Research Proposals Writing: Opportunities, Challenges, and Myths

© Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
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Faculty of Engineering & Technology © M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences
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Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Research Proposals Writing:
Opportunities, Challenges, and Myths
Dr. K. J. Mallikarjunaiah
Department of Physics, M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru, INDIA
mallikarjunaiah.pi.mp@msruas.ac.in
kjmarjun@gmail.com, 9844205070
Webinar
June 12, 2020
Sri Krishna Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, Karnataka

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• What is a research proposal
• Why do we care about it
• What are the opportunities and
whom should we target
• How should we face challenges
• What are the myths
• Questions and answers
Outline of the talk

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My advise to all of you is
DO NOT TAKE MY ADVISE AS IT IS
Am I going to address all the questions listed?
Approach: Practical / Philosophical?
May be / may not be (sorry) I like this to be an informal discussion
Sir C.V. Raman
– a seeker of truth “In the history of science, we often find
that the study of some natural
phenomenon has been
the starting point in the development
of a new branch of knowledge”
-- Sir C.V. Raman
My own reflections:
I am not expecting you
to agree with me

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A research proposal sets out the broad topic you
would like to research
Aims and Objectives:
What the research would set out to achieve
Methodology: (Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses)
How you would go about researching it
Outline plan: (sell your idea with semi quantitative data)
How you would undertake it within the time
available
Potential outcomes: (be realistic!)
What the results might be in relation to knowledge
and understanding in the subject
Research Proposal

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What are the different types of research proposals?
SOP: Statement of Purpose
Synopsis: Brief summary
White paper: Flier/Photo album?
Research Proposal: Complete package
(let us restrict to it now)
Research Proposal…

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• We are getting paid to do so.
• You are being judged
• Most of the renowned professors do
teach like us (even Nobel laureates),
if not as rigorous as you
• In most of the US universities, they are
getting paid during summer vacation
through their research grants
Why shouldn’t we care about it?

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Why shouldn’t we care about it?
You must know sources of external funding
Money (external/internal funding)
(you are lucky, if you get it through the later one!)
Facilities
(advanced tools/ equipment /resourceful manpower)
Publications/ patents/ products
Recognition/contribution to society/promotion in job

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• List out the available options for funding,
if you don’t know, explore them first.
• List out the research problems
• Identify their thrust areas
• Search for novel ways of approach to the
research problem
• Do good literature survey and read novels!
• I am serious, get inspired by imaginations
• Never ever stop reading.
Opportunities in Science and Engineering:
Whom should I contact?

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NMR: a unique spectroscopic tool
+ +

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• If you are complaining, try to deviate from
what others are doing and DO WHATEVER
YOU WANT TO DO: we need to change world
slowly (life is continuum)
• Read both bad and good papers/reviews
• World is changing: More
institutions/opportunities are coming up
• Explore trans disciplinary areas of research

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• Government agencies
• Private/Industry agencies
• Defense agencies (hybrid of both)
• Explore the novel ways of connecting the
missing links between fundamental research
or application research
• CSR funds
• Never hesitate to approach outside INDIA

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SERB/ DST
UGC (12B/2f?)
VTU
AICTE (even for the building)
DAE (BRNS)
DRDO
ISRO (RESPOND)
SwarnaJayanti Fellowship Scheme (DST)
INSA
VGST, Karnataka
ICMR-ICRC
CSR FUNDS
(Need to update and make it comprehensive)

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Opportunities in STEM: CSR funds

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UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research
Promote Encourage Support
Research using Mega-Facilities
among universities and research institutes across India
Facilitate access to:
 Neutron Beam Facilities, Dhruva reactor, BARC, Mumbai
 INDUS Synchrotron, RRCAT, Indore
 Cyclotron, VECC, Kolkata
 Low energy accelerator at IGCAR, Kalpakkam
Set up high-end research facilities at our Centres for utilization
by university scientists (absolutely free of charge)
Add value to the research carried out in our universities
and help in realization of novel scientific ideas
University Grants Commission Department of Atomic Energy

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Opportunities in Science and Engineering: Whom should I contact?
Please use your own methods to find partnering institutes
Reference?

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Title of the Research Project (be specific)
Flow chart/Quad chart (proposal)
01 | Rationale/Novelty of the Project
Concept Photograph/Figure
Brief Description and Objective
National/International Status
Prototype
02 | Project Team and Their expertise
Preliminary Results (preferred)
Operational and Performance Capabilities
Demonstrated Similar Activities/ your skills
Multi-Institutional Collaboration, if any
03 | Technical Approach
Proposed Methodology/procedure
Flowcharts/Framework
Resource Requirements, Design Testing and Validation
Impact
04 | Budget, Time Line, and Deliverables
INR in Lakhs (be wise and justify)
Gant Chart with Milestones (important)
Contributions and Key Deliverables
Transition to final product/theory
Prepare a draft, show it and discuss about it with your trusted
friends/collegues: Let them roast you before outsider do it!
Make sure about grammar and spell check done (No excuse!)

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Flow chart/Quad chart (proposal) example
https://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/issue-348-october-13-2015/
Make it crispy
Why are you doing it?
Who else is doing it?
(National/International)
What is your capability
How fast you can do it?
How is your collaboration?
Think out of the box
BUT
ACT WITHIN THE BOX
(limitations)
Think globally, act locally
WHAT IS ITS SOCIETAL IMPACT?

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• COVID19: Learn from how we are facing it
What is the research proposal
• We DO science and often NOT ready to talk
about it.
• Go and meet people around you/your
department/institutions (with preparations)
• Have right balance of ignorance and
knowledge
Challenges: How did we face them?

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• Early Career SERB:42 Y (within 2 years of
joining)
• SERB (?): 37 years
• Kothari/NPDF : 35 years
• INSPIRE: 32
• Ramanujan/Ramalingaswamy:55
• SERB Women Excellence: 40
• Biotech Ignition grant/Extramural: No limit
(Need to update and make it comprehensive)
Challenges: We do have expire date

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Raman effect
At a very early stage in our investigations, we came across a new and entirely unexpected
phenomenon. As early as 1923, it was noticed that when sunlight filtered through a violet glass
passes through certain liquids and solids e.g., water or ice, the scattered rays emerging from
the track of the incident beam through the substance contained certain rays not present in the
incident beam. The observations were made with colour filters (see Figure). A green glass filter
was used which cut off all light if placed between the violet filter and the substance. On
transferring the glass to a place between the substance and the observers eye, the track
continued to be visible though feebly. This is a clear proof of a real transformation of light from
a violet into a green ray. The most careful chemical purification of the substance failed to
eliminate the phenomenon.
- C.V. Raman in Presidential Address to the Indian Science Congress 1929.

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• We are filled with prejudices
• All of us are born with creativity, some of
them open their creativity late
• Be mentally non lazy (need not to always
run for a race!)
• Do acid/lipid test, Take calculative risk
• Make your hierarchy, Never say I haven’t
discussed about it.
Do we still have Myths about
research proposals?

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• Only reputed institutions will get grants
• Panel members are biased (consists of all walks of life)
• I am not sure, where to start and how to
start?
• You should know some one in the panel
• I do not want to submit, unless they pay
me well
• Job guarantee
Do we still have Myths about
research proposals?

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• Informal interactions with panel members
• Google uncle
• Less Books as of today (sorry)
• Past exposure and experience
• Book: Advice To A Young Scientist
(Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Series)
by Peter B. Medawar
References

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• Research proposal submission is must
• We no longer live in the same mindset
• Plenty of opportunities, but competitive
• Age becomes a bottle neck soon
• If you are complaining about the existing
system, you should be the first one to start
deviate from the prototype research
• YES, I CAN DO IT. WE ARE WITH YOU
Inferences Conclusions
My advise to all of you is
DO NOT TAKE MY ADVISE AS IT IS

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Questions and answers
If you do not have questions,
Sorry, I have failed!
Thank you

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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has emerged as a
promising local experimental tool (structure and dynamics)
in material science, surface interface study, and biological
systems.
We are proposing to expand the scope of the experimental
technique to study
(a) photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to useful chemicals by
magnetic oxides/composites and their structural
investigations,
(b) magnetic and transport measurements of multiferroics for
the memory and charge storage device applications
especially using locally built zero-field NMR spectrometer.
Biological lipid bilayer membranes and membrane protein
properties would be studied using 2H SSNMR in collaboration
with IISc, India and University of Arizona along with IUPUI,
USA.
Solid-state NMR
Faculty: Dr. K. J. Mallikarjunaiah and others
PhD Scholars: 1
Research proposals submitted: 2

Flexible Lipid Nanomaterials
Kinnun, KJM et al. (2015) BBA 27
K.J. Mallikarjunaiah et al. (2019) Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 21,18422
DOI: 10.1039/c8cp06179c

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