How to prepare convincing grant proposal

Ewa Marcinkowska

A central concept in science and the scientific

method is that it must be empirically based on

the evidence of the senses.

Both natural and social sciences use working

hypotheses that are testable by observation and

experiment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism

John Locke

(29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704)

Studied at Christ Church, Oxford.

An Essay Concerning Human

Understanding (1689).

Empiricism in the philosophy

of science emphasizes evidence,

especially as discovered in experiments.

Proof

In mathematics, a proof is a deductive

argument for a mathematical statement.

There are no formal proofs in empirical

sciences.

Sir Karl Raimund Popper

(28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994)

born in Vienna (then in Austria-Hungary),

died in Kenley in UK.

A theory in the empirical sciences

can never be proven, but it can be

falsified, meaning that it can and should

be scrutinised by decisive experiments.

He considered that if a theory cannot, in

principle, be falsified by criticism, it is

not a scientific theory.

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for

a phenomenon.

For a hypothesis to be a scientific

hypothesis, the scientific method requires

that one can test it.

Paradigm is a distinct set of concepts or

thought patterns, including theories,

research methods, postulates, and

standards for what constitutes legitimate

contributions to a field.

• What is my research hypothesis?

• Is there any existing paradigm

concerning the field, which I am going to

explore?

• Is it possible that my results will change

the existing paradigm?

1. Objectives: scientific problem aimed

to be solved by the proposed project,

project scientific hypotheses.

Clearly state what is/are your research hypothesis/es.

2. Significance: state of the art,

justification for tackling specific scientific

problems by the proposed project,

pioneering nature of the project,

the impact of the project results

on the development of the research field

and scientific discipline,

economic and societal impact.

•Describe the existing paradigms in the research field.

•Cite existing research literature.

• Describe how your research can change the existing

paradigm.

•Write, what is new and exceptional in your ideas.

•Discuss, how your results can change the research field

and whether or not they can have any economical impact.

3. Work plan: outline of the work plan,

critical paths, state of pre-existing

and initial research indicating feasibility

of research objectives.

• Describe your previous results, which have led you

to this proposal.

• Outline the plan of experiments.

• Clearly state, which results will support your

hypotheses, and which will falsify them.

http://ischuller.ucsd.edu/research/new_SC.php

4. Methodology: underlying scientific methodology,

data reduction and treatment schemes,

type and degree of access to the equipment

to be used in the proposed research.

• Describe all methods you plan to use.

• State how will you analyze the data.

• Declare how familiar you are with the proposed

methods (cite your previous papers, if possible).

• State how easy will be your access to the

equipment necessary for the project.

• In case of risky methods, propose alternatives.

•Alternative solutions

Expected results:

• Change of research paradigm in the field

• Publications

• PhD thesis

• etc.

1) Investigator / Staff Costs

2) List of equipment to be purchased and/or built

3) Other costs justification

4) Investigators’ qualifications