Also called Objectives The portion of your proposal where the goals of the project are stated Usually located towards the beginning of a proposal (varies with funding source) Approximately a page worth of content (varies with funding source) Considered to be the hardest to write, and yet most important section of proposals Provides key context for the rest of he proposal, and in some cases summarizes the key aspects

Motivations Can be a part of the Aims section or its own part of the proposal depending on the grant Contains background information and hook that seeks to explain why the broader field that the research is part of is worth investigating Due to the controversy faced by biofuels produced from corn starch or sugar cane, much recent attention has been focused on bio-ethanol States a clear research problem New technologies are needed to decrease the cost and water consumption required to produce bio-ethanol States the purpose of the proposed work Developing lab-on chip microreactors that provide 100% optical and spectroscopic access to the solids during the pre-treatment reactions is the focus of this work

Broad aspects of an Aims section A statement of research Aims should contain: A clear statement containing a problem or gap in knowledge that the particular aim hopes to address How do reaction parameters such as temperature and pressure, impact the kinetics of biomass pretreatment. An objective(s) that clearly states what will be done to achieve the goal To develop a new lab on chip technique to perform fundamental studies of high temperature pretreatment reactions using optical techniques . Statement(s) on what the outcome of accomplishing these goals will be (developments of technology, cost reductions in industry and so on) Should be written from the stand-point of how accomplishing the aim will benefit future work in the field and the broader scientific community Ex-Development and validation of a new technique to monitor biomass pretreatment that will be transformative in the field biomass engineering.

Tips Aims should be hypothesis driven and not descriptive We will determine if A plays a critical role in the development of B We will compare the roles of A in B and C Objectives should contain a level detail about the work to be done To develop a new lab on chip technique to perform fundamental studies of high temperature biomass pretreatment reactions using optical techniques To develop a technique to study pretreatment reactions. Aims should not be completely codependent, failure to achieve one aim should not invalidate another.

Aims/Hypothesis/Theory A hypothesis is not an aim. Aim 1--To determine if protein X interacts with protein Y. Your aims are your intentions, the "directing of effort toward a goal." Hypothesis 1--Protein X binds to protein Y, increasing the concentration of Z which affects enzyme activity. Hypotheses are assumptions made in order to test specific ideas--which may or not be true. Theory 1-- Enzyme activity is dependent upon the concentration of Z, only when proteins X and Y are present. Theories imply a greater range of evidence that have some basis in existing facts, i.e. in this example, a theory could be that protein X and Y are needed for Z to function. http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2000/02/so-what-how-not-kill-grant-application-part-three

Variances Always check your funding source before writing a proposal to determine the format needed! Many proposals will require some form of rationale as to why the proposed method should succeed for the aim in question. Micro-reactors have been shown to have well defined transport conditions [ref] which are the basis needed to isolate chemical reaction effects from heat and mass transport effects Some proposals will also require statements regarding possible challenges to accomplishing a particular aim. As well as ways to mitigate these challenges

Variances Some grants require a statement of outreach objectives in the same section as research objectives. Can have same format has research objectives in terms of Overall goal, aim and outcome Develop an innovative data-to-music algorithm to convert vibrational data obtained from the lab-on-a-chip microreactor into hip-hop, a musical form that is familiar to K-12 students Outcome Increased selection of STEM majors by K-12 students from underrepresented groups when they make college decisions Some proposals will require the explanation of the science of each task in detail, making the section much longer than a page

Example of Aims Page

Motivation: Background/Research Problem “The focus of this work is on recovery of monosaccharides from biomass because this step represents the key technological bottleneck of the sugars platform.” Fundamental Question “A basic scientific question remains unanswered: how does a solid material (the catalyst) interact sufficiently with a second solid substrate (a biomass particle) to catalyze the desired reactions?”

Purpose of Proposed Work Fundamental Question “A basic scientific question remains unanswered: how does a solid material (the catalyst) interact sufficiently with a second solid substrate (a biomass particle) to catalyze the desired reactions?” SUMMARY OF APPROACH. The overarching goal of this work is to address the fundamental question of the mechanism of catalyzed biomass hydrolysis by breaking it into 3 pieces: 1) what is the relationship between catalyst surface chemistry, catalyst surface energy, and biomass-catalyst interactions? 2) How acidic do the solid acid sites need to be to catalyze hydrolysis? 3) For porous particles, how do external sites, which can be accessed by both soluble and insoluble substrates, and internal acid sites, which are accessible only to soluble substrates with sufficiently small sizes, balance with one another to achieve biomass hydrolysis to yield monosaccharides?

Example Aims How will the aims help answer the fundamental question? A clear aim title that a specific aim will answer An experimental strategy for answering the aim What would be the expected outcome and impact after completing this aim

Active aim title stating objective

Active aim title stating objective What question is going to be answered?

Active aim title stating objective What question is going to be answered? Experimental Strategy

Active aim title stating objective What question is going to be answered? Experimental Strategy Outcome or Impact

Active aim title stating objective What question is going to be answered? Experimental Strategy Outcome or Impact

Active aim title stating objective What question is going to be answered? Experimental Strategy Outcome or Impact

Statement(s) on what the outcome of accomplishing these goals will be “Taken separately, each of the 3 aims proposed here provides valuable insight that should drive forward the state of knowledge. As a coordinated project, the results of these 3 aims establish the scientific basis of solid acid catalyzed biomass hydrolysis that should help the community understand how the materials work and accordingly how they might be designed. With this understanding, catalysts might be invented to reduce the economic barriers of biomass utilization that have limited the biofuels and bio-based chemicals industries.”