From proposal ideas to award

MENA NWCPolicy, Research and Development (PR&D)

GrantsDecember 8, 2011

Getting Started:

A Cartoon Tale

Research challenge

MENA NWC research opportunity (PR&D) Interaction between you

and MENA NWC Partners

Developing the Concept,

Working with Partners

Fitting Your Idea to the Guidelines, Working with your Partners

Developing the Proposal – seed

grant, concept note, or full proposal

Need Assistance?

Technical Resources Submitting the Proposal

Technical Review(Possible)

Revision and Resubmission

Targeting and Persistence

Congratulations!

Important to Consider

• Limited funds available – proposals must be competitive

• Justify your budgets

• US University costs do not count against your budget

Understanding the Grants Process

• Some common terms…

– Seed Funds, Concept Note, and Full Application and other similar mechanisms are simply terms used to indicate the ways granting organizations (e.g., MENA NWC) provide funds to applicants

– Sponsors - in addition to USAID MENA NWC - may include local agencies, private foundations, private sector, national agencies, private individuals, or a mix of these and other sources

– Applicants should be in the MENA NWC and may include member Centers, educational institutions including research centers, non-profit organizations or groups, private sector, states, municipalities, etc.

Types of Awards

• Seed funding – Seed funds are to be used for conceptualizing a project and developing the concept note and full grant application

• Concept note – Short description of the research problem and steps to address the problem

• Full PR&D Grant Application – the full proposal containing all relevant information including budget, partners, timeline, and indicators of success

Terminology• A proposal --document that describes (according to the

sponsor’s specified format and requirements) what will be done, who will do it, how much it will cost, and other details.

• Concept note - before a proposal is submitted, you should develop the ideas and “float” these by your colleagues at your center and with your partners.

• The purpose of the proposal is to persuade the sponsor that the applicant has the knowledge, capacity/resources, skill and qualified personnel to accomplish work proposed.

Key Individuals and Structures in PR&D

• Interim Management Unit (IMU)

• Grants manager, Ken Ludwa

• Director of Research, TBD

• R&D Lead, Mac McKee

• Selection Committee

• Technical Reviewers

• Award Committee

What is MENA NWC looking for?

Thematic Partnerships and Research Priorities

• Thematic partnerships

– 3 or more centers

– 2 or more countries

– 1 or more US university partner(s) optional

• Research priorities

– A research topic that is best addressed, via the NWC, by a Research Team

Seed Fund Application

• Open at any time• Up to $25,000 available, managed by FABRI• Used for travel, consultations, meetings,

training, literature in support of proposal development

• Subject to review• Meant to lead to a concept note and full

proposal

Concept Note

• Open at any time• Subject to review• The review helps you refine and improve the

proposal ideas• Your concept note will be accepted or

declined• A declined concept note may be resubmitted

Full Application

• Use results of concept note and reviews• Up to $100,000 per center• Quarterly application cycle• Approx. 2-year timeline maximum• Review/decline/resubmit as in concept note • Key:

– Address a thematic partnership– Address a research priority – Develop a research team

Should you apply for seed funds?

Yes if you need:• Site visits• To hold a planning meeting• Get training• Do some initial data

gathering/analysis• Bring in expertise

No if you:• Already know the research

question you wish to address

• Have your partnership team in place

• Are ready to write the concept note

Writing the Concept Note

• If you received seed funds, you will have used those to gather information and partners for your research proposal

• Brainstorm the project with partners and colleagues to develop a framework for the full proposal application

• Clarify your research question(s) for the project

• Identify who will develop each section, what other information is needed, and how partners will work together

• Build the budget using budget form (TBD)

Forming a research team

• Identify the research priority/activities• Identify the resources

– Human resources– Facilities– Data

• Identify the research team leader• Figure out your communication strategies

– Google docs?

• Identify team leader

Form research

team

• Identify resources

Centers

• Identify centers

Research question

Research Question Center 1

Center 2

Center 3

The Function of a Proposal– Presents a compelling argument for

funding to the NWC

– Represents both the researchers and the partners’ credibility and capacity

– Describes the project in persuasive terms

– Provides mechanisms for evaluation

– Tests your ability to articulate/conceptualize: If you can’t state it well, you probably can’t do the project!

The Essential Components of a Proposal

• Introduction

• Statement of Need/Rationale/Thesis

• Goals/Objectives/Methodology

• Environment & Organizational Support

• Personnel and Institutions Involved

• Expected Outcomes

• Evaluation Plan

• Budget and Budget Narrative

Description of the Approach to Solve the Problem

• Identifies then modifies, corrects, improves, expands, innovates, replicates or otherwise adapts previous efforts; may suggest a novel or transformative approach that has not been tried before

• Discusses specific actions, approaches, methods, timeline

• Justifies these in terms of the outcomes to be achieved

• Provides information as to how the process and outcome will be measured

Links Between Actions to be Taken and Statement of Problem

The problem you are addressing is always the essential element.

– Each action should link the proposed solution to the problem

– Whenever possible, each action should also tie directly to how you will measure your success (Note: USAID indicators will be one measure)

– Who are the stakeholders?– Budgets evolve from the actions

required

Who Will Perform the Work?

• Identify the persons/centers/partners who will perform the proposed work– Identify the team leader!

• Identify collaborators, in the NWC and possibly outside, e.g., private sector, civil society, government, US universities

• State their expertise, roles on the project, and capacity to do the work – who will do what and how will they be held accountable

• Network early with potential collaborators

Partners Required!

• MENA NWC requires collaboration and partners

• The work will be done in different locations• Facilities or expertise may be needed from

other researchers or centers

Your colleagues and partners

• Include colleagues in your proposal as appropriate to this research; acknowledge their contributions.

• Have colleagues participate in writing and reviewing the proposal for clarity before you submit it.

• Make sure your administrators are supportive.

Monitoring and Evaluation• Reporting is Required

– Quarterly updates– Annual reports– USAID Indicators must be used

• Two Types– Fiscal– Programmatic

• Accountability– External Evaluation will be required– Formative (what is happening) and summative (what

happened)– Self-Correction and Opportunities

Impact and Outcome

• Provides the sponsor with evidence that the project is progressing (milestones) and is completed:– First milestone will be the work plan– Quarterly progress updates– Annual report– Reporting form will be developed

• Provides documentation of impact (e.g., indicators) • Identifies areas for future improvement• Identifies “dead ends” – can be helpful in identifying what

doesn’t work• Describes how the outcome and useful information can be

shared with others

• Identify the criteria for success• Highlight and define specific

elements as priorities when appropriate

• Be redundant if the point is essential….

• Remember, this is a “sales pitch”

The Review Process, or Writing Backward for Progress

General Comments• You are writing for the reviewers, not for a journal

• Write to the guidelines, don’t leave out anything

• Page limits and deadlines are “set in stone”

• Follow the guidelines even if they don’t “flow” as you would like

• Be realistic about the work involved and the time you have to complete the work

• Get to know the PR&D team… Ken, Mac, and ?

Your ideas

• Must be interesting and understandable to a broadly-trained audience

• Your policy-relevant research question should be clearly stated

• Clear communication - don’t get lost in the details• Include a summary diagram or model early in the

proposal to highlight the problem and specific aims

The review

• Clear communication• Concisely worded• Easy and interesting to read• Communicates the importance of your work to

science, technology, and education• Budget is sufficient to get the work done, not

overly inflated or too low• If declined, use the opportunity to

figure out why and try again

Basic Tips on Getting Started• Read and understand the guidelines for the concept note and

the full application

• You must develop a concept note

• Identify the supporting data you will need

• Establish a timeline for completion of the proposal

– Work backwards from the due date, being sure to include time to get all the approvals you’ll need

• Identify the primary writer and the role of the other colleagues, partners, and collaborators

• Don’t be afraid to contact the Grants Manager (Ken) or other partners for information as needed

The 90% Rule of Grant-writing• Understanding the guidelines,

instructions and requirements

• Contacting the sponsor, whenever appropriate

• Developing a sound project concept, including data

• Identifying and correcting the gaps in required information

• Expanding the concept to match the guidelines

• Identifying costs

• Writing/submitting the proposal

90%

10%

Concept Note

• Project Title• The Investigators/Centers/Partners• Background• Objectives • Work Plan• Project Organization and Management• Expected Benefits of the Project• Budget

Budget• Equipment

• Materials

• Travel

• Training

• Other costs such as student wages or research support

• Publications & outreach materials

• Administrative costs

• Matching

• Templates will be provided – list expenses by expense type and by activity

• Each center to provide separate budget, rolled up into overall project budget

Questions?