Research/Project Planning

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Research/Project Planning

• Matt Ronning
• Associate Vice Chancellor and Director
• Research Administration at NC State

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Research/Project Planning

• Positioning Your Work
• Goals and Objectives
• Building on Strength Identifying Need
• Funding Strategies
• Academic Programs
• Growing Your Program
• Potential for Recognition/Success
• Planning and Coordinating Growth
• Publicity

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Positioning Your Work

• Global
• Your knowledge domain, discipline or industry
• Local
• Your department, unit, college and NCState
• Is there a good fit?

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Goals

• What is the overall goal of your research
  program?
• Clear, simple terminology
• Eg. bipedal locomotion heterogeneous
  combustion
• Serves as a signpost - years of activity
• Tied to established knowledge/research domain
• Recognized experts
• Well established literature

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Department/University Goals

• What is the relation of your work to existing
  activities and resources?
• Convergent, parallel or divergent
• What opportunities are there to build
  collaborative/interdisciplinary relations?
• What are NCStates goals for building expertise?

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Existing Strengths

• What background or track record do you possess?
• Refereed publications, patents, sponsored
  projects
• What background or track record does your
  Department/Unit possess?
• Refereed publications, patents, sponsored projects

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Strengths contd.

• What existing resources or infrastructures are
  underutilized?
• Identify areas of weakness
• Where do you need to build strength or
  demonstrate expertise?
• What strengths/expertise can you bring to a
  collaboration?

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Identification of Need

• Opportunities to build strength or foster growth
• Industry identified needs
• State or Federal needs or mandates
• Special allocations or opportunities
• Includes philanthropy
• Distinguish long and short-term needs

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Potential Funding Partners

• Industry Contracts
• State/Federal Grants
• Private Grants or Gifts
• What does each provide funding for?
• Specific work product - salaries
• Equipment and infrastructure
• Travel, consumables, indirect costs
• What does each expect in return?

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Graduate Education

• Are doctorates being awarded at NCState in your
  area? How many per year?
• Will your work produce new researchers?
• Is there an adequate supply of trained graduate
  students in your area?
• Will you have enough GRAs

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Graduate Education contd.

• What is the size of the graduate faculty working
  in your area?
• Will there be adequate flexibility to release you
  from teaching and other duties?

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Undergraduate Education

• What opportunities exist to involve
  undergraduates in your research?
• Additional funding may be available, especially
  in SMET areas.

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Growing Your Work

• How do you achieve success?
• National reputation, proven track record
• How do you manage growth?
• Is there a strategy for achieving realistic goals?

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National Reputation

• NOT TODAY!!!
• Start small
• Define low , short duration projects with
  focused objectives
• Publish results
• Network
• Conferences, trade and professional meetings,
  other researchers

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Proven Track Record

• Best measure of potential success
• Match proposals with resources available
• Research your funding source(s)
• What/who are they funding?
• In what amounts?
• Is this a growth area?
• Line up and use reviewers before submitting

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Strategize and Plan Growth

• Establish a reasonable agenda
• Team member with other PI (post-doc)
• Co-PI with senior researcher - large projects
• Experience with large staff/workforce
• Sole PI on small projects
• Small staff/workforce
• PI or co-PI on large projects
• Large staff workforce

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Planning Growth contd.

• Plan with your administrator
• Will adequate release time, matching funds,
  equipment and infrastructure be available?
• Develop 1 year, 3 year and 5 year projections
• Know the approval hierarchies
• Who needs to know what? When?
• Especially important with different funding
  sources and strategies

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Department/ Unit/ University Growth

• What spaces/labs?
• Is there physical space to grow your program?
• What support staff?
• What clerical, fiscal and other resources? What
  growth plans?
• What GRAs?
• How does growth in your research program affect
  growth in graduate studies?

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Growth contd.

• What research scientists?
• What human resources are available? How is their
  time budgeted/allocated?
• What is your departments/colleges indirect
  distribution policy?
• What portion of those funds may be re-invested in
  your research program?

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Publicity

• Do not ignore the popular press.
• Can you explain the value of your work to a lay
  audience?
• Recall your overall program goal.
• Think both locally and globally.

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Bottom Line(s)

• Understand your work at multiple scales.
• Plan - short term, mid term and long term.

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Grantseekers Ten Golden Axioms

• You write proposals, you get grants
• The Golden Rule Prevails He Who Has the Gold,
  Rules
• Always be Positive
• Funding Agencies (even Federal Agencies) are
  Managed by People.

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Grantseekers Ten Golden Axioms

• If YOU Dont Ask, YOU Dont Get Funded
• Read the Guidelines -- Before All Else Fails!!
• Dont Ask For Money -- Provide the Grantor with
  an Opportunity to Support Your Project

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Grantseekers Ten Golden Axioms

• You Need to Answer Only Six Questions Who, Why,
  Where, What, When, and How Much
• If you Re-submit Four Times and Still Arent
  Funded -- Get a New Idea
• Be Sure to Edit Carefully

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More Hints on Proposal Development

• Follow Instructions
• Identify Concrete Objectives
• Contact the Sponsor
• Discuss objectives
• Discuss strategies
• Be and expect cold honesty
• Demonstrate Value to the Sponsor

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More Hints on Proposal Development

• Carefully evaluate the demands and effects your
  project will have on the institution
• Dont wait until the last minute
• 5 days early at SPA
• Iron out project time line before submitting the
  proposal

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Make Your Proposal Appealing

• Be precise
• Dont be wordy
• Use plain English
• Limit appendices to those required