| What If My Proposal is Not Approved and/or Funded?
Common Reasons Why Proposals Are Not Approved and/or Funded
The reasons why research grant proposals are not funded are as numerous as proposals themselves. They may range from something as seemingly insignificant as bad spelling or grammar, to a poorly thought-out and incomplete proposal. And it is not unusual for a project to be approved only to find that there is not sufficient funding available to reach the cut-off ranking for that particular proposal.
Some recurring reasons cited by reviewers include, but are not limited to:
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Incomplete forms |
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Bad grammar and/or spelling |
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Omission of information or proposal sections |
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Irrelevant or poorly stated information or objectives |
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Budgets unrelated to project objectives |
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Inadequate evidence that the PI and other personnel possess the appropriate background and experience to conduct the project |
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Lack of any central idea or plan that captures the imagination of the reviewers |
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Inadequate literature review to establish the context of the project |
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Lack of appropriate campus approvals and signatures |
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Frivolous titles that do not adequately describe the project | |
Many funding agencies will provide the applicant with a summary of reviewers’ comment upon request, or they may be included with the letter of notification of the results of their review. In either case, the PI should pay close attention to comments and attempt to address the concerns of the reviewers and correct any perceived deficiencies in the project if they intend to resubmit the proposal for further consideration.
The Resubmission Process
It is not uncommon for some funding agencies to routinely deny most research proposals the first time that they are submitted for review. Although a denial and its inherent criticisms may be difficult to accept, an experienced researcher will welcome the criticism and recommendations of the reviewers, and will resubmit without hesitation. A Principal Investigator whose proposal has been denied should seriously consider resubmitting if there is some indication from the funding agency that the proposal has merit, but is lacking in some areas. It is often helpful to discuss the review with the program administrator assigned to the proposal during the review process to determine whether or not a resubmission could result in approval at a later time.
When resubmitting, special attention should be paid to the areas of concern addressed by the reviewers. Any necessary revisions should be made in order to satisfy those concerns. In addition, sections other than the research plan will need to be revised, including the proposed project period and the budget pages. All resubmissions must be treated the same as the original proposal and the pre-approval process must again be followed.
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