This document provides guidance on writing a successful grant proposal. It outlines the basic steps, including responding to funding calls, refining the proposal based on self-evaluation, finding relevant funding agencies, and tailoring the proposal to the agency. Key elements are discussed such as objectives, methodology, budget, justification, and staff requirements. International and Pakistani funding agencies are listed. Tips provided include managing conflicts of interest, developing collaborative networks, starting early, and gaining experience through practice and feedback. The overall goal is to create a strong, well-designed proposal that clearly addresses the needs and priorities of the target funding agency.

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