Writing a grant proposal (Part 1):Preparing to write a grant proposal

Writing a grant proposal (Part 1): Preparing to write a grant proposal

 

Introduction

Money is often needed for doing and communicating research.

Money is needed to conduct experiments, buy equipment, pay staff salaries, and so on. These days, with the growth of open access journals, you may even need money to publish your articles. (But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as you learnt in the lessons on ethics.)

This money has to come from somewhere, and hopefully not the researcher’s own savings!
Universities, corporations, foundations, and governments around the world invest in research in a number of ways. Grants for researchers is at the core of research investment.

Grants are often given competitively: many researchers compete to receive a single grant. How do they compete? Usually through written grant proposals.

Types of grants

Some common types of grants of interest to researchers are...

1. Research grant: to conduct research
2. Travel grant: to travel to a conference
3. Training grant: to undergo a training programme
4. Capacity building grant: to build the skills of others to do something

Among these, the research grant is probably the one most commonly sought by researchers. A research grant may provide some or all of the following and perhaps more:

• Funds to buy equipment for research
• Funds to pay the research team
• Funds for any travel involved in the research project
• Funds to cover article processing charges or other publication charges when it's time to publish papers resulting from the research project
•  

  Grant application process

  Broadly, there are four phases in the grant application process.
  

  1. Discovery phase
  2. Planning phase
  3. Writing phase
  4. Decision phase
     

     Discovery phase

     Many researchers get worried about the prospect of even finding suitable grant opportunities. But there's good news! There are many funders around the world who award grants internationally. It's just a matter of finding who they are and being up-to-date on current opportunities.
     
     Several organisations award grants specifically to researchers in developing countries, for example:
     

     • The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) (http://twas.org/opportunities/research-grants) 
     • International Foundation for Science (IFS) (http://ifs.se/about-ifs/)
     • Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/peer/index.htm) 
     • Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) (http://owsd.ictp.it/about-owsd/about-us)
     • Elsevier Foundation (http://www.elsevierfoundation.org/)
     • TDR at the World Health Organization (WHO) (http://www.who.int/tdr/grants/en/)

     
     The above are just examples; there are many more organisations that award grants to researchers around the world.
     
     And here are some websites which provide links to some grants that are currently available:
     

     • AuthorAID events page (http://www.authoraid.info/en/events/)
     • Newton's List (http://newtonslist.crdfglobal.org/search-for-opportunities)
     • Terra Viva Grants (http://www.terravivagrants.info/)
     •  

       Basic advice

       There is unlikely to be a single list of all available grants anywhere! It is up to you to find grants and funders relevant to your work. How?
       
       Search online.
       This might seem like a trivial piece of advice, but ask yourself -- do you know how to use Google well? See this article which presents 20 tips to use Google search efficiently: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/20-tips-use-google-search-efficiently.html.
       
       You can find more articles like this online. There are even self-paced online courses offered by Google on "power searching": http://www.powersearchingwithgoogle.com/
       
       

       More specific advice

       Searching online is a good way to find grant opportunities, but there are other ways too. You may be able to discover grant opportunities by...
       
       

       1. Talking to colleagues and seniors at your institution
       2. Asking for advice from the directorate of research or grant office at your institution
       3. Being part of online networks, for example, ResearchGate, LinkedIn, AuthorAID discussion list, Facebook, Twitter
       4. Noting acknowledgements of grants in journal articles you read
       5.  

       If a research paper is the outcome of a study funded by a grant, the authors generally have an obligation to mention the name of the funder. As you go through publications during the literature review phase, pay attention to any mentions of funders. Look up the funders online and see if any of their upcoming grants are relevant to you.
       
       

       Titles

       Grant opportunities often have the following titles:
       

       • Request for proposals (commonly abbreviated as RFP)
       • Request for applications (commonly abbreviated as RFA)
       • Call for proposals
       • Call for applications
       • Program announcement

       RFP and RFA are two abbreviations you should remember!
       
       

       Relevance of a grant

        

       Question

       You need to consider some questions when you evaluate the relevance of a grant. Try selecting the most appropriate questions in the list below.
       

       Answers

       Option 1

       1. Does the scope or outline of the grant match your area of research?
       

       Option 2

       2. Do you meet the basic eligibility criteria for the grant?
       

       Option 3

       3. Will the grant provide the right amount of money for your proposed research project?
       

       Option 4

       4. Do you have enough time to write a grant proposal?
       

       Option 5

       5. Is your proposed research project in line with the overall goals of the funder?
       

       Option 6

       6. Will the funder give any amount of money you ask for?
       

       Option 7

       7. If you have questions about the grant, who should you contact?
       

       Option 8

       8. Does the funder have a local office in your country that you can visit?
       
       Options 6 and 8 are incorrect. The other options are correct.
       
       Why is option 6 incorrect? Money is a central aspect of any grant. You need to carefully read any information given regarding the size of the grant (that is, the amount of money). Sometimes this is a fixed amount, sometimes this amount is given as a range with an upper limit, and sometimes there is no range given at all. Whatever the case may be, you need to evaluate whether the size of the grant is suitable for what you hope to do. Do not be tempted or disappointed by the size of the grant before considering whether it is appropriate for your work.
       
       Why is option 8 incorrect? International funders often do not have local offices in different countries, so you should be comfortable dealing with online information, writing e-mails to the program officer if you have questions, and eventually submitting a grant proposal online.

        

       Taking action

        

       Question

       Once you come across a grant opportunity, what is the first thing you should do?
       

       Answers

       Option 1

       Glance at the call for proposals to get the most important information and then plan to start writing your proposal
       

       Option 2

       Make time in your schedule to read the call for proposals in detail
       

       Option 3

       Glance at the call for proposals to get the most important information, and set aside time to carefully read it
       

       Feedback

       3,That's correct! Once you encounter a call for proposals, glance at it for a few minutes to note some important information -- like whether you are eligible to apply, the deadline to apply, and so on. This reading technique is called "scanning". 
       
       Then you can set aside time to go through the instructions closely.
       
       

       Planning phase

       Carefully reading the information and instructions given in the call for proposals is critical before you proceed to the planning phase.
       
       For small grants such as a travel grant, not much planning may be necessary and you can quickly move to the writing phase. But in the case of a substantial research grant, you may need to do some or all of the following:
       
       

       • Doing a literature review
       • Contacting potential collaborators, if needed
       • Preparing an outline
       • Preparing a budget
       • Reading examples of successful proposals if they are provided by the funder, or similar examples elsewhere*
       • Consulting a programme officer working for the funder, if this option is available (do this only if you have questions that are not answered in the information given already)

       
       There may be even more to do! All of this constitutes the planning phase, which must be completed before you actually start writing the proposal.
       The planning and writing phases for even a short proposal can take a long time. Therefore, start early. For large grant proposals, it is advisable to begin planning at least 6 months before the deadline.
       *For example, the AuthorAID website has a link to a successful proposal submitted to the US National Institutes of Health.

        

       Literature review

       Recall the earlier lessons on accessing research publications and arriving at your research question. These are relevant not only for writing a research paper but also for writing a grant proposal!
       
       Why? By doing a literature review, you'll be able to...
       

       1. Determine and document the need for what is being proposed
       2. See what work already has been done and thus what remains to be done
       3. Identify approaches to consider using in your proposed work
       4. See what funding sources others used
       5.  

          Assembling collaborators

           

          Question

          To carry out the project you have in mind, you may need to work with other people. Sometimes, you may have to provide details of the project team in your grant proposal. So you may have to assemble a project team before you even start to write a proposal!
          How should you go about assembling a project team if you need to do this?
          

          Answers

          Option 1

          1. Consider the various aspects of the project, and identify people in your network who can contribute to the different aspects
          
          Option 2

          2. Ask senior people at your institution or in your network to join your team just to give more credibility to your proposal
          
          Option 3
          3. Request someone with good language skills to join your team as a writer or editor
          
          Options 1 and 3 are correct. Especially in the case of large projects, the members of the project team should be skilled in the different aspects of the project so that there are no weak areas. Also, it's a good idea to include a writer or editor who can help your team prepare a well-written grant proposal, and later on help with writing or editing any research papers that come out of the project. You may need to ask the project team members for their CVs and letters of support, if needed, to make sure they are qualified and that you have their formal support.
           

          Option 2 is not correct. Every person in the project team, whether senior or junior, should contribute to the project. Recall the matter of authorship described in one of the ethics lessons. It's applicable here as well. 

           

          Preparing an outline

          As you do a literature review and start working with your collaborators, you may start to form a reasonably clear idea of your proposed project. At this point, develop an outline of the project: just a few points or sentences. If your proposal is going to be for a research project, formulate one or more well-defined, potentially productive hypotheses or research questions.
          
          Include a goal in the outline, and try to keep it SMART (this acronym was explained in an earlier lesson).
          
          Avoid making grand statements. Funders evaluate whether you are likely to achieve what you say you want to achieve, so it's good to be practical and realistic. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try anything new. On the contrary, originality and novelty can make your proposal stand out and increase your chances of getting funded.
          
          

          Budget

          You write a grant proposal to get money to do something. How much money? This depends on what the funder can provide, but often it depends a lot on how well you have prepared and presented a budget in your grant proposal.
          Below are some questions to consider when preparing a budget:
          
          

          • Is there a fixed amount that will be awarded? Or is there a range?
          • What will the funder pay for? What will they not pay for?
          • What are the items for which you will need funding? What is the cost of each?
          • Will your institution contribute any resources or money, perhaps to add to or match the grant? 
          • How should the budget be documented?
          •  

            Preparing a budget

             

            Question

            How should you approach the task of preparing a budget?
            

            Answers

            Option 1

            Put down rough numbers and inflate each cost item to allow for unplanned increases
            

            Option 2

            Be accurate to the extent possible. If you feel your requirements may change later, include a small amount for contingency expenses, if such an option is given by the funder.
            

            Option 3

            Put down very accurate numbers for the cost items (for example, 125.72)
            

            Option 4

            Ask for as much money as possible even if you don't see a need for all of it. You may be able to do more research later with the extra money.
            

            Feedback

            2, That's correct! This is the best among the options given. Preparing a budget is a delicate matter, and often proposals are rejected because of poorly prepared or inflated budgets.
            
            

            Other things

            In some cases, you may need to do other things while preparing to write a proposal, for example:
            
            

            • Doing preliminary studies
            • Considering sustainability (how will the effects of the project continue after the project ends)
            • Submitting a letter of intent or letter of inquiry ("pre-proposal")

             

            If a funder would like applicants to do any of these (or other things), they will probably say so in the application materials 

             

            Writing phase

            For now, here is a very brief overview of the writing phase:
            

            • Drafting the proposal
            • Obtaining feedback on the draft
            • Revising the proposal (and obtaining further feedback followed by doing further revisions)
            • Double-checking that all instructions have been followed
            • Submitting the proposal as instructed

            We will be focusing on how to write a grant proposal in a later lesson.
            
            

            Decision phase

            The proposals submitted in response to an RFP* are typically evaluated by a grant committee in an objective way. A grant committee is generally made up of experts in the relevant field of work. A grant committee typically does the following: 
            
            

            1. Determine which proposals are acceptable (these proposals are shortlisted for further evaluation)
            2. Determine which proposals are best (because not enough money is available to fund all acceptable proposals).

            
            (*RFP: this abbreviation was explained a few pages back. Go back and see what it means if you don't remember!)
            
            

            After the decision

            If your proposal is competitive enough and you receive a grant, it’s time to celebrate! But keep the celebration short, for you’ll have a lot of work to do! You’ll need to start doing whatever you have outlined in your proposal and, if the funder asks, send timely updates on your project.
            
            Sometimes, you may be asked to revise and resubmit your proposal. Use this as an opportunity to improve your proposal.
            
            Only a minority of those who respond to a call for proposals receive a grant, so you’ll have to be prepared for rejection. If your proposal is not funded, you may receive feedback that can help in preparing future proposals. You may not get this feedback automatically, but you can try to seek feedback from the grant programme officer.
            
            

            End matter

            This lesson has been developed by INASP, an international development charity in the UK, as an extension of the work carried out by the AuthorAID team. Visit inasp.info and authoraid.info to learn about our work. 
            
            This lesson was authored and developed by Ravi Murugesan, an INASP Associate. Parts of this lesson were based on material in AuthorAID workshops facilitated by Dr Gastel.
            We have used a free and open source e-learning authoring tool called eXeLearning (http://exelearning.net/?lang=en) to create this lesson.
            This lesson was last updated on 12 June 2015.
            
            Licensing
            This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.