Writing Proposals

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Writing Proposals
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Types of Proposals

• Research Proposals
• Book Proposals
• Business Plans

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Pre-proposal

• You have 60 seconds.
• Give introductions, credentials.
• Describe problem.
• Describe solution.
• Identify your needs.

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Proposal Templates
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(No Transcript)
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Cover Letter Tips

• Three brief paragraphs.
• Introduce Proposal.
• Explain why youre sending it.
• More you than we.
• Reminder about past discussion.

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Biography Tips

• Convince the target that youre the right person
  or team for the grant.
• Brag, but be 100 truthful with support.
• Know what the granter wants and provide it.
• Look at bios from winning proposals.

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Abstracts/Executive Summary

• A concise summary of your proposal.
• State what you want and why you want it in one
  sentence.
• Identify problem.
• Explain how you will solve the problem.

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The Contingency Plan
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Revolutionary Ideas

• Link aspects of the idea to proven concepts.
• Preempt criticism and answer likely questions.
• Portray yourself as down-to-earth.
• Avoid describing concept as revolutionary.

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Research Proposals

• Understand the audience.
• Have a strategy for dealing with reviewers.
• Get someone on your team who will impress the
  reviewers.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Make a convincing case for yourself.

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Contents of a Research Proposal

• Cover sheet or cover letter
• Abstract or project summary
• Table of contents
• Project description
• Significance statement
• Objectives and hypothesis
• Experimental design and methods
• Bios
• Schedule
• Budget

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Significance Statement

• 1-2 page explanation of why research is
  important.
• Start generally and get more specific.

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Project Description

• State overall objectivesif all goes well, what
  will be the result?
• State at least one hypothesis no more than two.

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Design and Methods

• Overview.
• Methods and Materials.
• Data Analysis (or plan for evaluating results).

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Book Proposals

• Understand the audience.
• Know how publishers think.
• Strategy
• Convince publisher that your book will sell many
  copies.
• Write well.
• Understand market.
• Convince publisher that you can meet a deadline.

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Book Proposal Contents

• Your book proposal must contain the following
• Abstract
• Biography
• List of previous publications
• Marketing
• Detailed Outline
• Schedule

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Marketing Section

• Who are the primary and secondary audiences for
  the book?
• What are the competitors? How will you compare
  with them?
• What is the appropriate price?
• What are ideal venues?

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Business Plans

• Understand audience.
• How do you impress a group of investors or a
  venture capitalist?
• Strategy.
• How much do you know about the prospect?
• Are you experienced?
• Do you have a way to recoup investments?
• Are your ideas clear and sensible?
• Do you have a market and a plan for reaching it?
• Are you a friend of a friend?

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Contents of a Business Plan

• Front Matter.
• cover letter, cover page, TOC, etc.
• Executive Summary.
• Company.
• brief corporate history or bios of members.
• Product.
• Support.
• Market.
• Marketing.
• Manufacturing/Distribution.
• Finances.
• Schedule.

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Summary

• Is proposal error-free?
• Has someone outside the team reviewed the
  proposal?
• Have you followed the template?
• Is contact info correct?
• Is your bio effective?
• Do you explain business as well as technical
  matters?
• Is your budget realistic?
• Do you come across as well-organized and
  confident?
• Did you address potential problems effectively?
• Did you avoid obvious boilerplate?