This document provides guidance on writing an effective concept paper to help secure research funding. It explains that a concept paper can help transform a good research idea into a focused proposal, and can help obtain quick feedback. The document outlines key elements to include in a concept paper such as describing the project's significance and impact, demonstrating how it aligns with the funder's priorities, and including concise descriptions of each project component. It emphasizes tailoring the concept paper to the intended audience and providing a clear yet memorable overview of the proposed research.

1. WRITING A CONCEPT PAPER
Note: Some funders request specific content and/or formatting for concept papers.
The templateprovided on page 4 is a generic template that incorporates the content
required by most sponsors. Make sure to read sponsor guidelines and alter the
content and format as necessary to satisfy those requirements.
WHY WRITE A CONCEPT PAPER?
A conceptpapercan helpyoutransforma good ideaintoa focused,high-qualityproposal.Some
sponsorsrequestabrief conceptpaper(alsoreferredtoasa “white paper”) before theywill acceptafull
application.
Regardlessof sponsorrequirements,writingandsharingabrief conceptpaperisan efficientand
effectivewaytoobtainquickfeedbackonyourproject’sstrengthsandweaknessesfromasponsor.In
manycases,program officersorothersponsorrepresentativeswillrespondtoconceptpapersalmost
immediately.Incontrast,if yousubmita full applicationpackage (often50+pagesof documentsthat
can take monthsto complete) toa competitiverequestforproposals,youwill typicallywaitseveral
monthsfor reviewercomments.
A majorityof fundingthroughthe National Science Foundation(NSF) andNational Institutesof Health
(NIH) ismade throughunsolicited,investigator-initiatedproposals.Thismeansyoudonotneedto wait
for a fundingagencytoput outa call for proposalsthatmatchesyourresearchto share your project
ideas.
From a sponsor’spointof view,the purpose of aconceptpaperisto determine whetherornota
proposedresearchprojectiscompetitive and/orfundable,alignswiththeirmissionandstrategicgoals,
and islikelytoadvance the field.Fromthe researcher’sperspective,the purpose of aconceptpaperis to
spark the sponsor’sinterest,demonstrate thatthe projectisworthyof funding,andgenerate valuable
feedbackthatcan be usedto strengthenafull proposal/application.

2. Time isvaluable andalwaysinshortsupply,butinvestingsome time andefforttowrite aconceptpaper
before youembarkonthe long,difficulttaskof developingafull proposal orapplicationcanprovide a
numberof benefits:
 Craft concise descriptionsforeachaspectof your project:Preparingaconceptpaper,whichis
essentiallyacondensedprojectnarrative,allowsyoutocarefullyconsiderall aspectsof your
projectand provide focuseddescriptionsof eachcomponent.
 Builda more competitiveapplication:the feedbackyoureceive fromcolleaguesandfunderswill
identifyanypotential weaknessesof yourprojectandprovide guidance onhow toaddress
those.The critical feedbackwillalsohighlightyourproject’sstrengthsandallow youtobolster
those ina full application.
 Developrelationshipswithprogramofficers:A conceptpaperallowsyoutointroduce yourself
and yourresearchintereststoa program officerandforyouto learnhow to betterfityour
researchintotheirprogramarea. Alternatively,programofficersmaysuggestdifferent
programswithintheiragencythatmay be a betterfitfor yourparticularresearch.
 Avoidwastingyourvaluable time:If youlearnthatyourresearchideaisnot supportedor
recommended,youcanavoidexpendingthe time andefforttosubmitafull proposal.If your
projectissupported,youwill have aheadstart onthe requiredelementsof afull proposal.
KNOW (AND WRITE FOR) YOUR AUDIENCE
For conceptpapers,as withanytype of communication,itisessential toknow youraudience andtailor
your writingtofittheirinterests andneeds.If youintendtosendyourconceptpaperto several different
potential funders,you mustmake changesbasedoneach funder’spriorities,requirements,andthe
level of expertiseof the programofficers,eventhoughthe basiccontentwill be essentiallythe same.
You shoulddrafttwoseparate versionsof yourconceptpaper.Forthe first,the audience is your
research colleagues—share yourconceptpaperwithcolleagueshereatMSU Texas,mentorsorother
expertsinyourfieldfromotherinstitutions,andresearcherswhohave hadfundingsuccessinyour
researcharea.This versioncaninclude jargonandtechnical language,asyouraudience isfellowexperts.
Afteryouconsiderandincorporate feedbackfromyourcolleagues,youshouldwrite asecondversionof
the conceptpaper.For thissecondversion,youraudience is potential sponsors/funders. Be aware that
for manyfunders,programofficersmaybe laypeople orgeneralists.Forthisaudience,usingjargonand
technical language willimpede clear andeffectivecommunicationof yourproject,whichcouldreduce
your oddsof a positive response.
Your conceptpaperis yoursalespitch—youwanttosell yourideabasedonitssignificance andpotential
impact.To make an effective pitch,youneeda conceptpaperthat demonstrateshow yourproject
alignswiththeirprioritiesandmissionandiswrittenwithoutjargonthatcanimpede the reader’sability
to evaluate yourideas.

3. WRITING STRATEGIES
AUDIENCE-FOCUSED STYLE
Be aware that writingaconceptpaper differssignificantlyfromwritingajournal article.The goal of a
conceptpaperis to convince the sponsorof the significanceof yourproposedproject.Youshould
explainhowyourchosenresearchteamandthe projectdesignwill contribute tosuccess,andclearly
demonstrate the project’ssignificance,purpose,andimpact.Yourconceptpapershouldalsoshowhow
your projectalignswiththe funder’smissionandpriorities.
To ensure thata programofficercan easilysee how yourprojectalignswith theirorganization,you must
take the time to reviewtheirstrategicplan,fundingpriorityareas,previouslyawardedgrants,annual
reports,andany informationthatwill allowyoutolinkyourprojectto theirhistoryandpriorities.If
possible, use theirwordsinyour paper.If yourfunderisthe National Science Foundation,whichexpects
proposerstofullyaddressthe BroaderImpactsof theirproject,whichincludes“improvedSTEM
educationandeducatordevelopmentatanylevel,”andyourprojectwill meetthose criteria,echothe
sponsor’slanguage inyourexplanation.Forexample:
[The proposed project] willcontributeto public scientific literacy and increasepublic
engagementwithsciencethrough a field trip programthatwill allow diverse student groups
fromarea high schoolsto participate in hands-on activitiesin [research topic] to build their skills
in [discipline] and sparkinterest in futureresearch and study.
MEMORABLE TITLE
In addition,make sure yourtitle conveyswhatyouintendtodo and whyit matters.Identifywordsthat
capture the problemyouwill address,yourproject’spotentialimpact,andthe funder’spriorities.Then,
use those termsto create a title of no more than 10 words.Create a “short title”thatrepresentsthe
longerversionandcanbe usedthroughoutthe conceptpaperinplace of vague phraseslike “this
project”or “thisresearch.”For example,the title GeoscienceResearch Experiencesto Engage
Tomorrow’s Scientists canbe shortenedto GeoscienceResearch Experiences,whichallowsyouto embed
the contentand purpose of yourproposal throughoutthe conceptpaper,andcan also be made intothe
memorable acronym GREETS. A title thatleavesamemorable firstimpressionandreflectsthe purpose
of yourprojectcan give yourproposal an edge overthe hundredsof proposalsaprogramofficerwill
review.
CONTENT THAT SELLS YOUR IDEA
A conceptpaperprovidesanintroductiontoandoverview of yourproposedresearch. Make clear
connectionsbetweenthe funder’smissionandprioritiesandyourproject’ssignificance,innovation,and
impactthroughoutthe conceptpaper[see the template below formore].These elementsanswerthe
funder’squestion,“sowhat?”Youwant the fundertoagree that your projectisa good investment
because of itspotential forimpact.Youwant to show how theirinvestmentinyourprojectwill advance
the knowledge base of yourfield,leadtoimprovementsinpolicyandpractice,provideabenefitto

4. society,etc.Youshouldoutline the broadpotential impactsof yourwork clearly and confidently—your
conceptpaperis notthe time forunderstatementandmodesty.
Don’toverwhelmthe readerwithdetail. Thinkcarefullyaboutthe contentyouinclude—isthis
somethingthe funderneeds toknowinorderto understandwhatyourresearchwill accomplish?Be
confident,positive,andclear (e.g. “[ShortTitle] will impact…,” not“We believe this projectcould
impact…”).
FORMAT AND LAYOUT
The appearance of your conceptpaperis important.Tryto avoidpresentinga“wall of text,”withlong
paragraphsand little white space.Whitespace improvesthe readabilityof yourpaper,andusing
headingsandsubheadingswillhelpthe reviewerfollowthe organizationof yourproject.
Carefullyeditandreviseyourconceptpaper.Grammar,spelling,andpunctuationshouldbe correctand
consistentsothe readerisnot distractedfromthe substance of yourproposal. OSPRishappyto review
and offeredits andrevisionsonconceptpapersandproposals.
Unlessthe sponsorguidelinesstate otherwise,yourconceptpapershouldhave 1”margins,use an 11-
or 12-point,easily-readable font;use ablockparagraphstyle;include afooterwithyourproject’sshort
title,lastname,date,andpage number;andnot exceed twosingle-spacedpages.
HOW OSPR CAN HELP
Please reachoutto the Office of SponsoredProgramsandResearch(OSPR) beforeyousubmitconcept
papersto any funders.OSPRcanhelpyouina numberof ways,suchas identifyingpotentialsponsors,
reviewingyourconceptpaperforclarityand effectiveness,andoffering suggested editsandrevisions.
We can alsoensure thatyour proposedprojectalignswithall universitypoliciesandproceduresand
identifyanypotential issuesthatcoulddelayinstitutionalendorsementof afuture proposal.
CONCEPT PAPER TEMPLATE
The generictemplate onthe followingpage includesinformationof interesttoall potentialfunders. To
use the template, delete the firstthree pagesof thisdocumentandbegin fillinginthe template with
your conceptpapercontent.Some fundersrequire specificcontentand/oraspecificformat; OSPRcan
helpdetermineif this istrue fora funderyouintendtocontact. Once youcomplete the generic
template, youcanrearrange the textand modifythe formatting asnecessarytosatisfythe requirements
of specificfunders.

5. TITLE OF RESEARCH PROJECT
Dr. <Name>, <Faculty Rank>
<Department>
Midwestern State University
<Email>@msutexas.edu, 940-397-____
This opening “mini abstract” (2 paragraphs) will determine the projectofficer’s interestin your
research and create a strong impression of the merits of your project. Pay special attention to the first two
sentences. They must be persuasive regarding your project’s significance and impact so as to grab your
audience and keep them reading.
Briefly summarize (1) the significant problem or gap you will address and why it is important; (2) the
expected outcomes; and (3) the potential broad impact.
Include language to demonstrate you understand the strategic priorities of the targeted funder as well as
the types of projects they fund. Make a clear and strong link between their priorities and your
research. You want them to buy your project, so sell it by explaining how your research advances their
cause (the “so what?”). Use words and phrases from the funder’s strategic plan and other funder
information so the program officer sees their organization reflected in your project.
Background and Purpose (3 paragraphs)
The goal of this section is to convince the funder you are knowledgeable about your research topic and
more research is necessary to fill gaps or expand upon the literature and address critical problems or
needs. Lay the foundation for informing policy and practice to enhance the impact (bang for the buck) of
the funder’s investment in you and your research.
Start with a clear and concise description of the research topic (not your project… that comes in the next
section). Include a brief summary of the literature – citing only seminal, significant, and compelling
sources – to provide the context for your project and discuss what others have discovered and/or
accomplished. Highlight if you discover there is little or no research directly aligned with your project.
How and how much you discuss the literature is driven by the knowledge base of your audience.
Describe the purpose of your research project: identify the problem or need you intend to address and
how your project will address it. Provide evidence to support the contention that your research project
addresses a significant and/or timely problem. Relevant data can be convincing, so use it if you have it;
just do not get bogged down in its minutia.
Finally, describe the “so what?”; why your project matters. As you craft this description, keep in mind
that most program officers are not as immersed as you are in the topic. Therefore,you must persuade
them that they really should care about the specific problem your research will address. Do this by linking
the problem to their organization’s priorities and describing in broad, grandiose terms the potential short-
and long-term impact of your project.

6. Project Description (4 Paragraphs)
Concisely describe your research project, including what (not how) you plan to do; who is involved in the
research; and who will benefit, directly and indirectly. Resist the temptation to get mired in the details. If
it is a pilot project to collect preliminary data and/or refine research methodologies, be direct in saying so.
If applicable, highlight the innovative aspects of your research approach to set your project apart from
the other proposals the program officer reads.
List the research questions, goal(s), and objectives of your project. You will have laid the foundation for
them in the previous section, so no elaboration is needed.
Briefly describe – based on your audience – how you will conduct the research,including the research
methodology; the data you will collect; and how you will analyze the data. Based on your Project Work
Plan,describe major milestones and a general timeline for what you will accomplish. As always, avoid
the temptation to include the nitty-gritty details.
Finally, describe the expected outcomes of your project, linked to your research questions, goals, and
objectives. Discuss these outcomes in terms of their impact on your target population and others who will
benefit directly and indirectly.
Project Needs and Key Personnel (1 paragraph)
This section should include an estimate of total costs (direct and indirect), categories of expenses,and the
project timeframe (start and end dates in months/years). Next briefly discuss your qualifications as PI
and the expertise of the research team as a whole.
You will not include a detailed budget with your concept paper; however,the budget details are
important. Work with OSPR to begin preparing the budget justification and create an initial budget
spreadsheet.
Impact of Project (1 paragraph)
The purpose of this section is to solidify the funder’s final impression of your project as being important
to their mission. Very briefly restate why the project is important, its expected outcomes, and how it will
add new knowledge to your field and inform policy and practice.
End the concept paper with a strong statement of how your project aligns with the funder’s strategic
priorities, describing how your expected outcomes will impact the targeted population, the college and
university, Wichita Falls, Texas,the US, the world.
References
Providing a list of references is not necessary at this stage. Have the list available should the program
officer wish to see it.