EASA-450
Scientific Communications, Spring 2005
Martha
Davis - Chapter
5, The Proposal
Types
graduate
thesis proposals (for a thesis committee to read)
grant (funding) proposals - by far the largest category
Purpose
request funding to pursue science (request permission to pursue a thesis idea)
establish the agreement between you and the funding agency (your thesis committee)
serves as a plan of action for your research (your entire thesis direction)
Without the latter benefit, your research can be lengthened by months or even years!
Design
All proposals are governed by their own formats and requirements, but the following sections are ususally found, approximately in this order
title page, details of grantee and institution
executive summary or non-technical abstract
objectives to be addressed (response to solicitation)
report on past work with that agency
review of literature, references
justification
proposal narrative (IMRAD)
relevance to wider audience, benefits to organization or society
budget and budget narrative (or justification, including time frame)
biographical information
other grants you hold or have submitted (pending a decision)
The first two sections (title and summary) are very important, followed by justification, then budget!
A Note on Scientific Proposals
Many students (and researchers!) think that the proposal is sacred and must be followed at all cost. True, one must have a pretty good outline as to what to do and roughly how you are going to go about doing it.
The purpose of the research may change as you proceed, the goals may change, and interesting sidelines may develop you did not foresee. Generally both the granting agency and your thesis committee will be sympathetic to these changes of direction, provide you let them know. For every proposal there is a contact person who is responsible for overseeing the grant and your progress, just like your supervisor.
Success rates are rarely as high as you think they should be. Often 20% is the going percentage of funded grantees in a competition - infrequently this may rise to 30 or 40%. So failure is to be expected and should not be the cause of panic or depression. Frequently you may resubmit modified proposals at a later date that will be successful. Repeated failure with a particular topic or approach may signify that you need to re-evaluate the rationale for the research, or review your approach to the field (both technically and socially).