Planning your Proposal

1. Planning your Proposal Keep the stakeholders in mind.

2. Proposals: three major types • Research Proposal • proposes to define the scope of the problem and determine whether there’s a need for action. • Evaluation Proposal • proposes to investigate and evaluate solutions to the problem. • Implementation Proposal • proposes to implement solutions.

3. Which kind of proposal are you doing? • Your proposal presents a plan for using the grant $ to make progress on solving the problem/need.

4. Your complete proposal will contain these sections: • Executive Summary • Problem Description • Project Rationale and Methodology • Technology Description • Implementation Plan • Including estimated schedule of your work • List of References • Appendices

5. Problem Description • Describe the local sustainability problem and link it to similar problems elsewhere. • Be specific about what the local problem is and how the Subject Matter Expert(s) frame(s) the problem. • Define sustainability on basis of interview with SMEs and your reading. Indicate source of your definition.

6. Keep track of sources of information. • Attach at least two sources to the PD. • Don’t worry about format. Give author and date (with title, if a published work). • Remember that agencies and companies can be “authors.” • Each subsequent assignment/section should add sources. Don’t worry about format until Technology Description section.

7. Interviewing is necessary. • Your Problem Description will be more specific and focused if you have discussed a real problem with a knowledgeable person, either at the University or in practice, or both!

8. Be thinking about specific methods for conducting your research. • Solicit expert opinion. • Collect and synthesize information from published and unpublished sources. • Evaluate sources of information.

9. In the course of conducting your investigation, you might also: • Record observations • Perform calculations and/or measurements • Analyze test data

10. Project Rationale sets out the criteria you are using to evaluate various solutions to the sustainability problem. • These solutions are then described in detail in the Technology Description section. • Chosen solution is then proposed in the Implementation Plan as one or more of these; • a pilot program • further research to evaluate solution • implementation of the chosen solution

11. Proposal also describes your method of evaluating solutions and technologies. • Project Rationale and Methodology sets out the criteria you are using to evaluate solution(s) to the sustainability problem/need. • These solutions are then described in detail in the Technology Description section. • Chosen solution is then proposed in the Implementation Plan as one of these: • a pilot program to evaluate solution • Bigger-scale research project to evaluate solution • implementation of the chosen solution, with assessment.

12. Project Rationale and Methodology • Begins by emphasizing need for solving the specific sustainability problem/need. • Justifies the scope of your investigation of solutions. • How did you narrow the scope of your research project so that you could prepare a convincing proposal for using the grant money to solve a specific sustainability need? • Describes how you have evaluated various solutions. • Answers these questions: • Why does this particular problem need solving? • How have you gained the expertise to help? (You are gaining that expertise through your research this semester).

13. All proposals must be persuasive. • What is your goal for this proposal. What do you want it to achieve? • What will convince proposal readers to grant you $$ to do the tasks required in your Implementation Plan? • Do you understand the problem or need from the stakeholder’s point of view? • Is your scope of investigation clear? • Does quality of writing affect reader’s view of your professional ability? • Avoid words such as maybe, feel, probably.

14. In lab this week . . . • Teams discuss individual projects. • You give and receive a peer review of the draft of your Problem Description (due in final form on Wed., Feb. 10).

15. Reminders • Remember to respond to another student’s project idea by noon on Wed. • Partnership Agreements are due on Monday, Feb. 8.