Improving the quality of research proposals

Makes 4 key recommendations:

• guidelines should always be used as a guide when preparing research proposals. They are in the literature, funding agencies will often have their own requirements, and as an additional aid use this report.
• a two-stage process is recommended in most cases. Prepare a short pre-proposal at first to seek funding or collaborators and then prepare a full proposal after all details have been determined. But make sure to identify the pre-proposal as such.
• ensure proposals meet the requirements of each potential funding agency and, whenever possible, submit them directly to the person responsible for their review
• funding agencies should facilitate the proposal process by providing protocols for research proposals, identifying contact persons, and defining their main areas of interest. This would ensure that proposals are prepared to meet their needs, go to the right person, and are targeted at agencies that are interested in the topic proposed