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5 reasons research grant proposals are rejected
It happens to everyone who has ever written a proposal for a competitive grant. Rejection is part of the game. Dealing with a rejected proposal is one of the hardest and most frustrating parts of the process. There are probably as many reasons for rejection as rejected proposals. Often good proposals fail. Bad luck is part of the game, but there is not much we can do about it.
However, there are of course some things we should and can avoid.
Here are my top 5:
1. Insufficient time allocated
Writing a good proposal is a big job. It takes time to develop ideas and relationships. Last-minute jobs hastily put together are usually not good and miss crucial components.
2. Did not follow the instructions
I am sure that a lot of applicants do not read the request for proposal and crucial documents properly. Often, they forget or misinterpret things.
3. The research idea is not good enough.
Comes also back to the first point. Developing a good idea involves screening literature, discussions and rechecking, reviewing and refining the proposal with colleagues. It takes time and should not be done in a hurry.
4. The need or narrative is not clear
A good bid needs a good overall narrative and clear description of the need. There are techniques to improve this. A quick good start is the for example a “Message box”. https://www.compassscicomm.org/the-message-box-workbook
5. It is a “fishing expedition”
Fishing expedition means that the proposed research is exploring rather than targeted: “Let’s try this and see what happens.” This often comes down to missing a research hypothesis.