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INTRODUCTION
This proposal writing is designed to provide a new grant writer insight when preparing a grant application and a seasoned grant writer a refresher on important aspects. Experts agree that proposal writing is a process that requires a multitude of steps to be followed in order for the successful submission of a proposal. The term Principal Investigator (PI) refers to the person(s) writing the proposal and the term Applicant refers to the agency submitting on behalf of an individual. The term Sponsor refers to the funding source or agency (i.e., governmental sponsor, corporation, foundation, etc). The term Pre-Award Phase refers to all of the activities leading up to and including the actual submission of a proposal. For a complete listing of terms and definitions click on http://www.research.ucf.edu/SponsoredPrograms/Proposal/budget/terms.htm It is important to remember that there is a wealth of information regarding proposal writing. It is the intention of this proposal writing guide to provide you with the most relevant information as well as links to other web sites that provide proposal writing information and tips. In addition, this guide is a compilation of other resources and not intended to express this information as our own. Please review and consider the following proposal development writing tips:
PRE-PROPOSAL PHASE
Step 1: Developing Your Proposal Idea
The proposal idea usually comes in two forms: (1) solicited or (2) unsolicited. A solicited idea is one that has been suggested, at least in general terms, by the funding sponsor. This may include, but is not limited to, Request for Proposal (RFP), White Paper, Statement of Work (SOW), Program Announcement, and Request for Information (RFI), etc. An unsolicited proposal is one that is created by the PI of the applicant organization and has no knowledge if it will be of interest to a potential sponsor. If you are planning to put the time in to write a proposal, please contact the sponsor. This contact will help you understand the priorities of the sponsor. Also, focus on these questions when developing your idea: What is the function of the project you are proposing? In what field is your project? Who will benefit from your project? What are the geographic parameters of your project? Do you have an appropriate project team assembled? Have your ideas for research been discussed with the Chair/Dean of College/Department?
Identifying clearly as many of the appropriate descriptive characteristics of your project idea as possible can assist you in searching for the appropriate sponsor to fund your project and delimit your search. Try to include collaborators from the same or different departments/disciplines as well as graduate and undergraduate students whenever possible. This will help you stay focused on mainstream research. If you are having trouble with developing an idea, use your Office of Research & Commercialization Community of Science (COS) System. The link below will provide a brief overview: http://www.research.ucf.edu/SponsoredPrograms/FundingOpportunities/services.html
If all of this information is not readily available to you, then determine who can help you gather each type of information. The data-gathering process makes the actual writing much easier. By involving other stakeholders in the process, it also helps key people within our University consider the projects value.
Most sponsors will have a deadline for when questions can be asked about a specific solicitation. In most cases, sponsors will not discuss a specific solicitation after this deadline has passed. However, you can discuss general ideas and priorities.
Redesign your project objectives and procedures in order to propose more realistic goals or use less costly means when your initial figures appear too high. There will be additional requirements to be completed prior to submission that can be identified early in this phase and must be completed prior to submission (e.g. Special Hazards approval, Costs Accounting Standards (CAS) exemption form, cost sharing approvals, etc.)
These ideas are important because additional documents will be requested before proposal submission. Please refer to the proposal budget preparation section: http://www.research.ucf.edu/SponsoredPrograms/Proposal/budgetprep.html
There are specific techniques and processes of writing an application that can be acquired with practice and experience. But these, by themselves, are not substitutes for the authority that is evident in grant applications written by those knowledgeable in their field and excited at the opportunity to create something new. The proposal document is the major means of communication with potential sponsors thus it bears the considerable burden of simultaneously creating a favorable impression and securing support for your proposed project.
Common Mistakes
There are at least five common mistakes in proposal writing: Ignoring the announcement or solicitation guidelines Inattention to mechanical details Lack of clarity, too much jargon Overdoing details in the technical writing Failure to point out the broader benefits
If you intend on using the sponsors name in your title, insure an agreement between the sponsor and the University is in place
Table of Contents:
This is a list of the proposals major sections and corresponding page numbers. Quite often, a federal sponsor will provide the table of contents in the proposal guidelines. This is especially true for proposals submitted electronically. The table of contents should follow your proposal layout to help the reviewer identify key information used for proposal evaluation. If a reviewer cannot find the information required for evaluation regardless if it is actually in the grant application, you will lose these points. These points could be the difference in your application being awarded.
Purpose:
This section gives a specific indication of the expected outcomes of the project, usually stated as goals and objectives, hypotheses, and/or research questions. It may explain how the project relates to the overall goals of a larger program. The purpose should clearly identify both expected short-term and long-term results. Please keep these ideas in mind: Goals provide overall conceptual orientation to the ultimate purpose of the project. They are abstract in content, broader in scope, less subject to direct measurement, and focused more on long-term perspectives. Objectives are specific and concrete. They are more likely to be measurable and more likely to address short-term or intermediate accomplishments toward a goal. Hypotheses should be stated in such as way that they can be tested by securing information to judge truth or falsity. These should not be stated in the null form and should always be included wherever there is a basis for prediction. Research questions are generally used in lieu of hypotheses in exploratory studies or in projects of a survey research nature. Research questions should be phrased very specifically to indicate the exact nature of the proposed inquiry. The care with which the questions are selected and written will also demonstrate to the reviewer whether you have thought through a particular problem.
This section should be succinct, yet persuasive. Like a good debater, you need to assemble all the arguments. Then present them in a logical sequence that will readily convince the reader of their importance.
The sponsor generally provides a laundry list of information that must be contained within the research plan. However, in the absence of such a list, it is recommended that: The research plan match the outcomes/specific aims The research plan includes methods, procedures, timeline, and/or a plan of action The research plan matches the objectives and needs on the dimensions of innovativeness and scope The research plan has sound rationale The procedures are feasible
Personnel:
This section identifies all key and senior personnel in the proposal. This means that any person involved in the proposal that has a significant impact should be listed as key or senior personnel. Most proposal guidelines require a curriculum vitae, biosketch, or resume to be submitted with your proposal. This information is used by the sponsor to document the capability of the organization submitting the application and to document the individuals participating in the projects operation. Personnel may be described in several sections of the proposal and as different categories of employment. Most agencies limit the number of pages dedicated to this section to one to four pages per key and senior personnel. In addition, follow the sponsors sample. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require a specific format that must be followed. Do not include information in this section that does not directly relate to what you are proposing. When developing this section please remember these tips: Include title, responsibilities and percentage of time assigned to the project for each type of staff person Tailor the biography to emphasize experiences relevant to this project Mention the sources of other salary support for key positions that will not be assigned full-time
Evaluation:
This section may or may not be included as part of the proposal. When it is included, it is used to detail the means by which the sponsor will know that the project has accomplished its purposes. It also describes plans for collecting information or data to improve project operation. It states the purpose of the evaluation, type of information to be collected, details on instruments,
data collection, analysis, utilization and how results will be reported. This may also include a timetable for completing each step of your project.
Dissemination:
This section may or may not be included as part of the proposal. When it is included, this section describes how proposal information will be shared. Most sponsor guidelines allow travel for dissemination purposes. This travel may include trips to national conventions or to meet directly with the project director from the funding sponsor. However, it is also possible that any reports or products produced by your research will be called a deliverable and handled through our Universitys contract management team.
Coley, Soraya M., and Cynthia Scheinberg. Proposal Writing. Newburg Park, CA: Sage Publications. Gooch, Judith Mirick. Writing Winning Proposals. Washington, D.C.: Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Hall, Mary. Getting Funded: A Complete Guide to Proposal Writing. 3rd ed. Portland, OR: Continuing Education Publications. Kiritz, Norton J. Program Planning and Proposal Writing. Expanded version. Los Angeles, CA: The Grantsmanship Center.