How to write a winning proposal for Research Grant- 6 Steps you need

How to write a winning proposal for Research Grant

1.0 Introduction

Securing grants have remained a difficult task for researchers across various fields. Thus, it is important to prepare an objective and unique proposal for research grant, as even the slightest mistake can lead to rejection in the modern funding environment.

Given the prevalent low funding rate among researchers, preparing a proposal for research grant can needlessly be a tedious process. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the current funding rate has dropped to 10 percent against an approximate 30 percent measured in 2001.

Therefore, when applying for a grant, there are five (5) criteria that should be considered critical in the evaluation process – relevance, environment, approach, innovation, and the investigator. It is also important to start early and allow a preparation window of at least 4-6 months. The allotted preparation window can vary depending on the candidate’s experience, the time taken to conclude preliminary studies and the scope of the proposal.

To avoid situations and problems, it is advised that all relevant grant applications are filled and submitted at least a week in advance. Deadlines are important to adhere to as there are limited opportunity windows in a year which may delay your research for several months if any window deadline is missed.

As much as grant awards bestow prestige and pedigree to the author and his organization, preparing a proposal for research grant can be a daunting task, especially for inexperienced researchers. Furthermore, the need to write applications for high-quality funding is increasing as more and more funding agencies reduce their research budgets, leaving more researchers competing for less.

Thus, the purpose of this article is to highlight some key factors that trail a successful proposal for research grant and provide useful advice to applicants and authors which can increase their success rate in seeking grants.

2.0 Initial Steps to Writing a Proposal for Research Grant

There are a few steps to follow in the early stages of grant preparation.

a. Confirm the instructions

The first and probably most important step is that the applicant should spend as much time as possible to confirm the instructions issued by the grant-awarding institution.

This is especially crucial for new researchers who have little experience in the application process. For example, it is typical for a grant program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to have more than 100 pages of guidelines, and skipping these instructions could be detrimental to the application process. These instructions often contain basic formatting instructions, such as page size, font size, and margins, which should be carefully considered.

The instructions also include important parts and sections which should be included in the grant application. As these instructions may differ across awarding institutions, the researcher needs to become conversant and abide by them. Carefully studying these requirements helps to keep the grant proposal focused and concise, literally hammering the nail on the head.

b. Note the Deadline

Moreover, another important element present in the grant guidelines will be the deadline for grant proposal submission. This date should be strictly adhered to and all preparations must be aligned towards achieving the deadline. Nevertheless, a deadline can be overlooked if there are compelling reasons to spend more time to produce an excellent grant proposal.

Also, reviewing instructions helps in determining the necessary items to be included in the proposal and how these items could be obtained.

c. Contact Collaborators

It is also important to identify and contact collaborators or consultants early in the application process, where needed. Ultimately, the instruction guidelines help the researcher to compile a checklist of to-do items that could be checked off as they are accomplished, leaving the application organized, tidy and punctual.

d. Formulate Research questions

The next important step is to formulate a research question. Research questions should be very important assumptions that are based on general assumptions which can be scrutinized using varying research methods relevant to the field of study. This should include explaining the significance of the intended study and what may be the likely results of the investigation.

Given the increasingly competitive landscape for research grants, awarding institutions are especially interested in the likely contribution of a research outcome on the wellbeing of humans the environment and society at large. As a result, study hypotheses and research questions should be prepared months or even years before the funding date so that the necessary initial tests can be conducted.

Identifying the research question also helps the researcher in narrowing down potential awarding institutions which may be interested in funding the study, thus increasing the probability of success.

e. Verify the novelty of your Research Objectives/questions

After the research grant has been formulated, the researcher needs to verify that the formulated question has not already been addressed by other authors. This helps solidify the significance of the research and expands the probability of success at the grant application phase. Therefore, it is important to study the literature carefully to note points where the intended study intersects with past studies if any.

This stage is most important as it not only exposes how much of your study has already been addressed but also helps to save time and effort which could be spent on an already sufficiently addressed research subject. The literature review also exposes the quality of the extant literature which could reveal loopholes in the literature. These loopholes or gaps in the extant studies could be explored to make the intended study more robust and attractive to prospective funding institutions.

f. Identify important Resources

Furthermore, it is important to identify the resources which will be crucial in the successful attainment of the study. These could include the number of study subjects needed, how much money you need, and who your collaborators will be.

This could be included in the research plan which will highlight what is happening, why it is needed, and how the survey will be conducted. Also, successful grants require reliable information that may require some initial research which may be needed in proving to the awarding institution that the researcher is capable of dispensing the study aims.

3.0 Writing proposal for research grant

While it is important to provide a complete proposal and include all unnecessary scientific elements, the most important part of the proposal that determines the success of funding lies in the proposal itself. The sentence should be clear, well-executed, and free of structural or grammatical errors.

In other words, grant proposals should clearly outline the study in such a way that is understandable even to those unfamiliar with the subject. Thus, researchers shouldn’t copy sections from previously written grant applications as such may bring discordance to the proposal and disrupt the flow of thought that is important in determining the success of the grant proposal.

Typically, the proposal for research grant begins with presenting clear objectives that provide a summary and rationale of the proposed research, followed by a hypothesis and purpose of the proposal. These are usually included in the specific aims section which is often lauded as the most important part of the grant proposal, as it provides an expedited and lucid overview of the intended study.

Therefore, it is expedient to emphasize the hypothesis statement clearly or in bold and highlight at least a few specific goals which the study intends to pursue. In addition, researchers need to make sure that their goals are independent of each other. In other words, the success of one research goal should not hinder the success of another goal targeted in the study.

Subsequently, the next part of the grant proposal should highlight the significance of the study. Here, the researcher must possess an encompassing knowledge of the phenomena under study to enable a proper review of relevant literature. This section should also point out the observable gaps in previous studies which will be a foundation for the establishment of the research aims and goals.

The significance of the grant proposal should be carefully highlighted as it constitutes an important factor among the five (5) factors earlier mentioned as critical in the evaluation process – relevance, environment, approach, innovation, and the investigator. Finally, innovation should be discussed in the subsequent subheading. Grant awarding institutions often focus on the scientific novelty and methodological innovation of a prospective study.

As such, researchers should ensure that the study utilizes new and innovative technologies and methods which should be succinctly mentioned in this section. In addition, the possible medical impact of the intended study on the environment, society, and fellow humans should be described in the innovation section.

The significance is typically followed by the research approach section. This also presents the results of preliminary studies and presents the experimental designs to be adopted in the study. This begins with the researcher demonstrating the feasibility of the research and presents a unique opportunity for the researcher to prove to the awarding institution that they possess the relevant skills and experience to conduct the proposed study.

This will require a balanced approach from the researcher as they do not want to be perceived by the reviewers as either weak or arrogant. It is often advised that a sketch or table summarizing the results be attached to the grant proposal, where unpublished results could be adequately cited for reference purposes.

Especially in the case of young researchers applying for mentored funding, it is important to portray the relevant contributions to the study subject by the applicant by properly highlighting the applicant’s extant studies. The experimental design section typically entails approximately half of the grant proposal. This part usually covers in detail the design of the research, the methods used, and the researcher’s ability to complete the research.

This section also explains the rationale and experimental design of each research aim and goal earlier identified. As a result, each research aim and goal should end in three parts – summary, expected results and explanations, potential problems, and alternative strategies.

It should be noted that as much as details are required in this section, there is limited space in the grant proposal, thus, researchers should be concise and lucid in their presentations. It is further advised to utilize collaborators where the methods and techniques are unknown to the researcher.

4.0 Tips to Improve Success of Proposal for Research Grant

Despite the competitive landscape associated with winning research grants, writing the grant proposal needless be a tedious process. As a researcher, the potential views of the reviewer should always be kept in mind as this will determine the success of a grant proposal to a large extent. It should be noted that Reviewers are typically very busy and have limited time available to assess each proposal.

Hence, grants proposals should strive to be straightforward and concise, highlighting the necessary sections succinctly. In addition, some important assessments are required before the proposal is submitted. Thus, it is important to present the proposal in an easily comprehensible format that is clear and easy to understand, as many reviewers may have expertise unrelated to the subject matter of the grant proposal.

As a result, it is important to ensure that the proposal is appropriately structured, contains accurate information, and has no spelling or grammatical errors. It is also important to attach relevant figures and flowcharts that outline the purpose of a grant proposal, which can help reviewers simplify their decisions. Finally, it is advisable to ask colleagues with expertise in grant writing to review the grant proposal as it will help calibrate the grant for excellence.

5.0 Conclusion -proposal for research grant

Research grants are an important element for success in scientific research. Subsequently, the key to a good proposal for research grant is good ideas and the ability to present them to the judges of the awarding institution. To present the ideas effectively, it is essential for the grant proposal to contain elements such as good basic research, proper research planning and, well-developed procedures. It is also important to recognize that research entails teamwork. Thus, eliciting the help of colleagues with expertise in grant writing is crucial for success as it helps fine-tune the grant proposal.

Also, selecting an experienced team member will increase your chances of receiving the desired grant. Successful pilot studies and preliminary studies that serve as a justification for your research proposal may be viable for grant reviewers and may therefore be a compelling factor. The researcher also needs to avoid failure by proposing a reasonable budget and a realistic plan.

Finally, the proposal for research grant must meet the objectives of the awarding institutions and utilize the format laid down in the guidelines issued by the institution when preparing the grant proposal. Finally, to increase funding potential, the researcher should target many governments- and industry-institutions that may be interested in the researcher’s field of study. Nevertheless, WritersKing is here to simplify your grant application process. With our team of experienced writers, success is almost guaranteed.