Ppt for research grant proposal

1. Research Grant Proposal
Dr. Mubshara Saadia
Associate Professor, GCWUF.

2.  Objectives:
• Basic steps in writing a grant proposal
• Features of a good research proposal
• Factors that influence the success of a grant proposal
• Outline:
• Grant proposal writing skills
• Funding calls
• Elements of a good grant proposal
• Funding agencies
• Some helping informations

3. Why its necessary to have skills of
grant proposal writing?
• To boost the bright career of an
ambitious researcher.
• to meet the budget needs for completing
any research project.
• To convince funding agencies through
his/ her innovative research proposal(s).
• To turn their dream project ideas in to
reality.

4. Basic Steps of a Grant Proposal Writing
• A researcher should have a generic
proposal in hand.
• Should respond a funding call by
transforming the project in hands
according to the needs of the funding
agencies.
• Should be very vigilant about the calls
of funding agencies

5. What are Funding Calls and How to Respond?
 Funding agencies give calls for proposal submission through
different sources, most often including the announcements by
newspapers and/ or through the websites.
• Calls usually spread through collogues or institutions.
• The calls are given for submission of proposals on certain topics/
research areas, for certain amount of money and for specific time
duration.
• Periodic or ad hoc calls
• Titles for such calls may be; request for proposal, call for funding.
• Guidelines of funding calls should be thoroughly read and followed.

6. Steps to Respond a Funding Call

7. Type of Project
Determine the nature of Project…
• Is it a pilot or full blown research project?
• Is a part of thesis or post doctoral research?
• Fellowship of an institution to support your idea of research?
• A clinical project with multiple staff members?

8. Refine the proposal by asking some
self questions
 What is the novelty of work?
 What is the relevance?
 What is the need of doing research activity on this specific topic?
 Would the results of the activity be beneficial to scientific or social community?
 What are the hypotheses?
 What types of research methods would be used to accomplish the project?
 Qualitative/ quantitative… both?
 Is the research study is observational or interventional?

9. Finding Funding Agencies
• Prepare list of possible agencies with periodic calls.
• Select the agency which is demanding proposals most
relevant to your objectives or your field of research.
• Modify the proposal according to the needs/priorities of
the funding agency.
• It is the time consuming task…but rewards in benefits
in long run.
• “Even the most appealing proposal in the world is
unlikely to succeed if not sent to the right agency”

10. • Sources of information (database of
funding agencies)
• Government institutions (R & D
Research Grant Programs - HEC,
PSF etc.)
• Most Universities have Offices of
research (ORIC offices)
• Reputable private agencies/ NGOs

11. Tailoring of Proposal
Write your proposal as considering yourself a critical
reviewer;
• Do the objectives of the proposal address to the
specific national problem?
• What is the impact of the proposed project on the
priority area?
• Is the plan/ methodology of the proposal workable in
suggested time duration?
• How the certainty of the hypothesis/ results may be
determined?
• How the validity of findings may be determined?

12. Review and submission of the Project
 Often its very helping in improving the contents of the proposal if getting
reviewed by;
• Experts of the fields
• Collogues working in the same field
 Submission of your proposal to the calling agency as per instructions; it
may demand a concept paper only/ or need all the plan on specific
proforma (e.g. NRPU proforma for submission of research project)
 Wait for the decision, and then decide at your end to accept or reject the
offer, if the budget proposed by the reviewers is sufficient to accomplish
the designed project.
• You may also do alteration to your project according to the suggested
budget.
• If Accepted; have good informations about the administrative formalities;
institutional and bank details.
• If rejected, revise your proposal and apply again.

13. Progress of Research Work
 Start work according to the designed plan.
 Prepare the progress report during the conduct of work
 Results should be compiled regularly on weekly basis and submitted as progress/
final report within the specified time duration according to the guidelines.

14.  Design a general proposal in any specific discipline.
 Get reviewed by experts of the field.
 Seek funding from the most relevant agency.
 Modify your project according to the guidelines of calling agency.
 Explain the salient features of your idea/proposal to convince the
critics and general public.
Elements of a Strong Proposal

15. Budget Preparation and Justification
• Prepare the budget by tabulating in spreadsheet under different categories.
• Add % time spent, per month/ year salary of personnel/staff.
• Add specification and number of equipments, unit and total costs for specific time duration (yearly
budget).
• Give justification for each item and describe the rules of purchase/ recruitment (if necessary)
Its most important to ‘Avoid the calculation errors’ at each step.

16. Equipment, Consumables and Service Costs

17.  Justify the requirements of equipments.
• Have complete information about the make
and model of the equipment to be purchased.
• It will give a good impact to mention the
available equipments to show zero cost.
• Budget generously for consumables; printer
ink, papers , stationary etc.
• Add maintenance cost as well for the steady
run of the project.

18. Staff
• Should be justified in detail for the necessary skills.
• Should specify budget for such staff only for the period required.
• Its better to utilize the staff who are on regular pay and may help on zero cost.
• Consider outsourcing/ consultancy, as these are mostly the most common cut
items.

19. Personnel Costs

20. Other costs
• Travel
• Institutional overheads (telephone, electricity, vehicle etc.)

21. Tying Together Parts of Proposal
 The project proposal should have clear link between different parts of
the project (objectives, methodologies and outcomes).
 The proposal should be very explicit in its plan; Its good if reviewer
has to work less in understanding the plan of the project.

22. Pakistani Funding Agencies
1. Higher Education Commission (HEC) Research Grants (http://www.hec.gov.pk/english/Pages/Home.aspx)
o National Research Programs for Universities (NRPU)
o Technology Development Fund (TDF)
o Interim Placement of Fresh PhDs Program (IPFP)
o Patent Support Program
o HEC Research Travel Grant
o University Technology Support for Researchers
o Setup Research Grant
o National Award for Outstanding Researcher
o Access to Scientific Instrumentation (ASIP)
o Grant for Spare Part and Maintenance
2. Higher Education Commission (HEC) Funding for Research Publications and Presentations
(http://hec.gov.pk/english/services/Pages/RnD.aspx)
o Travel Grants for Presentation of Research Papers
o Grants for Organizing Seminars/Conferences
3. Pakistan Science Foundation (www.psf.gov.pk)

23. International funding agencies
• Pak-US Joint Academic & Research Program (www.publisher.hec.gov.pk/www.hec.gov.pk/pakus-rd)
• TWAS-COMSTECH Joint Research Grants (www.twas.ictp.it/prog/grants/)
• Human Frontier Science Program (www.hfsp.org)
• International Foundation for Science (www.ifs.se)
• Research & Advocacy Fund (www.rafpakistan.org)
• Talented Researcher Exchange Program (TRXP) (www.britishcouncil.org/inspire)
• The Asia Foundation (www.asiafoundation.org)
• The Islamic Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (ISESCO – Scientific Research
Grant) (http://www.icpsr.org.ma)

24. Helping tips

25.  Conflict of interest
• Disclose both financial and non-financial conflicts of interests
• Verify your funding agency
• Beware of the role of funding agency

26. Ability of Analysis and Collaborations
• Read thoroughly about the research field of
your project to have a good understanding and
plan of work for the solution of the problem.
Study the features of other successful projects
of the same field.
• Do not despair, strong proposals need repeated
practice.
Try to establish a collaborative network
between different disciplines or fields.
• Establish a good track record to go long…

27.  Developing the Proposal
• Start early have time for modifications and feedback.
• Have time to discuss the proposal with experts of the fields.
• Have consultancy with statisticians.
• Have explicit connections between different parts of the proposal.
• Be realist in designing the project.
• Approach should be rationale.
• Highlight knowledge gaps and novelty to have a better way to
solution.
• Highlight the societal benefits of the work.
 It should ever be in mind that “developing strong proposals takes
time, collaborative efforts and experience”

28. References
NPTEL on line course;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqNKOJuapkg
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2021/01/11/bill-gates-backed-
climate-solution-gains-traction-but-concerns-
linger/?sh=3447bb90793b
• http://www.hec.gov.pk/english/Pages/Home.aspx