How does research work?

How Does Research Work? BY EMILY STEWART The Research Cycle ..... 1 You Have An Idea 2 Form Teams 3 Project Development i Questions stem from your idea and you want answers to obtain believe in and share your idea, - your goal. You realize research 1 is necessary and begin to I develop a plan. You discuss specific project objectives and methodological details with your team. You seek out people that and are willing and able to contribute unique expertise. 4 Proposal Development Carry Out Work Resultsi IIIII .... After much planning and - preparation, you develop and 1 submit a grant proposal to fund your research. If awarded your grant proposal, you and/or a team begin to complete the needed research to obtain your goal. After you've completed your work, you analyze your research results. Often, this leads to more ideas and/or questions. If not awarded, you go back to the beginning of the cycle to refine the idea. CHA-CHING! Total amount MU Engineering was awarded for grant research. Non-Profit < 1% Federal State of Missouri Non-Profit Industry Other FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 $14,856,084 $25,854,752 $19,183,140 Anatomy of a Grant Proposal Below is an outline of the typical sections of a federal grant proposal. Please refer to your program guidelines for details about page limits, formatting requirements, etc... Answer These Questions: WHAT will be done? Project Summary Cover Table Of Contents Sheet WHY does it need to be done? HOW will your work done? Application form for the agency. List of proposal sections and the length of each section. Overview of the proposed project. WHAT has already been done? WHO will do the work? HOW MUCH will it cost? Project Description Biographical Sketches References Did You Know? The University of Missouri Office of Research website has a database that contains model proposals that submitted. If have been previously su you're a Mizzou student or employee you can access the files at Research Missouri.edu Clearly states why this work needs to be done, your goals and objectives, background research, your research method and the expected outcome. Can include graphs to explain your project and it should be visually appealing. Any work cited in your proposal description. Similiar to a curriculum vitae, but more like a brief summary of your roressiona Highlights your Tand/or educational experience in the field and any relevant publications or projects you've contributed to. Budget Supplementary Documentation Facilities Support Explains the current and pending grant support. Shows that the project isn't funded elsewhere. Includes Letters of Commitment and States how much the project will cost and includes a justification of these costs. Make sure your numbers add up! Explains where the work will be done. If the proposal permits, include pictures to show what equipment you will use. States what other resources you have, also. Letters of Support. The first is a statement of active participation in the project. The second demonstrates the approval of your project from supporters. Writing A Proposal? Know the Lingo. These simple (and often overlooked!) tips will help make your submission more successful. OSPA: Grant: Money, property or technical assistance awarded Office of Sponsored Programs Administration; by a government agency or private organization to an eligible applicant to accomplish a purpose or project as proposed in the application. reviews, signs and submits all proposals. The only department in the line with authority to commit the institution. Guidelines: Program Officer: Formal announcement issued by a sponsor (private or public) letting individuals know that it's looking for proposals for funding in specific topic or program areas. Sponsor employee who manages the portfolio of grants for that grant program. (Program Manager, Program Leader, National Program Leader) Key Personnel: Sponsor: Also known as funder, funding agency, grantor, Anyone on your project who is an intellectual contributor and difficult to replace. Usually faculty, granting agency. Can be public (federal, state, but may be specially trained staff. Includes PI and local) or private (foundation, industry). co-Pls. (PD and co-PD) Writing a Proposal: The Process O PI/Team Prepares Proposal 3 Signing/ Approvals Forwarded Proposal Entered Into Database to Ospa After forming a concrete idea the PI Both the budget portion Anyone involved in the and abstract are The Office of process has to sign it (named personnel, department chairs, deans). Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA) reviews, signs and submits all proposals. entered. spends typically 3-6 months finding a grant sponsor and writing a proposal. The proposal should illustrate that the idea is important and should be carried out by this PI/team. A Good Proposal.. Woah, Not So Fast! How to Submit a Proposal: .is a good idea, well expressed Make sure you list the applicant There are three common ways to send a grant proposal: through an online system such as FastLane or grants.gov, e-mail or hard copy via FedEx. with a clear indication of as The Curators of the methods for pursuing the idea, evaluating the findings and making them known to all who need to know. (NSF Regional Conference, St. Louis, Mo. 2004) University of Missouri. Listing the applicant as the Pl is a common mistake in grant proposal submissions. Basic vs. Applied Research: What's the difference anyway? Purpose Goal no specific intent required other than learning Basic to increase knowledge well defined and research is Applied narrowly focused on obtaining goal. to meet a specific goal Accepted! Not accepted? Congratulations! Now you can begin Don't get discouraged! Often, the working on your research. You've proven that your idea is worth funding so it's time to begin all the sponsor will give you feedback about your proposal. Use the criticism to develop and improve your idea. Rework your proposal. Proofread it. Have others read it. Then, submit it again! hard work! Sources: Shelley Hilton, Monica Frank, Charlie Triplett