Project Planning
The backbone to a great idea is the ability to articulate what, where, when, why, and how. Project planning comes before funder selection so that you can stay true to your research while later being flexible to the funder’s goals. You must choose your research and then find the funding opportunities that will support your trajectory. Our project planning services position you for a fundable future.
Concept Development
What is it? Concept development is truly the first stage of funding. Proposals only get funded when serious thought has been given to concept development. In order to develop a solid concept, you must be able to describe its theoretical or conceptual grounding from published literature. This is done through a literature review. Strong literature reviews show the originality and relevance of the research you are proposing. Weak reviews consist of irrelevant literature, too few references, or a feeble summarization of the body of knowledge.
Your research trajectory will help you with the direction that you need to go with your research. Each step in your research, however, must start with a compelling and well-grounded concept. Our consultants can help you walk through concept development to ensure your research ideas are both compelling and filling a knowledge gap.
How can we help you?
- Define concept ideas for research
- Identify potential directions from potential research findings
- Identify appropriate research questions
- Review conceptual or theoretical linkages to concept
- Review your literature review to ensure that:
- every statement is supported by a strong reference
- it provides evidence that your research will be relevant (and not just a summary of publications)
- Suggest improvements to your “gap” analysis and justification of research project
- Identify additional resources and references for your topic
- Offer organization tools to help you synthesize and track your search
Related Services
Building a Collaborative Team
Building a collaborative team is an important element for successful funding, as it an increasing requirement for funding.
Learn MoreCoaching & Training
Coaching and training are about capacity building. Our coaching and training services can offer support through broader nuanced processes such as grant writing or through developing evaluation plans, or more task-specific items.
Learn MoreOpportunity Landscape
The opportunity landscape is the who’s and what’s of the grant funding world, and it is varied, yet specific.
Learn MoreEarly Career Mentorship & Training
Early career mentorship and training services are geared towards researchers with less than 3 years of relevant work experience.
Learn MoreArticles and White Papers About Concept Development
Research Revolution: Top 10 Considerations for Individual Researchers in Project Planning
Introduction Effective project planning is critical to successful research outcomes. With research becoming more interdisciplinary and complex, understanding the key considerations when planning a project has never been more important. These considerations range from defining research questions to selecting methodologies, managing data, and navigating ethical concerns. Each aspect of project...
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Innovative Approaches: 5 Corporate RDGS Project Planning Essentials
Introduction Research, Development, and Global Strategy (RDGS) projects play an important role in maintaining competitive advantage and driving innovation in the corporate world. Companies across various industries rely on well-organized RDGS projects to explore new ideas, develop groundbreaking products, and expand into international markets. Managing these projects involves navigating complex...
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Navigating Complexity: 5 Concept Development Strategies for Medical Health Initiatives
Introduction The complexities of developing medical health initiatives are immense, given the ever-evolving nature of healthcare systems, diverse patient needs, technological advancements, and socio-political dynamics. Health initiatives aim to address public health challenges such as disease prevention, improving healthcare access, managing chronic conditions, and enhancing healthcare quality. Navigating this complexity...
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Unlocking Success: 5 Best Practices in RDGS Project Planning
Introduction Effective project planning is crucial for the success of Research, Development, and Global Strategy (RDGS) initiatives. The dynamic nature of these projects requires a structured approach to ensure efficiency, innovation, and achievement. Adopting best practices in project planning becomes imperative, as these practices ensure that projects are well-structured, adaptable...
Read MoreFAQ About Concept Development
Your idea must be relevent to the funder’s priorities, it must fill a KEY gap (articulating a specific research question and its intended impact), and must answer HOW it will fill this gap.
You want to build a team around you that help fill the gaps in your career (perhaps in relation to a specific research expertise, cross-industry perspective, grant management, etc.). Building a strong team provides the funder more confidence in your ability to successfully carry out your plans.
The most clear and succinct way to lay out a timeline is using a Gantt chart, built in Excel and pasted into Word. If the program is longer than a few months, the timeline should be presented landscape. If it must be divided between 2 pages, ensure the descriptions are included on the second page.
The submission criteria is what gets your proposal through the gates (so to speak). It is also what reviewers use to review and rate your proposal (the contents). However, you want to build and write your proposal in a way that when a reviewer is down to two equally strong proposals, they remember yours.
Federal and state funding usually come with more requirements in their submission guidelines and required paperwork; they usually also have more focused prioritized areas than foundation funding.
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Peggy Ostrander, DNPc, APRN, FNP-C Plano, Texas