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Proposal Preparation


Tips

 

Read the sponsor's guidelines!

Question: This is just a Letter of Intent / Concept Paper / White paper. What do I need to do?
Answer:  If the sponsor is requesting/requiring a budget (whether it's detailed or just a gross estimate), you will need to submit the required documents through OSPA with a GoldSheet. If there is no financial reference in the submission, you don't need to route it with a GoldSheet and can simply submit it to the sponsor.

Question: Are there times when I don't need a GoldSheet?
Answer: Yes, you don't need a GoldSheet when you are submitting proposals for internal grants (i.e. Special Research Initiation Grants-SPRIGs, High Performance Computing Grants) , Iowa Space Grant Consortium, the Leopold Center, the Iowa Energy Center,  or USDA task orders with NADC.

Proposal Format


Many agencies (see below) have prescribed formats for proposal preparation, including the required forms for text, biographical data, and budget. Many agencies also have page and type size and character per inch (cpi) limitations for the body (text) of the proposal. For agencies that do not have specific formats, organize the proposal as follows:

  • Transmittal Letter
  • Title Page
  • Technical Abstract/Summary
  • Table of Contents
  • Project Narrative
  • References (literature cited)
  • Project Budget
  • Budget Justification
  • Curricula Vitae
  • Appendices

Read the sponsor's guidelines!

Read the sponsor's guidelines!