1. Charles Nicholas (nicholas@csee.umbc.edu)
More on Proposals
Charles Nicholas
CMSC 601
Revised April 28, 2008

2. Sources
Peter J. Feibelman, A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! A Guide to Survival in Science. Basic Books, 1993.
Caroline Wardle, Obtaining Federal Funding, CRA-W Workshop Slides, 1993/1994/1999.
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3. Proposal Lifecycle

4. Know Your Goal
Convince a possible sponsor that they should help pay for your research
If at first you don’t succeed, you’re normal!
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5. White Papers Problem statement Your proposed solution
Who will care about the solution?
Your proposed solution
Why is it different from anybody else’s?
Your plan of attack
What will you do if you get the money?
Resources you will need to execute the plan
Money
Time
Data?
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6. Format A paragraph-length summary, to get them to read the white paper
May be sent by in advance
WP itself maybe 3-5 pages
A figure is helpful, but not too many
A 1-2 paragraph biosketch
A few references
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7. General White Paper Advice
Send the wp to your colleagues and current sponsors for advice
Allow them to send it to their colleagues
Remember that a white paper is a marketing tool, and that’s it
If you’re invited to submit a full proposal, the wp did its job!
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8. Sources of Funding

9. Government Agencies The usual suspects: NSF, NIH, DOD SBIRs and STTRs
State agencies
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