RIBA Research Trust Grants 2017
Guidance Notes
General Guidance
These notes are intended to assist you in the preparation of proposals to the RIBA
Research Trust Grant Application Form. They provide informal guidance on points for applicants toremember when drafting proposals.
Preparation
• Allow yourself time
Submitting a research proposal can be a lengthy process so plan in advance. It is important that you have had time to prepare your application thoroughly. Ensure
that you have approached your chosen supervisor prior to submitting an application,
and have constructed a proposal meeting all of the necessary requirements.
Thereis a strict deadline of 5pm on Monday 5June 2017 for applications.
Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted. As well as allowing time for
completing the application form, also ensure that you have time to complete the
research within the given deadlines.
• Read the information carefully
The eligibility criteria can be found online at
Please ensure that you meet this prior to submitting an application.
• Application Questions
Ensure that you have discussed your proposal thoroughly withyour supervisor and any collaborators to incorporate this feedback into yourapplication.
If you have any specific questions regarding the application process, please contact email .
• Justify your costings
The Research Grants Sub-Committee is keen to ensure that money allocated is put
to good use. A well-thought through and detailed budget can help to give thecommittee confidence in a proposal. Make sure that your expenditure is realistic and
achievable.
Guide to completing your research proposal
Completing the application form
• Proposal
Obtaining research funding is highly competitive; simply having good ideas is not
sufficient to convince the committee to support your proposal. The committee will be
looking for originality in the proposed work; so you need to convince them that you
can turn your ideas into a research project; conduct it successfully, and produce
valuable findings from it.
• Content and presentation
Please refer to the ‘Guide to completing your two-page research proposal’ which
can be found in the application form pack for information outlining specifically what
your proposal should include.
Section 3.2 on the application form requests a 1,500-word statement on your research proposal. The following headings explain the information you need to provide, so as to enable you to construct a proposal that meets the criteria that will be used to judge your research application.
Obtaining research funding is highly competitive; simply having good ideas is not sufficient to convince the committee to support your proposal. The committee will be looking for originality in the proposed work, so you need to convince them that you can turn your ideas into a research project; conduct it successfully, and produce valuable findings.
I. Context
• What is the importance of the general area in which your research will be conducted?
• How does the work relate to current and past work both of the researcher and elsewhere?
• How does it develop current themes or extend present understanding?
II. Competence and track record
• What expertise and experience of the subject matter and of the proposed research methods do you have?
III. Research Questions
• What will be demonstrated through the conduct of the study?
• Are the overall aims clearly and concisely stated and defined?
IV. Originality and Significance
• Explain the originality of your research.
• To whom is your work relevant?
• What is the urgency or timeliness of your work?
V. Research design and method
• Is the right evidence being gathered to enable the research questions to be answered?
• What material will be collected and how will it be analysed and/or evaluated?
• Are there any ethical implications in your work and how will they be addressed?
VI. Collaboration with others
• Are collaborative arrangements required and/or proposed?
• Is the management of the co-operative aspects of the work defined?
• What thought has been given to exploitation and intellectual property rights?
VII. Impact: beneficiaries and publication
• Who are the intended beneficiaries of the research, and how will the findings be conveyed or disseminated to them?
• In what form is the output expected?
VIII. Planning, programming and resources
• Please include a timetable for your work.
• You are required to submit a detailed breakdown of the anticipated income and
expenditure for the project. Please justify the resources requested.
• When calculating the hourly rate of pay for the period of the research, we
recommend referring to the rates used at the research organisation you are
affiliated with.
• Have you applied for, or intend to apply for, other sources of funding?
• Output and Dissemination
The committee is keen that any research funded reaches as wide an audience as
possible and as a result, requests that all projects produce a physical manifestation
either in the form of - a rigorous written output, public exhibition/presentation with literature or media (electronic or digital).
This should incorporate evidenceof all outputs listed in the original application form. It may, for example, take the formof an article submitted to a scholarly journal. As well as academic routes, ensurethat your application considers dissemination via routes into practice. Proposals thatcan demonstrate real-world implications are likely to be looked upon favourably,hence the encouragement of applications from practice-led researchers. Ensure thatyour outputs are realistic and achievable within the budget and timeframe.
Submission
• Check your details
Read through your application and make sure that all the details are correct.
Submit your application by 5pm on Monday 5 June 2017 along with all the necessarysupporting documentation. Please note that any unsolicited supporting information,such as CVs, will not be considered.
Completed applications should be emailed to andmarked‘Research Trust Application Grant Submission 2017’.
• Feedback
Due to the large number of applications, the committee regrets that it is unable to
give feedback to all applicants.