Pre-Award Step 3:
Develop Research Proposal
Principal investigators/project directors are primarily responsible for developing the scientific and programmatic content of proposals.
At this stage in your planning, you have developed a research question and found a possible sponsor for your project. Once you submit your proposal to the sponsor, waiting times vary considerably. It may be months, or even a year or more, before you learn whether your project is funded. Remember that most sponsors will not pay for work that happens prior to funding, so plan accordingly.
By the time you’re developing your proposal, your research question should be well thought out and strongly supported. You will have already completed a literature review, received feedback from colleagues and community partners, and drafted a purpose statement.
While your research question is the project’s foundation, your proposal should align closely with the sponsor’s funding opportunity requirements and scoring. Read and follow the opportunity guidelines for specific requirements. Make sure team members understand each person’s roles and responsibilities to complete the proposal on time.
The Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director is responsible for the final proposal. OSP can provide support as you map a funder’s requirements onto a workplan to develop your funding proposal.
