Think all you need to do is start writing? Quality proposals required considerable
effort before you write your first word. Submitting a poor quality proposal may provide
reviewers with a memory of your effort you’d rather they not have. Proposals established
your career record along with your research and publications.
Start early! Competitive grants are not best produced through last minute efforts.
You’ll need time to research, reflect, rewrite and to get others to critique your proposal.
It is critical to identify funding opportunities as early as possible to allow the maximum
amount of time to prepare the proposal.
Get Registered with FASTLANE for NSF proposals. See the
TRS department for registration assistance.
First, read and re-read the proposal guidelines. Failing to use the
acceptable font size or missing required sections will make it more likely your proposal is
rejected without a thorough review. Reviews are important as they provide you with competitive
information for future rounds, and allow you to more strategically align your proposal to a
program’s funding goals.
Is the proposal a limited submission? It is very important that you identify any
requirement which limits submissions from a single institution as these must be coordinated
for the entire campus. Typically this involves a pre-selection process. Contact SRD for
further information if you see an institutional limit in the guidelines. Also, identify any
eligibility and PI or Co-PI restrictions.
Research the program you are submitting to. Your first step is to decide where and
how to pitch your proposal.
1. Understand the success rate. Would you be better pursuing this
one or one with higher rates of awards funded?
2. Make sure you understand the review process and criteria. Will
this be peer review? Will it include professionals outside your field? Will education
or diversity aspects weigh heavily in the competition? What will the broader impacts
be?
3. Know the review criterion! For example, NIH isn’t as critical
of broader impacts and diversity in the same way as NSF is. Click on this link to check
out the NSF Merit Review Criterion for
details and examples of broader impacts. A complete understanding of the review process,
and who will do the evaluation, is critical to your success. NIH lists Integrated Review
Groups and Study Section Rosters at
http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm.
4. Reviewers will look for Significance, Approach,
Innovation, Investigator, and the Environment. These are discussed in more detail
under the “Writing The Proposal” section below.
5. Consider your target audience of the grant. Clearly explain them
in terms of demographics, size, problems or challenges faced. NSF seeks to increase
participation of women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology and engineering.
Gather background information. It is critical you know where your field is in relation
to your proposed research. Analyze what already exists. Show thorough knowledge of your
field and don’t overlook relevant pubs potential reviewers have authored. Seek constructive
criticism from knowledgeable peers. If you state your idea is novel or innovative, it had better
not already have happened elsewhere in your field! Know your competition.
Check for winning proposals. Do a thorough search of the agency website; contact
colleagues in that field who have been awarded grants and see if any will share information or
even a proposal with you.
Build Coalitions among departments, institutions, industries and constituencies.
They can contribute letters of endorsement/commitment to the project.
Work out the overall research plan. Everything must relate to one fundamental question.
Have a brainstorming session. Write down every idea and connect ideas and words to
develop a visual flow.
Select your co-PIs and partners strategically! Establishing your co-PIs for specific
effective and competitive reasons is extremely important. Don’t just
consider who is easiest to ask or who happens to work down the hall, especially if that person
isn’t as qualified as another that you could include. Consider whether or not diversity is important
to the funding agency. How will reviewers view the expertise the PIs present? Choosing co-PIs
by consensus or the “Who wants to be?” method is not the best approach.
Finally, create a realistic timeline for you to accomplish specific proposal components
and stay on track.
