Workshop Outline
Writing Winning Scientific Proposals
Benefits of completing a Proposal Writing workshop
By completing a proposal writing workshop participants will:
- Understand the drivers, eligibility, selection criteria, assessment processes, and other requirements of their target funding agency.
- Communicate their research proposal in a way that articulates the innovation, benefits, and significance of the research.
- Plan and collect the evidence needed to support their ability to deliver genuine outcomes.
- Organise how to manage their application in line with their institution’s processes and requirements (including timelines, key stakeholders and cost estimates).
- Apply clear, logical, and persuasive language that builds a compelling and consistent message to support their proposal.
The workshops
All workshops are interactive, with participants encouraged to think and discuss every aspect of the scientific proposal writing process. The workshop includes several videos of CSIRO scientists providing their insights on proposal-writing. Each workshop can be tailored to the needs of your group. The topics are designed to be modular and workshops can be altered accordingly. For example, a question-and-answer session featuring experts from your organisation can be facilitated upon request.
The facilitator will contact participants before the workshop to identify their barriers to writing, and if they have specific needs or skill gaps they wish to address.
Topics Covered in CSIRO Proposal Writing Workshops
- The culture of proposal writing and assessing the features of a good proposal
- Understanding your audience: The funding agency, the reviewers and the assessors
- Developing a compelling message: Writing for your readers
- Staying focussed, being direct and writing clearly
- Identifying your main message (context, value and significance, outcomes)
- Justifying your research proposal: your track records, the strengths of your team and research environment, your previous research, methods and preliminary results.
- Managing the application process: Your institution’s strategy, processes and requirements
- Cost estimation and budget justification.