I wrote my first formal research proposal for a software fellowship offered by The Molecular Sciences Software Institute(MolSSI). MolSSI invited two-page proposals on designing software for challenging computational chemistry problems. My proposal was not recommended for funding but there were some valuable lessons I learned from this experience.

My first learning had less to do with the content of the proposal, but rather with the importance of proper planning. I did not start writing it well ahead of time and, hence, missed out on getting comprehensive feedback. A proposal is hardly polished, with only a few iterations of feedback and ensuing corrections. One should have their first draft ready a couple of months in advance to get feedback from people with different levels of exposure to the given topic, with your research advisor being one of them.

Secondly, as I deduced from the reviews, a successful proposal is not just about the content or importance of the proposed research question. The reviewers refer to various aspects of the candidate’s profile, with the outcome of previous projects being the most important (including the time to finish a project – a simple project shouldn’t have taken years to complete). They need to be confident in the candidate’s ability to deliver on what they are proposing. For this particular application, my GitHub profile was scrutinized. My repos were far from the basic best practices guidelines, and two reviewers clearly pointed that out. In any research fellowship application, a publication record is very important in getting a favorable decision, and this was probably another vertical where I would have lost points.

Thirdly, it is essential to propose a workable timeline on top of a brilliant idea. My reviewers weren’t convinced that what I was proposing may be completed in the timeframe of the fellowship, even though some agreed that it was an interesting direction to pursue.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, a more than one reviewer found my proposal “well-written”. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of literature I can read and the newer ideas I can come up with.

I look forward to my first successful proposal where I can refer to this post :)