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Wilson College of Textiles 
Wilson College Research Resources

Proposal Preparation

Basic Elements of a Proposal

Cover Page

The cover page or title page allows you to present your proposal in a standardized manner. Most cover pages include: the proposal title; the name, address and telephone number of the project director; the Sponsored Programs’ address and authorizing official / contact name; the agency and program name for the submission; the project’s beginning and ending dates; and/or the budget request. Many agencies use their own specific cover or title page format, so be sure to verify with the grant guidelines

Abstract/Summary

A well written abstract/summary creates the desirable first impression to the program managers and proposal reviewers. The abstract/summary may be disseminated to the public, and hence should not include confidential information. The abstract/summary should encapsulate the entire proposal, conveying who, what, where, when, why and how. Although the abstract/summary precedes the narrative section of the proposal, it is often written last to accurately reflect the entire content of the proposal. Many agencies have specific limitations on the length of the abstract/summary.

Project Description or Narrative

This section describes the need for the project, goals, objectives, and the hypothesis or research questions. The statement of goals presents the vision of the worth and overall contribution of the proposed project. The statement of objectives should be presented in measurable, quantifiable terms. Describe the methods to be used to achieve the desired outcomes. It is helpful, and often a requirement, to create a timeline for the activities which constitute the method or approach to persuade reviewers that the Principal Investigator is organized and able to manage the complex demands of a project.

Budget and Budget Justification

The budget is an estimate of the funds needed to conduct your project by cost category. The Wilson College of Textiles Research Office can provide you with the most updated budget template to reflect current fringe, health insurance, and tuition rates, and they can assist with boilerplate information for the budget justification. 

Biographical Sketch / Vitae

The biographical sketch briefly describes the key personnel involved and their contributions to the project. Some agencies have specific forms or formats and restrict the amount of information to be included. Others may request full vitae to be included in the appendix.

Current and Pending / Other Support

The current and pending is a listing of grants and contracts that the Principal Investigator and other key project personnel currently have and other proposals that are pending a funding decision. A separate form is usually used for each individual. The information should include the sponsor, title of the project, awarded amount, and total time committed to the project. You may not allocate more than 100% of your time in a given period. Time committed will not always correspond to time budgeted.

Resources / Equipment and Facilities

Describe the equipment and facilities already available to carry out the proposed project, including special equipment, services, field resources, controlled environment or special laboratory facilities, etc. Be sure to differentiate between those facilities and resources that are currently available to support the project and those resources that are needed. Some agencies require use of a specific form.

Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan

All NSF proposals requesting funds for postdoctoral researchers must include a Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan to describe the mentoring activities for such individuals. This mentoring plan must describe the mentoring activities provided to any postdoctoral researchers regardless of at which organization/institution they reside. A mentoring plan is not required, however, for postdoctoral researchers who are listed as senior personnel on the NSF budget.

The proposed mentoring activities in the Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan will be evaluated as part of the merit review process under the NSF broader impacts merit review criterion. Examples of mentoring activities listed in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide include:

  • Career counseling
  • Training in preparation of grant proposals, publications and presentations
  • Guidance on ways to improve teaching and mentoring skills
  • Guidance on how to effectively collaborate with researchers from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary areas
  • Training in responsible professional practices

References / Literature Cited

A reference of pertinent literature is usually required. Each citation should be complete and include the names of all authors, article title, book title, journal name, volume number, page numbers and year of publication. Be careful to follow accepted scholarly practices in listing citations for all source material given in this section. Some agencies may specify a limit of the number of references or number of pages.

Appendices

Appendices are support material related to the proposal. Each sponsor will have their own preferences and limitations. Typical attachments may include letters of support, statistical tables, cost documentation for equipment, audited financial statements, the institution’s letter of incorporation, and the signed federally negotiated indirect cost rate.

Letters of Individual or Institutional Commitment

Many funding agencies require letters of commitment that explicitly document collaborations of individuals or organizations not included in the budget. Such unfunded activity, resource, and expertise collaboration could include, for example, access to a particular piece of scientific equipment, recruiting avenues for diverse students, sharing of key data, or performance of a technical task.

The following are a few suggestions for the preparation of commitment letters:

  • Anyone named in your proposal but not in the budget should have a letter of commitment to document their unfunded role.
  • If you are submitting a National Science Foundation proposal, do not quantify commitments in terms of hours or dollars. Otherwise, the agency will return your proposal without review.
  • When submitting to any other agency that allows cost share, do not quantify commitments in terms of hours or dollars. Quantifying commitments creates auditable cost share, which require institutional pre-approval.
  • Check solicitation carefully for any specific instructions from the agency.
  • Letters should be less than one page and on letterhead.
  • If you are the lead institution, it is better not to draft a letter for your partners or collaborators in order to avoid nearly identical letters. Instead, provide clear bullet points of project information that partners can use to quickly compose a letter in their own words.

Data Management Plan

All NSF proposals must include a Data Management Plan that describes how results from NSF funded research will be shared with other researchers. Many other agencies also have also started requiring Date Management Plans. The NCSU Libraries provide free guidance to NC State faculty, staff, post-docs, and students on creating and implementing Data Management Plans and meeting public access compliance requirements. The NC State Libraries offer resources to help you build your Data Management Plan. You can contact them at library_datamanagement@ncsu.edu if you have any additional questions. 

Certifications, Assurances and Other Forms

Some sponsors require certifications, assurances and other forms be completed and submitted with the proposal. Most require the signature of the Authorized Official in Sponsored Programs.