How to write a grant proposal
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Writing research proposals:
Advice about writing research or grant proposals is difficult to give because grant proposals can be:
1) either solicited by an agency (such as the DFG) with a particular theme in mind, or no specific theme is given and the applicant must first define a specific problem that needs attention.
2) Proposals can differ in length from 1 page to several hundred pages (see our SFB proposal > 500 pages).
3) Proposals can be collaborative efforts involving an entire team of scientists (e.g. an SFB) or only a single individual (your research proposals for the IRT3).
Proposals are also hard to write because it puts us in a difficult situation. We have to convince an audience that there is a question or problem that has not be solved and that we are capable of solving it. We must anticipate the results of a project, that we haven't even begun, and make sure we have a feasible way to proceed towards an answer.
Also, unlike writing scientific papers, where the objective is to inform, a research proposal must be persuasive. It must convince the reviewers that you know the solution to a problem and that they should give you the money to solve this problem. Considerations when writing a proposal
Format:
Most funding agencies will have very specific guidelines of the format of a proposal. These pertain to font, layout, number of pages, proper sub-headings, total word count, etc. Most importantly, failure to comply with the format can result in the proposal being rejected. Compliance to these guidelines is important for two reasons: 1) The reviewers will have many proposals to evaluate and need the information of each proposal to follow a certain form so that it is easy to get an overview and compare different proposals, 2) A funding agency may interpret failure to comply with these simple rules as evidence that a scientist is not capable of doing something more difficult like administering the grant and fulfilling the aims proposed.
Politics:
Irrelevant for your IRT3 grants, but possibly relevant for other grant proposals (or research stipends) for which you will apply. Certain agencies may have only certain themes or types of proposals it is willing to fund. These may not be apparent to you at all. You should keep in mind though: "Many times, situations will arise in which no matter how well you write the proposal, you will not get funded." You should not necessarily throw out an idea or research topic just because it is rejected. Set it aside and be ready to rework it for a different grant proposal in the future. Keep in mind, in the best possible world, funding agencies would consider grants based on merit only, however sometimes politics will play into the picture. If you are rejected, this should not necessarily alter your conviction about whether a particular question or research direction should be pursued.
Audience:
A grant reviewing committee will consist of at least two types of readers: readers from a technical perspective and readers from a management perspective. The technical audience will be scientists, usually experts in your field. They will evaluate the scientific merit of the proposal. The management audience will be usually board members or employees of the agency (for example DFG) to which you apply. These individuals will scrutinize whether your proposal is feasible from the perspective of time and money.
You will need to address both audiences. Put yourself in their shoes. Try to anticipate what their questions or concerns will be. Provide them with the right amount of background information so that they would also agree with you that the plan you have proposed is not only feasible, but logical and the best solution to the problem. (Laura give "fish counter" example here)
A proposal generally has two parts:
First part: presents a hole that needs to be filled. Statement of the problem, reason why this question should be addressed
Second part: How to address the problem. How the hole will be filled?
"Statement of the problem" should show that you understand the problem and make the audience aware of how important the problem is.
"Proposed solution" presents the plan for addressing the problem. - what is the proposed solution? - does the solution make sense from a technical perspective? - does the solution make sense from a management perspective? - can the applicant carry out the solution?
Examples
Some examples of proposals: CPB, EPA Systematics and Comparative Biology, DFG Schwerpunkt, VW foundation Post-doc grant, SFB (Evolution, Microbiology). These will be available to the students for reference.
If you want to see the examples, please contact Laura Rose (rose"at"zi.biologie.uni-muenchen.de).
