized for use with the University’s data. However, the data security and privacy agreement applies when the user is logged in with CCID.

While the Gemini App is recommended as a safe GenAI option in terms of data privacy and security, there are still limitations on what data is safe to use on this platform. Refer to Artificial Intelligence Data Safety Guidelines for more details on what types of data are safe to use.

For details on how to access the app, visit the IST webpage Getting started with Gemini App.

Tool Type Examples Use in Grant Development

Commercial LLMs (with web access)

Gemini Advanced
ChatGPT
Claude

Drafting, summarizing, brainstorming. LLMs can be used to analyze funding announcements to extract the funding objectives, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and other important information.

Academic/Specialized Platforms

Scopus AI
Elicit
Paperpal
Research Rabbit
Scite
Scholarcy
Semantic Scholar
Consensus
Connected Papers
Undermind

Literature discovery, synthesis, citation checking, academic language editing. Refer to the U of A Library webpage Which AI Tool to Use for more details on the specific purpose of each of these models.

Prompting Fundamentals

The quality of outputs generated by Gen AI depends heavily on the clarity and structure of the inputs, or prompts. The systematic practice of prompt engineering is essential.

One widely-used prompt engineering framework in the academic domain is the CLEAR framework by Lo (2023)¹:

  • Concise: be clear and specific. For example, instead of saying “I am looking for money for my research project”, you can say “Identify research grant opportunities between $50k-100k for alzheimer research projects available to Canadian academics in 2026”
  • Logical: have logical structure to your prompts and be coherent. Example: “Act as a senior research administrator. I am an Early Career Researcher (ECR) in Food Sciences focusing on sustainable food production. Please identify funding opportunities that are targeted towards ECRs or new investigators, support pilot studies or feasibility trials, and are funded by federal or provincial agencies (specifically Alberta) or major private foundations”.
  • Explicit: have clear output specifications. Example: “List 10 potential grant opportunities for a project on climate-smart livestock production. The output should be in a tabular form with the following columns - Funding Agency, Grant Name, Maximum Award Amount, Application Deadline, Eligibility Restrictions (e.g. career stage, citizenship) and URL”.
  • Adaptive: be flexible and creative with your prompts. Experiment with various prompt formulations and phrasing. Example “The previous list included several grants requiring industry matching funds. Please revise the list to include only opportunities that do not require industry matching funds. Additionally, prioritize grants that allow for international collaboration”. 
  • Reflective: critically evaluate the outputs and improve your prompts. To help with evaluating and verifying the outputs generated by an AI tool, consult the Library webpage Evaluating AI Content. 

For more detailed guidance, including examples of the CLEAR framework and tips for writing effective prompts, consult the U of A Library webpage  Evaluating AI Content and the Google Workspace Learning Center: Tips to write prompts for Gemini.

¹ Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102720