Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ORSP Proposal Writing Workshop III - Selling Your Ideas 2009
ORSP Proposal Writing Workshop III - Selling Your Ideas 2009
Selling Your Ideas ORSP Proposal Development Team
Ann Gates, Associate
Vice President for
Proposal Writing Research
W k h III
Workshop III
Claudine Riccillo, Flo Dick, Coordinator of
Associate Director Pre‐Award Services
October 26, 2009 Malu Picard‐Ami,
Proposal Development
Specialist
Proposal Development Team
Office of Research & Sponsored Projects (ORSP) 1 2
Selling Your Proposal Idea
Characteristics
Essential Components
First Steps
Critical Proposal Sections CHARACTERISTICS
3 4
Characteristics of a Sellable Proposal
9 Transformative • Discuss in your group
what you think these
9 Innovative Activity:
Activity: terms mean in terms of
i f
9 Novel proposal writing
• Report out
5 Time Limit: 5 minutes 6
1
Definitions Relationship
• Transformative: Characterizing a range of endeavors that The National Science Board’s report on Enhancing Support
promise extraordinary outcomes, such as revolutionizing for Transformative Research at NSF included the following:
entire disciplines, creating entirely new fields, or disrupting
accepted theories and perspectives (NSF definition)
In practice, distinguishing between innovative and
• Innovative: Characterized by the creation of new ideas or transformative research is difficult at best and, some would
things; forward looking, ahead of current thinking argue, only possible in hindsight. Indeed, the two forms of
scientific progress do exist side‐by‐side and, often, proceed
• Novel: new and not resembling something formerly known or hand‐in‐hand and overlap each other. For example, Alfred
used; original or striking especially in conception of style Wegener’s theory of continental drift, which significantly
transformed concepts of our world required decades of
Where do you think your research fits? innovative research to prove its validity.
7 8
Essential Components:
What a project must present to be competitive
MOTIVATION
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS • The proposal must show how the research and expected outcomes address a
need
• This can be demonstrated by:
• Articulating the motivation for the proposed work
• Framing your work in relation to cutting‐edge research in the field
• Presenting preliminary research
9 10
Essential Components
SIGNIFICANCE
• The proposal must convince reviewers of the benefits of the research
and expected outcomes.
• This can be done by:
• Describing the intellectual merit (significance) of the work.
• Describing the benefits beyond the immediate project and the benefits
g y p j
to society (broader impacts)
RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION (OPTIONAL)
• The proposal should address risks associated with the proposed project
(or with the proposal content) in anticipation of concerns raised by
panelists.
First Steps
• This can be done by:
• Including risk assessment
• Describing how the risk will be mitigated
11 12
2
First Steps in Selling Your Idea How to Find a Program Officer
• If you’re responding to a solicitation, the contact person will
• Write a white paper that presents your idea and briefly be listed.
addresses the essential components.
Step 1 • If you want to submit an unsolicited proposal, the process
varies by agency.
9 NSF:
NSF: Go to the main webpage (http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp). On the
Go to the main webpage (http://www nsf gov/index jsp) On the
• Arrange a telephone call or visit with a program officer(s) left click on Program Areas and choose your area, e.g., Geosciences.
to discuss your idea.
Step 2 On the area’s webpage, click on View (GEO) Staff Directory.
9 NIH: Go to the Institutes page http://www.nih.gov/icd/ and find out
which institute bets fits your idea. Navigate that site looking primarily
• Seek advice from the program officer on how to proceed, at Funding Opportunities or Organizational Structure.
in particular which programs are best suited to seek 9 Other agencies, e.g., DoD: Look at their main Broad Agency
Step 3 funding for the research. Announcements (BAAs)
13 14
What the PO Might Say and
What You Should Do
• Use the links to identify • I love your idea. Send me a proposal, and I’ll get it funded—
Break out the champagne.
the program officer(s)
• I love your idea. I’ll draft a solicitation that you can respond
(PO) in your research
(PO) in your research
Activity:
Activity: area.
to Celebrate but remember that other people will be
to—Celebrate, but remember that other people will be
responding too, so your proposal has to be great.
• http://www.nsf.gov/index.jsp • I like your idea and here are some solicitations it might fit—
Read the solicitations, choose the best fit, and write a
• http://www.nih.gov/icd proposal that meets all its requirements.
• I like the idea but believe it fits better in “X” area –
Research the area and call another Program Officer.
Time Limit: 10 minutes 15 16
The Importance of Good Writing
Your readers are not likely to buy your idea unless
the proposal is well written, at least as well written
as a peer‐reviewed journal article or even a good
detective novel Proposals should be:
detective novel. Proposals should be:
– Clear
– Succinct
CRITICAL PROPOSAL SECTIONS – Well Organized
– Grammatically Correct
17 18
3
Literature Review – Sets the Stage
o Goals:
• Put the proposal into a larger context
• Provide evidence of knowledge of relevant published
literature
• Tie present state of knowledge explicitly to your research
o Writing a literature review:
• Present background to familiarize reviewer with the research
area
Literature Review • Succinctly describe and cite seminal and related work
• Summarize what is known and what needs to be addressed
The literature review reinforces why
19 your work is important 20
The reviewers noted that the ideas were not new and that the PI had not The reviewers noted that the ideas were not new and that the PI had not
made the connection with prior results made the connection with prior results
Lit Review
Of course, that idea (patterns) is not new either; we could start with van Dyke Of course, that idea (patterns) is not new either; we could start with van Dyke
album of fluid motions, with EOF or POD techniques for which album of fluid motions, with EOF or POD techniques for which
Nadine Aubry and others were pioneers; no reference is given Nadine Aubry and others were pioneers; no reference is given
to them, no bridge is done to these approaches; neither are to them, no bridge is done to these approaches; neither are
quoted the people trying to identify patterns using wavelets quoted the people trying to identify patterns using wavelets
(Marie Farge and others). I can think as well of early works by (Marie Farge and others). I can think as well of early works by
MacLaughlin and collaborators on the switching of between
MacLaughlin and collaborators on the switching of between MacLaughlin and collaborators on the switching of between
MacLaughlin and collaborators on the switching of between
temporal and spatial complexity on one‐dimensional equations, temporal and spatial complexity on one‐dimensional equations,
or of the study of patterns by Newell et al. in convection or optical or of the study of patterns by Newell et al. in convection or optical
Reference
turbulence, not to mention finance. turbulence, not to mention finance. Seminal
I am also a little surprised that topology is not part of this game; I work
I am also a little surprised that topology is not part of this game; I
think it should; topology (e.g. the study of knots, including wild think it should; topology (e.g. the study of knots, including wild
knots) has proven useful in the study of DNA. knots) has proven useful in the study of DNA.
The reviewers noted that the ideas were not new and that the PI had not
made the connection with prior results
Of course, that idea (patterns) is not new either; we could start with van Dyke
album of fluid motions, with EOF or POD techniques for which
Nadine Aubry and others were pioneers; no reference is given to
them, no bridge is done to these approaches; neither are quoted
the people trying to identify patterns using wavelets (Marie
Farge and others). I can think as well of early works by MacLaughlin
and collaborators on the switching of between temporal and
and collaborators on the switching of between temporal and
spatial complexity on one‐dimensional equations, or of the study
Risk—
framing
of patterns by Newell et al. in convection or optical turbulence, not to
your work
mention finance.
I am also a little surprised that topology is not part of this game; Motivation and Significance
I think it should; topology (e.g. the study of knots, including
wild knots) has proven useful in the study of DNA.
Excerpted here are only the critical parts of the NSF panel review of the proposal, in hope that they may be helpful to colleagues
23 24
pursuing related research. Dated: 04/30/04 http://www.cns.gatech.edu/~predrag/papers/fullTurbwww03‐review.html
4
Motivation and Significance
MOTIVATION AND SIGNIFICANCE
MOTIVATION:
• State the need(s) or the problem
• Why did you decide to do this project? • Explain the logic behind the need for the proposed research
• Why is your research important? • Explain who has the need(s)
• Who benefits from the results of the research?
Who benefits from the results of the research? • Use data that substantiates the need at the local, national,
Use data that substantiates the need at the local national
or global level as appropriate
SIGNIFICANCE:
• Explain why the research or project is important
• Address in terms of intellectual merit and/ or broader
YOU WANT THE REVIEWERS TO REACH THE SAME CONCLUSION AS YOU DID! impacts (NSF)
25 26
• Read the example project summary
• In groups, discuss
• Has the researcher made a strong case
demonstrating the importance of the
Activity:
Activity: project? Why?
project? Why?
• Highlight elements that could make it
stronger, if any, and explain
• Report out
Project Summary
Time Limit: 10 minutes 27 28
Project Summary Project Summary
• Purpose: To provide agency administrators and • Purpose: To provide agency administrators and
reviewers with a quick and concise overview of the reviewers with a quick and concise overview of the
proposal proposal
THE place to sell your idea!
(Also sell your idea in the first
THE place to sell your idea!
paragraph of the project
description)
29 30
5
Project Summary: Guidelines Presentation by Agency‐1
• Describe the goal (hypothesis) of the proposed project • NSF: Project Summary
– Align with the goals of the RFP and funding agency – Includes Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts
• Present an overview • NIH: Project Summary (Abstract)
– Motivate the need for the project and how effort will lead to solution
– Includes broad, long‐term objectives and specific aims
, g j p
or understanding of broader problem
or understanding of broader problem
– Discuss conceptual framework – Reference the health relatedness of the project
– Describe approach or methods that will be used – Provide a concise description of the research design and
– Explain why the submitters are the right people methods
• State the significance of the proposed work – Describe relevance of the proposed research to public
– Describe how it meets the principal evaluation criteria health.
31 32
Presentation by Agency‐2 Intellectual Merit
• SBIR/STTR: Project (Executive) Summary • How important is the proposed activity to advancing
knowledge and understanding within its own field or across
– Identify the potential innovation.
different fields?
– Describe anticipated results or outcomes.
• How well qualified is the proposer (or team) to conduct the
– Explain potential commercial application. p j (
project (comment on quality of prior work)?
q y p )
• To what extent does the proposed activity suggest and
explore creative and original concepts?
• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?
• Is there sufficient access to resources?
33 34
Broader Impacts
• How well does the activity advance discovery and
understanding while promoting teaching, training, and
learning?
• How well does the proposed activity broaden the
p
participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender,
p p g p ( g,g ,
ethnicity, disability, geographic)?
• To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research
and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks,
and partnerships? GROUP ACTIVITY
• Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientfiic
and technological understanding?
• What may be the benefits to society?
35 36
6
Evaluate the Intellectual
Merit and Broader Impacts
Activity:
Activity: of the project summaries.
f h j i
SUPPORTING SECTIONS FOR
SELLING YOUR IDEAS
Time Limit: 30 minutes 37 38
o Align work with institution’s strategic plan
39 40
ORSP Development Team
Proposal Writing Resources
Remaining Workshops Fall 2009
Session IV ‐ November 11th
ORSP Development ORSP Research
Project Management, Evaluation Team Administrators
& Assessment
1 00 3 30
1:00‐3:30pm
Location: Blumberg Auditorium (UTEP Library)
ORSP web page Expertise System
Session V ‐ December 2nd
Budget Preparation
1:30‐3:30pm
Location: Blumberg Auditorium (UTEP Library) 41 42
7
Proposal Development Team
Reflection
Contact Information
What did you learn
Ann Gates Flo Dick today that was new?
agates@utep.edu fdick@utep.edu
What elements of
What would you
the workshop did
Claudine Riccillo Malu Picard‐Ami like to learn more
you find the most
about?
criccill@utep.edu marialp@utep.edu relevant?
43 44