Abstract: Across the federal government, more and more people are writing research proposals and success rates are shrinking. What should you know before you write a proposal to maximize your chances of success? How can you structure your proposal to increase the probability that reviewers will respond favorably? What is the role of a Program Manager (PM) in this process and how should you relate to your own PM when you win an award?  If you want to know more about how agency program managers view proposals and their evaluation, this is the talk for you. Dr. Lucy Nowell has served as a program manager/director for three Federal agencies. She will share her insights about how to decide whether to submit to a call, common mistakes in proposal writing, and how to position a proposal to get the best reviews. There will be plenty of time for questions, too.