Show that you understand the current state of research on your topic.
The length of a research proposal can vary quite a bit. A bachelor’s or master’s thesis proposal can be just a few pages, while proposals for PhD dissertations or research funding are usually much longer and more detailed. Your supervisor can help you determine the best length for your work.
One trick to get started is to think of your proposal’s structure as a shorter version of your thesis or dissertation , only without the results , conclusion and discussion sections.
Download our research proposal template
Discover proofreading & editing
Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We’ve included a few for you below.
Like your dissertation or thesis, the proposal will usually have a title page that includes:
The first part of your proposal is the initial pitch for your project. Make sure it succinctly explains what you want to do and why.
Your introduction should:
To guide your introduction , include information about:
As you get started, it’s important to demonstrate that you’re familiar with the most important research on your topic. A strong literature review shows your reader that your project has a solid foundation in existing knowledge or theory. It also shows that you’re not simply repeating what other people have already done or said, but rather using existing research as a jumping-off point for your own.
In this section, share exactly how your project will contribute to ongoing conversations in the field by:
Following the literature review, restate your main objectives . This brings the focus back to your own project. Next, your research design or methodology section will describe your overall approach, and the practical steps you will take to answer your research questions.
? or ? , , or research design? | |
, )? ? | |
, , , )? | |
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To finish your proposal on a strong note, explore the potential implications of your research for your field. Emphasize again what you aim to contribute and why it matters.
For example, your results might have implications for:
Last but not least, your research proposal must include correct citations for every source you have used, compiled in a reference list . To create citations quickly and easily, you can use our free APA citation generator .
Some institutions or funders require a detailed timeline of the project, asking you to forecast what you will do at each stage and how long it may take. While not always required, be sure to check the requirements of your project.
Here’s an example schedule to help you get started. You can also download a template at the button below.
Download our research schedule template
Research phase | Objectives | Deadline |
---|---|---|
1. Background research and literature review | 20th January | |
2. Research design planning | and data analysis methods | 13th February |
3. Data collection and preparation | with selected participants and code interviews | 24th March |
4. Data analysis | of interview transcripts | 22nd April |
5. Writing | 17th June | |
6. Revision | final work | 28th July |
If you are applying for research funding, chances are you will have to include a detailed budget. This shows your estimates of how much each part of your project will cost.
Make sure to check what type of costs the funding body will agree to cover. For each item, include:
To determine your budget, think about:
If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Methodology
Statistics
Research bias
Once you’ve decided on your research objectives , you need to explain them in your paper, at the end of your problem statement .
Keep your research objectives clear and concise, and use appropriate verbs to accurately convey the work that you will carry out for each one.
I will compare …
A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.
Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.
A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.
A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.
A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.
All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.
Critical thinking refers to the ability to evaluate information and to be aware of biases or assumptions, including your own.
Like information literacy , it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.
The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
McCombes, S. & George, T. (2024, September 05). How to Write a Research Proposal | Examples & Templates. Scribbr. Retrieved September 16, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-proposal/
Other students also liked, how to write a problem statement | guide & examples, writing strong research questions | criteria & examples, how to write a literature review | guide, examples, & templates, what is your plagiarism score.
Download sample grant proposal format.
Writing a grant proposal can be very confusing at times: How to write a grant proposal? Where to start? and What format you should follow? are a few common questions. Securing a grant may be a tedious process, but the most satisfying feeling is once your grant is accepted.
I have had the privilege to work with many researchers with whom I could submit grant proposals, and ultimately, they were accepted. With the help of this article, I want to guide you all on the perfect path towards writing a grant proposal step-by-step.
A grant proposal is a document that requests financial support or funding from government agencies, foundations, or organizations, which are often applied by researchers, professors, or non-profit organizations.
When applying for any grant, you might have come across an RFP (request for proposal), which asks the individual or organization to submit their grant proposal. RFP contains details about the grant that would be received upon the successful selection of the applicant. Details such as eligibility, requirements, goals and objectives, budget, time frame, evolution criteria, etc. are mentioned.
As an applicant, you should thoroughly go through this document called RFP. Referring to the RFP, and the guidelines mentioned in it, you would be designing your grant proposal around it. In the further section of this article, I will show you the format and structure that you should follow to write the proposal. To make it even easier for you I have attached a format of a grant proposal that you can download.
Once you have gone through this detailed document, you will do your study regarding the title and objectives. Then you can start writing your grant proposal and its content could be as follows –
Above, I have mentioned almost 16 components that you should include in your proposal, but your proposal doesn’t necessarily need all 16 components.
Your grant proposal starts with an executive summary, and it will be the very first thing that the grants issuing organization will read. However, the executive summary is presented first in the report but is written last. You must write an intriguing executive summary as it creates the very first impression.
The executive summary should contain the introduction of your organization, and the Background of your organization should be mentioned. The strength and suitability of the organization for the project, implementation, methodology, and targeted numbers are a few things to be mentioned. Your executive summary should also have a closing remark.
An applicant for the grant money could be an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization. In this section, you will talk about the strength of the individual or the organization; if it comes to the organization, you will talk about the infrastructure and its facilities and how the infrastructure and facilities of the organization can be beneficial for this project.
It would be best if you also mentioned the staff and overall human resources of the organization. It would help if you also referred to their expertise and experience. If the applicant has earlier worked on such a project or has received some grant, it is also necessary that you mention them. You can end this section by talking about the recognition and achievements.
This section should be dedicated to talking about the Scheme. The Background of the project and your understanding of the project. Here, write about any research or context related to the project that you came across. Your understanding of the project and your thoughts as well.
The necessity of the project should be one of the important paragraphs in the section. After this, you will talk about the intensity and the scale of project implementation. In brief, you will talk about how the project will be implemented, where it will be implemented, and what output you think should be expected.
While reviewing your grant proposal, this is the section that every reviewer will go through. The experience and Background of the applicant are the sections where the capability of the individual or organisation can be identified. Most of the time, an applicant would successfully get a grant based on their experience.
Many international grants look thoroughly towards their experience and Background. It is fine if there is no experience in the field that you are applying for a grant but the applicant should have a familiar background in which the proposal is.
To write any grant, you need to be either part of an organization or the organization itself can submit a grant proposal. While writing the grant proposal, you should talk about addressing a critical need of the given topic. The impact and benefit that would be created after fulfilling strategic objectives.
What would be the opportunity for innovation that the organization would achieve? How does the applicant plan on leveraging expertise and experience? What are the current gaps in the services? There are a few questions that should be addressed.
It would be best if you also pointed out your strategic partnerships, which could be beneficial for the implementation of the project. Apart from this, compliance with organizational values and demonstrating leadership are ecosystem contributors, if any.
It would be best if you talked about the resources or infrastructure availability that are required for the smooth implementation of the project. It is not always about the staff or an expert but also the resources and infrastructure capabilities of the host institute.
If your organization has a research department, what available tools, software, Journals, etc, should be mentioned?
Every project should have a proper timeline. In this section, you will mention the step-by-step guide and implementation time frame of the project. You can divide the targets and deliverables into phases; this way, it is easier to understand and implement as well.
You will give a clear idea of what the targets that you are aiming for and when they will be achieved. You will talk about how you will utilize the funds that would be granted, and this has to be presented in a tabular format. It would help if you were very specific and practical with the numbers, as we also have to submit a review report each quarter.
Now that you have provided targets and deliverables, you will write about the action plan. In this, you will represent the complete implementation process. This implementation process should also be presented in the flowchart.
SOPs of implementation should also be written. Another aspect that should also be covered is – how we will reach our target beneficiary. What strategy or method would you follow?
The proposal must have all the details about the people or experts who would be working on this project. As this is a financial grant, the organization that is providing the grant will go through the people who would be involved in the implementation.
It is expected that the profiles of the experts are familiar with the project topic. Has experience and a greater research background. You will talk about how the team is capable of implementing this project or Scheme. The expertise of the team and the total list of the team members with their names and specifications of the post. Other things that are an add-on are to provide a team structure and reporting flow.
When we talk about diversity and the proposal, it is not about the demographics. It is about the expertise, speciality, and positions of the partners. It would help if you had partners who are relevant to the title of the Scheme. It is also important to note down any past collaboration events or programs that were implemented.
The chances of getting a grant increase when you have a relevant partner. It has also been seen by collaborating with another organisation your grant is more likely to be sanctioned.
Most of the time, grant schemes are based on specific locality. So it might depend on where you are situated. You can mention the advantages of the location, such as nearby MSME, research laboratories, IT Centre, or whatever that is relevant to RFP. Show the Peer to peer benefits and engagement.
For example, if you are located in the city where it majorly manufactures, Textile and also exports Textile. It would be more relevant for you to apply for grant schemes in the Textile sector. This way, you have the benefit of location, which could further strengthen your claim.
This section is optional but necessary if found relevant.
If any relevant projects are being implemented, this way, you ensure that other projects are relevantly running in the region. Give a short Outlook and information about the nearby centers implementing the same or similar project. But that’s not all. Showcase how you can be different from them or how you can contribute to them and boost the impact/ implementation.
This section has already been covered in the executive summary and the overall strength and suitability of the applicant section. But in this, you will write in deep about earlier experiences and implementation. You might have worked on several projects under several sectors. But here, you will mention only the implemented project of the sector in focus.
Talk about your vision of the sector in focus. Also, align the available infra and human resources which are suitable. This is optional but could be mentioned in a very short paragraph.
As we come towards the end, most of the sections that you will write will be about the budget. Major questions about how you are planning to implement the budget should be answered. It would be easier if you mentioned the usage of the grant in aid in a phase implementation manner.
Describe the budget that would be required for tools, allowances, fees, etc. Write the description of the whole budget in sentences. Whatever you mention in this section would be treated as a policy so you should be very careful.
It is also necessary to mention about financial sustainability of the project. It would help if you also mentioned the sustainability of the project after the end of the Scheme. But before this section, you should define the possible revenue streams that you have planned.
What would be the phases of activation?
Also, it would be best if you have an idea about future possibilities is an estimation of the revenue (at least 3 years)
The last section of writing a grant proposal is dedicated to budget. It would help if you were very thorough while writing the budget. The budget budget section should have a detailed discussion about operational expenditure, capital expenditure , and revenue.
Opex – operational expenditure involves day-to-day operational expenses which are essential for running the project.
Capex – capital expenditure to expenses for acquiring, upgrading, or maintaining physical assets.
Revenue – total income generated by a business through its primary operation, operations, sales, and other sources during a specific period.
It can be little confusing if you’re writing this for the very first time but to help me out. I have attached an Excel sheet of budget that you can use.
Now that you have written your grant proposal next thing for you to do a submit it and wait. It is not likely that your proposal will get accepted fast. The organization that would be providing the grant would go through your proposal and very depth. If it is an RFP, they might have received many other grant proposals from other organizations and applicants. So it depends on them to choose the best proposal .
You should always keep on submitting proposals to as many as you can that are relevant to you. I wish you all the best and would be very happy if this article helps you get the grants. I will be active in the comment section if any doubts or help is needed.
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Starting on PhD research is a big step in a researcher’s academic journey, and submitting a research proposal is a significant part of it. Indeed, many PhD scholars seek guidance on how to write a PhD research proposal , which is the foundational document that outlines the scope, objectives, and methodology of their prospective doctoral study. This article takes a look at the essential elements of a PhD research proposal and discuss practical steps to help develop an effective and strong document.
Think of a PhD research proposal as a blueprint for your research. It lays out the main questions you want to seek answers to in your study, and presents an overview of the field you are planning to dive into. The PhD research proposal is not just about summarizing what is already available in the public domain. It is a critical document that demonstrates the feasibility, significance, and originality of the proposed research, and therefore, plays a crucial role in influencing admission decisions and securing funding opportunities. It also explains how your research is different and new and underscores the unique angles, perspectives and originality of your area of study.[ 1]
Even though your research proposal focuses on what you plan to do in the future, supervisors and funders also want to see what you have already achieved academically. Their interest lies in how well you understand the existing research, including recent studies and discussions in your academic field.
Therefore, it is essential to showcase your awareness about gaps in current knowledge and how your research will develop new knowledge and perspectives. Presenting a clear and detailed picture of this background is critical.[ 2]
Research proposals can vary based on the institution you wish to send the proposal to or your subject of study, but there is a broad structure that needs to be followed.[ 3][4][5] A good PhD research proposal structure should highlight what makes your idea unique, feasible, and significant.
Follow these proven tips to structure a PhD research proposal and make it stand out:
A research proposal typically spans approximately 2,500 words, although there is flexibility in the length as there is no strict upper or lower limit. However, the length may vary depending on the requirements of the institution or funding agency.
Now that you understand the structure of a PhD research proposal , here are some tips to help you craft a compelling document: [7]
References:
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A well-written and skillfully prepared research proposal is crucial to the success of an application for research funding and to the efficient set-up and management of an award. Early planning, and when needed, consultation with [email protected] is encouraged.
Research agreements.
There are several types of research-related agreements that researchers, faculty, and administrators may encounter. They vary by the goal and nature of the engagement, as well as the identity of the other party.... Read more about
A set of basic principles to guide the retention and maintenance of research records by Harvard faculty and staff.
Preparing a proposal.
Harvard defines equipment as an item that costs over $5,000 and has an expected useful life of more than one year. A proposal requires special attention if it includes equipment.... Read more about
Stipends are payments made to individuals for subsistence support or to defray expenses during a period of academic appointment. Stipend payments are not compensation for services rendered and, therefore, are not allowable on federal awards unless the purpose of the agreement is to provide training to selected participants and the charge is approved by the sponsoring agency (OMB Circular Uniform Guidance, Subpart E). The most common type of federal awards that include stipends are fellowships and training grants. Additional information is available in the...
Harvard Global Research and Support Services, Inc. was established in February 2012 and is dedicated to providing operational support for Harvard University’s international activities. Harvard Global follows Harvard University’s institutional policies and is a 501(c)(3) corporation.
Departments or faculty who are either requesting to submit a proposal to one of the below Harvard Global sponsors or are receiving funds from these sponsors should reach out to the Harvard Global Grants and Contracts Specialist at OSP,...
Harvard University is responsible for monitoring the programmatic and financial activities of its subrecipients to ensure proper stewardship of sponsor funds. The PI is primarily responsible for ensuring that the subrecipient is meeting the programmatic objectives of the project. The PI and Department/Local Level Managing Unit provide administrative and financial oversight of the subrecipient to confirm that the subrecipient invoices align with the project deliverables.
For subawards under federal prime awards, Harvard must comply with OMB Uniform Administrative Requirements...
A well-written and skillfully prepared proposal is crucial to the success of an application for research funding
Steps must be taken to set up accounts or authorize pre-award spending before spending begins
Ensure compliance while maintaining public trust in research results and outcomes
Timely closeout of sponsored awards is essential to Harvard's compliance with sponsor requirements and University policies
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After you have located a funding opportunity, planned your project, and outlined your grant proposal, it’s time to start writing. You may want to first read a few sample grants to better understand the content, tone, and style of successful proposals. Sample grants are often available on the funder’s site and include annotations about the proposals’ strengths and weaknesses.
Remember these key guidelines as you develop your proposal:
Each of the reviewers should understand your project on a first read, even if they lack expertise in your sub-field. Because funding agencies consider many applications and have a limited amount of grant money, they give preference to projects that have clear aims and methods. Therefore, explain terms that might be unfamiliar to an educated but non-expert audience and avoid excessive use of jargon. The most successful proposals “are written for readers who are scientists but are unfamiliar with the particular article. The prose is kept simple, specialized words and abbreviations are avoided, and every page has at least one diagram or figure. A well-written proposal is written to communicate with all the reviewers, not just those with expertise in the field” (Ogden and Goldberg 21).
While you will likely need to employ specialized terminology in the research methods section in order to provide adequate detail, tailor your other sections to a wider audience. This ensures that all reviewers understand the significance of your proposed study.
The steps involved in the research, and who will be completing them, need to be clear to your reviewers on a first read. To accomplish this, use active voice, which emphasizes who or what is doing the important action in the sentence. To turn passive voice into active voice, ask “What (or what) is doing the action in the sentence?” For more information see our OWL resources on active and passive voice .
Below is a passage from a successful NIH grant application that makes appropriate use of active voice (bold) and passive voice (italics).
In this passage, active voice clarifies the researchers’ actions and the hypothesis’ functions. Note, however, that this author does use passive voice sparingly in order to highlight Cd48AP as the subject of the final sentence.
Another barrier to clarity is overuse of nominalization, or turning verbs (actions) into nouns. Nominalization, like passive voice, can add wordiness and often hides the most important actions from the reader.
For example:
Action | Nominalization |
to analyze | analysis |
to investigate | investigation |
to understand | understanding |
In the sample grant discussed above, for example, the phrase “We hypothesize that” would be “Our hypothesis is that,” consequently adding unnecessary verbiage to the sentence.
Diagrams are useful to cut down on length and reduce verbiage, as well as illustrate complex relationships that may be difficult to clarify in writing alone. The most effective ones are understandable without the reviewer having to refer to the corresponding caption/legend. When incorporating diagrams, remember to follow the funder’s formatting requirements.
Grant writing requires a significant investment of time for planning, writing, and revising. Below are a few suggestions to help you submit your grant on deadline, many of which apply to other types of academic writing.
Unfortunately, very few proposals are funded initially (some NIH institutes, for example, fund less than 10% of submissions). Those proposals rejected in the first round are often revised and resubmitted. When researchers find themselves in this situation, the most important thing they can do is read the reviews carefully and revise their application accordingly and as quickly as possible. At this point, it is generally helpful to show the reviews to a colleague who is well-versed in grant writing.
Levenson, Robert W. “Mistakes that Grant Proposers Make.” Writing Successful Grant
Proposals from the Top Down and Bottom Up . Ed. Robert J. Steinberg. Los Angeles,
CA: Sage, 2014. 37-48. Print.
Ogden, Thomas E. and Israel A. Goldberg. Research Proposals: A guide to Success 3 rd ed.
Oxford: Academic Press, 2002. Print.
Reif-Lehrer, Liane. Grant Application Writer’s Handbook. 4 th ed. Sudsbury, MA: Jones and
Bartlett Publisher, 2005. Print.
Sternberg, Robert J. “Securing a Research Grant.” Writing Successful Grant Proposals from
the Top Down and Bottom Up . Ed. Robert J. Steinberg. Los Angeles, CA: Sage,
2014. 3-24. Print.
Striepen, Boris. “Biology of the Apicomplexan Plastid.” National Institute of Allergies and
Diseases Sample Grant Application. 5 Mar 2010. Web. 14 Dec 2014.
Reference books.
When applying for a research grant or scholarship, or, just before you start a major research project, you may be asked to write a preliminary document that includes basic information about your future research. This is the information that is usually needed in your proposal:
Most agencies that offer scholarships or grants provide information about the required format of the proposal. It may include filling out templates, types of information they need, suggested/maximum length of the proposal, etc.
Research proposal formats vary depending on the size of the planned research, the number of participants, the discipline, the characteristics of the research, etc. The following outline assumes an individual researcher. This is just a SAMPLE; several other ways are equally good and can be successful. If possible, discuss your research proposal with an expert in writing, a professor, your colleague, another student who already wrote successful proposals, etc.
The content and quality of the application you submit to us will determine whether you are successful. Therefore, it is vital that you have a full understanding of what is required, as well as knowing the various stages of the application process, so that you maximise your chances of being funded.
These notes are intended to assist you in the preparation of applications to the ESRC responsive mode: research grants funding opportunity and should be read in conjunction with the ESRC research funding guide .
They provide informal guidance on points for applicants to remember when drafting applications.
You may also find this information helpful if you’re applying to another funding opportunity although you should take care to follow any funding opportunity-specific guidance provided.
Careful attention will help you to avoid some of the basic pitfalls and improve the funding chances of your research idea.
Allow yourself time.
Preparing a draft application and consulting on it, preparing the project costings and getting advice on these, as well as reading the regulations of the funding opportunity to learn what is and what is not permissible, are all time-consuming parts of the process of application.
The key guidance for applicants applying to our research grants scheme is:
All funding agencies will have their own criteria for deciding on allocation of their resources. It is worthwhile taking time to familiarise yourself with these and ensuring that your application clearly addresses your targeted source of support.
We are an agency funded by the government and its mission is “to promote and support by any means, high quality, basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training in the social sciences; to advance knowledge and provide trained social scientists which meets the needs of users and beneficiaries, thereby contributing to the economic competitiveness of the UK, the effectiveness of public services and policy, and the quality of life; and, to provide advice on, and disseminate knowledge and promote public understanding of, the social sciences”.
All successful ESRC research grants demonstrate four characteristics. They must:
Further information relating to how applications are peer reviewed and the standards against which you will be judged are provided within ESRC’s guidance for reviewers and ESRC’s peer reviewer training tool – this is an online course which takes around an hour to complete, although it is possible to dip in and out as well.
You should read the funding opportunity guidance which is designed to help you through the process. This cannot be overstressed; familiarising yourself with the content of the research funding guide may seem tedious but will help you to avoid basic mistakes which at best will require clarification with office staff and at worst may prejudice chances of success. Please abide by the rules, since they are there to ensure a level playing field for all applicants, and applications which break the rules will be rejected. Make sure you are using the current versions of guidance as rules and regulations are subject to change. If in doubt, check with the named ESRC contact for the funding opportunity.
You should discuss your application with peer groups, colleagues and, if you are a relatively new researcher, with senior and more experienced researchers. Experienced collaboration or mentoring rarely goes amiss. If you have never sent in an application to us before, try to get the advice of someone who has already been successful.
Talk to your research office and draw on the support that they can give you in putting together your application and calculating your costings.
When you justify your costings, they should be considered with care and close reference to our research funding guide.
Be realistic – lavish costings are unlikely to find favour with panel members and an application which promises the earth at remarkably low expense will be regarded with caution.
Panels take a very dim view of applications where the costings have been padded to reach the lower financial threshold for the funding opportunity, and if potential cuts would take the overall cost of the application below the threshold the application will not be funded.
You need to provide clear and convincing justification of your costings and should think carefully about the time and resources needed to complete the research successfully within the specified period.
Grants will be based on the eligible costings included in applications and will be subject to standard indexation and be cash limited at the time of announcement, so it is important to get costings right when applying.
A well thought out financial plan helps to create confidence in the application generally. Give as detailed a breakdown of costs as possible so that the panel can properly assess the application.
Do make sure that what you are asking for is allowed within the regulations. Bear in mind that ESRC is looking for value for money, and that applications which offer poor value for money will be scored down by panels, even when the science may be excellent.
The research application is the means by which you will be trying to convince the panel that your application is worth funding so think carefully about what information you are going to give and how it is presented.
Make sure you think your project plan through and cover all stages of the research lifecycle. The project lifecycle includes the planning and research design stage, the period of funding for the project, and all activities that relate to the project up to and including the time when funding has ended.
The research lifecycle therefore also includes knowledge exchange and impact realisation activities, the dissemination process including reporting and publication and the archiving, future use, sharing, and linking of data.
Many applications are unsuccessful not because they lack interesting or important research ideas, but because they fail to communicate adequately how these research ideas will be explored and translated into an achievable plan of action.
It is vital that you have a full understanding of what is required, as well as knowing the various stages of the application process, so that you maximise your chances of gaining an award.
Convey to the panel your genuine interest, understanding and enthusiasm for the work.
The vision and approach section is the core of your application. It is also important to make sure that you devote enough space in the application to describing the research you intend to conduct and the research design and methods – the panels find it very frustrating when applicants devote pages to explaining why their proposed research is exciting but then provide only a short and inadequate explanation of how they propose to explore this in practice.
Write in plain English. Your application is likely to be seen by many people, including some who will not be familiar with your particular specialism. Detail and specification may necessitate the use of disciplinary or technical terminology and this will be clear to peer reviewers, but the ideas you wish to convey and your reasons for doing so should be apparent to a wide audience.
Peer reviewers and panel members do not welcome dense blocks of text which have not been broken down into paragraphs and sub sections. By the same token, do take the trouble to check spelling, grammar and punctuation. These are all part of the quality of presentation and presentation matters.
Our mission places emphasis on ensuring that researchers engage as fully as possible with the users of research outcomes. These may be:
Try to consult with and involve people who could make a valuable contribution to the research and who could provide support and interest. Involving stakeholders and users in the planning stages can be highly beneficial.
In line with the common position on excellence with Impact adopted by research councils, we expect that the researchers we fund will have considered the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research.
You should actively consider how these can be maximised and developed throughout your application. Consideration of the potential economic and social impact of your proposed research will form part of the peer review and assessment process of your application. You are expected to take impact seriously. If you believe that your research project is purely theoretical or methodological and will only have impacts within academia you should consider your impact strategy to justify your belief.
Opportunities for making an impact may arise, and should be taken, at any stage during the lifecourse of the research. It is important that researchers have in place a robust strategy for maximising the likelihood of such opportunities arising and their own capacity for taking advantage of these.
Further information on impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity.
Once you have completed the application make sure that all the required information is provided. Some of the most common issues are:
For the esrc responsive mode: research grants funding opportunity.
Applications receiving sufficiently supportive comments from external academic reviewers are forwarded to the panel members (introducers) for a funding recommendation. This is primarily informed by the average expert reviewer score. The minimum threshold score for progressing to the panel is determined on an individual funding opportunity basis.
Applications receiving an average expert reviewer score below the minimum threshold are rejected as not meeting the requisite scientific standard.
At the full panel meetings a proportion of applications will be recommended for funding. Unsuccessful applications fall into two categories – those which are unsuccessful due to lack of funds, and those which do not meet the requisite scientific standard.
A ranked list of recommendations is then considered by the grants delivery group for a final funding decision.
We accept only invited resubmissions. We do not allow the resubmission of any previously unsuccessful applications (including applications previously submitted to another research council), unless applicants have been specifically invited to do so.
In the majority of cases funding decisions are made around six months from the submission of your application, so please bear this in mind when applying.
If your research is time-critical you will need to allow enough time from submission for the application to go through the full application process, and the post-award checks/contracting process which takes an additional two months, on average.
Congratulations, and we hope your project goes well.
However, if difficulties arise such as delays in recruitment, staff illness, replacements, or changes to the work plan then please let us know immediately via your research office.
Under our research funding guide rules you will not need to notify us of virements of funds between headings and no supplementation will be allowed.
Last updated: 16 February 2024
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The research proposal is your opportunity to show that you—and only you!—are the perfect person to take on your specific project. After reading your research proposal, readers should be confident that…
Don’t be afraid to also include relevant information about your background and advocate for yourself! Do you have skills developed in a different research experience (or leadership position, job, coursework, etc.) that you could apply to the project in question? Have you already learned about and experimented with a specific method of analysis in class and are now ready to apply it to a different situation? If you already have experience with this professor/lab, please be sure to include those details in your proposal! That will show the selection committee that you are ready to hit the ground running!
Lastly, be sure to know who your readers are so that you can tailor the field-specific language of your proposal accordingly. If the selection committee are specialists in your field, you can feel free to use the jargon of that field; but if your proposal will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary committee (this is common), you might take a bit longer explaining the state of the field, specific concepts, and certainly spelling out any acronyms.
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Be sure to read and follow submission procedures. The Graduate School cannot accept proposals that are submitted in an incorrect format . In addition, the Graduate School cannot accept proposals from students who do not meet all eligibility requirements at the time of the deadline.
Do not include additional materials beyond items described by the application format guidelines . All figures and tables included in the proposal must remain within the page limit for the project description.
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TOP TIP: Contact Research and Innovation with your draft application a minimum of ten working days before the deadline.
Contact the Research Development Team for help with writing your proposal.
How long will it take to complete the project?
How much will it cost to conduct the project in a given time?
How will you ensure the highest quality?
Points of contact.
Your two main points of contact when drafting a proposal are your academic mentors and the Research Development Team .
Endeavour to get in contact with your Research Development Manager at the earliest stage. As of 1st March 2023, the Research Development Team will no longer support research applications sent to the Team closer than 5 working days from the funder deadline. For more information on this deadline, please click here .
Academic colleagues can advise you about the research background and your methodological approach.
Check with the funding body to see which projects they've previously funded and how your project fits with their funding priorities.
Refresh your project planning and management skills - Human Resources run training sessions throughout the year. Browse LSE Training and Development System .
Improve your application - ask for feedback.
LSE academics can advise on what makes a good quality application as they sit on a number of panels that review applications. We highly recommend that you submit your application for scrutiny to an academic mentor, to give you the chance to further improve.
Find a mentor - email the Research Development Team .
Correct resources for your project is crucial. Underestimate the amount of funding you need and it can pose an insurmountable obstacle that can jeopardise your success.
However, excessive amounts of unnecessary items that are over-priced, can prejudice the review committee and prevent your application being funded.
The Research Development Team will cost your project with you. Set up your budget with the Research Development Team .
Check funding regulations for the scheme you are applying for. Learn the explicit instructions regarding eligible and ineligible costs. There will be a set way of presenting this information that you need to take into account.
How to compile a research budget
Writing a grant proposal requires a different style of writing to that of an academic paper. It's an essential skill for all researchers who wish to progress in their career.
Your research proposal needs to be accessible to a general audience, whilst maintaining the detail of a strong methodology that will be scrutinised by experts in your field.
We can help provide the skills you need to develop research ideas into successful proposals.
View forthcoming grant writing workshops
Contact the Research Development Team to discuss repeat sessions.
Tips to help academics with a research idea increase their chances of winning a research award.
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Criteria for success.
The sections, their sizes, and their order is just an example, not the rule.
Your research proposal (technically, the “Graduate Research Plan Statement”) is part of an application that should convince the selection panel to award you the Fellowship. The proposal is the part of the application where you get to lay out a plan for your graduate research career. The personal statement gives you space to explain the big picture of your past and future career; the research proposal is a place for nuts and bolts. It is an opportunity to convince the selection panel that you are capable of being a successful researcher: that you have the intellectual ability to propose a creative, feasible plan of research.
Note that if you win the Fellowship, no one will actually hold you to this particular research plan; this is a demonstration of critical thinking, not a commitment.
Your entire application will be “reviewed online by virtual panels of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists and engineers and other professional graduate education experts”. These are academics, usually from your broad area of science ( e.g. biology) but not from your specific area ( e.g. polymer biomechanics). They will judge your application using some combination of (a) the NSF’s official criteria for the Fellowship and (b) their own ideas about what constitutes good science.
The people on the committee read many, many applications. Make it easy for them to figure out that you are qualified for the award by referencing the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact criteria that they use to judge your application. It may be wise to, for example, have sections in your proposal that are explicitly labeled “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impacts”. It may also be wise to have an “Abstract” or “Executive Summary” at the beginning of the proposal. Use simple language rather than field jargon.
The selection panel knows that this is a graduate student fellowship and not the sort of grant that would be awarded to a principal investigator. Real grants are big documents with heaps of citations and references. Because this application is about funding you and not a specific project, the panel is more interested in seeing what your proposal says about you rather than about your project. Spend more words showing that you are capable and creative rather than showing that you can cite many papers.
A mature and sophisticated proposal for research is more likely to win you the Fellowship. Before sitting down to write, do your homework. Read a lot about the field in which you’re proposing research. Make sure the thing you’re proposing to do hasn’t been done before or hasn’t been generally regarded as impossible.
Find mentors. More senior scientists like postdocs and faculty members have a lot of experience crafting research proposals, and they are similar to the kinds of people who will be on your selection panel. Get their feedback and advice. Your proposal should also excite someone who is in your exact field. If they have any reservations about whether the project is interesting, then scientists outside your field will have an even more difficult time believing that it’s research worth pursuing.
There’s typically a tradeoff between risk/reward and credibility. Low-risk projects, like obvious, simple extensions of your undergraduate thesis research, tend to be very credible: it’s clear that you can do them. They also tend to be low on reward. Projects that are very ambitious and have huge rewards tend to be unbelievable and impossible for a grad student. There’s a sweet spot in between: find a problem that you can probably solve and that demonstrates that you took some initiative, know your field, and have some creative thoughts.
Read the program solicitation so you know what “Intellectual Merit” and “Broader Impacts” mean to the NSF, and show that your proposed research meets those criteria. In particular, do not just make up your own ideas about what “Broader Impacts” means. The NSF has specific lists of activities that constitute Broader Impacts. These criteria are so important that the solicitation even says that “applicants must include separate statements on Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in their written statements [… and] should include headings for Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts in their statements.”
It’s more important that all the members of your panel understand your work than that you impress the one member of the panel who happens to be in your field. When you write a paper or a grant, it will probably be minutely reviewed by people in your exact field. However, your panel for the NSF GRFP will likely not be in your field, and your application will be one of many they read. They may very well miss points in your proposal that you think are “subtle” or “implicit.” Explicitly state what you’re doing and why, and make it clear even to someone who doesn’t know your field, and who is fatigued from reading many applications.
Strong research proposals say what motivates the project, how the project will get done, and what the project’s outcome will mean with respect to the motivating scientific question. In the life sciences, scientists often label their hypotheses or objectives as “specific aims”.
When discussing research approach and outcomes, make it clear that the project has a clear endpoint that is well within the timeline of a PhD. It’s great if your project leads to a lifelong line of research, but the NSF GRFP only funds graduate study. To win the Fellowship, the proposed research should be able to be completed within a few years.
As best you can, describe concrete outcomes. Will you discover a protein? Will you have designed a certain tool? Having a concrete outcome can help you show how your research will meet the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria, by saying, “Once I have thing X in hand, Y will be intellectually possible or will have Z effect on society.”
Your research proposal will be judged, in part, on the basis of whether the panel members believe you will actually be able to carry it out. It might therefore be wise to name the key resources in your target institution and program. Your success as a graduate student will depend on your advisor’s mentorship, the opportunity for collaboration with other scientists, and the resources that you will have at your target institution. Make it clear that you will have the right equipment and intellectual input that you will need to solve your problem. (Again, this is not because you’ll be expected to actually complete this research. Rather, the goal is to demonstrate your resourcefulness, and the likelihood that you’ll excel as a researcher in general.)
This content was adapted from from an article originally created by the MIT Biological Engineering Communication Lab .
Annotated example 1.
This is a research statement that was part of an MIT BE graduate student’s successful NSF GRFP application. 4 MB
This is a research statement that was part of an MIT BE graduate student’s successful NSF GRFP application. 1 MB
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To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.
A research proposal is a short document that summarises the research you want to undertake. If you cannot find a suitable advertised project, this is a route to create your own.
When creating a research proposal, you’ll need to consider the question or issue you want to address with your project. Think about the background of the subject and how your research will be an original contribution to the field. You’ll also need to think about the methods you'll use to conduct this research. Your proposal helps us assess your suitability for a research degree and decide if we can offer you the right supervision.
You may want to make contact with 1 or more potential supervisors to discuss project ideas. They may also be able to help with funding your degree .
You can search our academics to find a supervisor whose research interests align to yours. When you find a match, contact them to discuss your proposals. Allow time for responses and to consider their feedback.
Learn how to make a supervisor enquiry
You should keep it clear, objective and realistic. Include:
Your research proposal should include:
It’s best to write with short paragraphs and sentences. You can use images and diagrams if it’s appropriate.
Your potential supervisor will inform you of when to start the application process and how to include the details of your agreed project.
More about how to apply
Succesful grant proposal writing offers you the opportunity to drive your career as a researcher, to fund your own research, to get you into independence early after obtaining your PhD and to grow your research group. Also, outside of academia it plays an important role for funding research and innovation activities.
There are plenty of national and international funding programmes with different funding schemes. Although there are differences between the funding schemes that influence what each winning proposal would look like, the process of how to turn your idea for a project into a proposal is the same.
Therefore, this workshop focuses on a) How to develop your idea for a project into a sound work programme; b) how to match it with the requirements of a particular funding programme; and c) how to facilitate communication with the reviewer by presenting your complex ideas in an easy-to-understand way.
This training is dedicated to researchers with little or no experience in grant proposal writing.
At the end of the workshop, the participants will have:
SESSION 1: Funding programmes and how to read the documents (3.5 hours) • The triangle of projects • Overview of funding opportunities • Background information on funding programmes and evaluation processes • How to read the official documents • The funding scheme fingerprint
SESSION 2: Developing your idea into a work plan (3.5 hours) • Elements and structure of a work plan • The Disney method • Developing your idea for a research project into a first work plan • Visualisation of the work plan
SESSION 3: Communicating your project convincingly (3.5 hours) • Matching your idea with the funding programme of choice • Communication with the reviewer • Objectives and how to get the details to make them SMART • Innovative aspects
SESSION 4: Impact and budget (3.5 hours) • Where to put which information in the proposal and how to write about it convincingly • The eagle’s perspective on research projects • Impact • Budget calculation • Coordination of the grant proposal writing process
Dr. Sabine Preusse decided to quit academia in 2006 after obtaining her PhD in Astrophysics and moved on to the project management of European Funded Research projects in the Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum. Besides writing grant proposals and being a project manager in the field of production technologies, she has also trained herself as a business economist (IWW) and a professional business trainer. With this she founded her own company RaumZeit e.K. Coaching Training Beratung in 2011 and is now (also as a professional business coach) supporting researchers from all levels and disciplines in grant proposal writing and the implementation of research projects, dissemination and exploitation of project results, as well as open educational resources.
Since 2011 Sabine Preusse has given more than 150 two-day workshops on grant proposal writing and more than 80 coaching sessions with respect to grant proposal writting, design of research projects and career-building for young researchers, postdocs and professors.
Instructor photo © Dean Vrakela; website photo © Sabine Preusse
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As any GradFund advisor would surely caution, the exact structure of your grant proposal will depend on the grant for which you are applying and your discipline. However, many successful dissertation research grant proposals will contain similar components: an introduction; a background, methodology, and/or literature review; your previous ...
Purpose of A Proposal. To show you have a worthwhile research project to undertake. To demonstrate that YOU have the competence to complete it. To discuss all relevant aspects of the research process. To enable others to evaluate whether enough information exists to want to support the proposed study. As a supervisor (e.g. a thesis)
Therefore, in a good research proposal you will need to demonstrate two main things: 1. that you are capable of independent critical thinking and analysis. 2. that you are capable of communicating your ideas clearly. Applying for a PhD is like applying for a job, you are not applying for a taught programme.
Written by Mark Bennett. You'll need to write a research proposal if you're submitting your own project plan as part of a PhD application. A good PhD proposal outlines the scope and significance of your topic and explains how you plan to research it. It's helpful to think about the proposal like this: if the rest of your application explains ...
Step 2: Plan and research your project. Preliminary research for your grant proposal. Questions to ask yourself as you plan your grant proposal. Developing your grant proposal. Step 3: Write the first draft of your grant proposal. Step 4: Get feedback, and revise your grant proposal accordingly.
By Olivia Gacka, PhD Student. ... our mindset from "this is something I have to do" to "this is something I get to do" is an essential step in writing a great grant proposal. Tips for Grads is a professional and academic advice column written by graduate students for graduate students at UW-Madison. It is published in the student ...
The grant writing process. A grant proposal or application is a document or set of documents that is submitted to an organization with the explicit intent of securing funding for a research project. Grant writing varies widely across the disciplines, and research intended for epistemological purposes (philosophy or the arts) rests on very ...
When writing your PhD proposal you need to show that your PhD is worth it, achievable, and that you have the ability to do it at your chosen university. With all of that in mind, let's take a closer look at each section of a standard PhD research proposal and the overall structure. 1. Front matter.
When writing a grant proposal, there are five main criteria that you need to consider. These are: Significance. Approach. Innovation. Investigators. Environment. The funding body will look for these criteria throughout your statement, so it's important to tailor what you say and how you say it accordingly. 1.
1. Title. Your title should indicate clearly what your research question is. It needs to be simple and to the point; if the reader needs to read further into your proposal to understand your question, your working title isn't clear enough. Directly below your title, state the topic your research question relates to.
Research proposal examples. Writing a research proposal can be quite challenging, but a good starting point could be to look at some examples. We've included a few for you below. Example research proposal #1: "A Conceptual Framework for Scheduling Constraint Management".
PhD; Research; Contact Us; Search for; Home/Research/ Step-By-Step Guide: How To Write Grant Proposal. Research Step-By-Step Guide: How To Write Grant Proposal Download Sample Grant Proposal Format. Prof. Soham Pratap Send an email Last Updated: March 19, 2024. 0 21 9 minutes read. Share.
Now that you understand the structure of a PhD research proposal, here are some tips to help you craft a compelling document: [7] Start early: Begin drafting your research proposal well in advance to allow yourself ample time for revisions and refinement. Be specific: Provide clear and detailed explanations of your objectives, methodology, and ...
Preparing a Proposal. A well-written and skillfully prepared research proposal is crucial to the success of an application for research funding and to the efficient set-up and management of an award. Early planning, and when needed, consultation with [email protected] is encouraged. Approvals.
While grant proposals are almost always overseen by a faculty member serving as the primary investigator (PI), this resource is intended primarily for graduate students and junior faculty seeking to learn more about grant writing in their fields. It is organized according to the following stages of the writing process: I) project planning; II ...
Budget: Explain how much money you need. Explain the details of the budget (how much you want to spend for what). Conclusion: Describe why your research is important. References: List the sources you have used for writing the research proposal, including a few main citations of the preliminary scholarship. Date.
It is vital that you have a full understanding of what is required, as well as knowing the various stages of the application process, so that you maximise your chances of gaining an award. Convey to the panel your genuine interest, understanding and enthusiasm for the work. The vision and approach section is the core of your application.
Writing Research Proposals. The research proposal is your opportunity to show that you—and only you!—are the perfect person to take on your specific project. After reading your research proposal, readers should be confident that…. You have thoughtfully crafted and designed this project; You have the necessary background to complete this ...
Tips for Writing Graduate Student Grant Proposals. Make sure your proposal is original, well-written and can be understood by an educated layperson. Ask a friend from outside of your department to read your proposal and explain its significance. Choose a project of limited scope. For example, ask for a grant to fund the data collection phase of ...
Provide a clear plan - Explain how your programme of work solves "the problem" you are addressing. Show how you will begin your research and your key milestones. Clarify that you have the skills to carry out the research. Be as specific and quantitative as possible - For example, to claim that your new method is "more sensitive" than others is ...
Purpose. Your research proposal (technically, the "Graduate Research Plan Statement") is part of an application that should convince the selection panel to award you the Fellowship. The proposal is the part of the application where you get to lay out a plan for your graduate research career. The personal statement gives you space to explain ...
The purpose of writing a research proposal is to "sell" your plans. to the funding body. You will therefore need to persuade the. panel that your project is important, timely, feasible to ...
You may want to make contact with 1 or more potential supervisors to discuss project ideas. They may also be able to help with funding your degree.. You can search our academics to find a supervisor whose research interests align to yours. When you find a match, contact them to discuss your proposals.
Short description. Succesful grant proposal writing offers you the opportunity to drive your career as a researcher, to fund your own research, to get you into independence early after obtaining your PhD and to grow your research group. Also, outside of academia it plays an important role for funding research and innovation activities.
Writing a winning grant proposal involves a meticulous process of developing a well-structured outline, securing feedback, and revising accordingly. By following these steps, nonprofits can enhance their grant writing skills and secure the vital funding they need to make a lasting impact. In conclusion, grants offer nonprofits the opportunity ...
Ready to develop the skills and strategies you need to become an integral part of one of the world's fastest-growing professional certification sectors—grant writing? In the Professional Grant Writing course, you will further the ideals and goals of your career track by learning about the required competencies that can lead to an internationally recognized certification by one of the leading ...