The goal of a Concept Paper is that it quickly communicates to another individual the key ideas for a grant proposal, so that they are able to give feedback. It is somewhat like an Abstract, however a Concept Paper should contain more detailed information on Methods and Plan of Operation.The key idea is that you would share this with an individual familiar with your topic and/or the funding agency, and that you need to present your key ideas clearly and succinctly so they can identify strengths and weaknesses. You may also want to consider the major headings of your target funding agency in planning your concept paper.
The Concept Paper should include
- Title
- should clearly communicate goal of project
- Research Team
- list key members, affiliations
- Target Funding Agency
- provide website describing grant if possible
- if this is a seed grant, list target agency as well
- Importance (2 paragraphs)
- describe need for project
- briefly address past approaches
- Aims of the Project (2 paragraphs)
- clearly describe goals
- should build upon what is known (past approaches)
- Methods (1-2 paragraphs)
- can be in point form
- provide brief justification for methods as appropriate
- Plan of Operation (1 paragraph)
- can be in point form or provided as a Table
- References
Supports