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School of Property Construction & Project Management
Managing the Research Proposal
Dr Nick BlismasSchool of Property Construction & Project Management
Ext 55056
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Outline
• Mapping the requirements
• Assembling the academic team
• Engaging & managing the Collaborating Organisations
• Planning the Budget
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Mapping the Requirements
• Different approaches to ‘creating’ the submission– Actively search for funding, CO’s & ideas– Short/med/long-term goals
• View as a project– Break-up the project– Establish Activities and Milestones– Establish Stakeholders– Map-out to help visualise
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Establish Activities & Milestones
• Signatures– HoS (All)– CO's – Supporting Orgs– R&I – PVC (All)– CRC Director or Other
• Proposal– CV's– Project proposal– Budget– Letters & signatures
• Submission procedure & dates– Portfolio/Dean (ARC)– EOI (ARC)– Internal (All)– External
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Establish Stakeholders• Funding Body*
– Funding rules & requirements– Ask R&I
• R&I Office– Support, but have
requirements• Portfolio (Dean)
– May need to read EOI– Notification of intent
• Head of School– Support proposal and your
time– Resources
• Research Committee– School committee may have
an influence
• Ethics Committee– Not usually at proposal stage,
but if risky - suggest you discuss issues of concern
• Academic Partners– Other partners - input to
proposal and the research• CO's*
– Critical aspect for most proposals
– More later• CRC's or Other bodies*
– Letter from CRC director• Other Stakeholders with an
interest*– Unions– Supporting organisations
Determine risk, access and response levels
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Visualise the project
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Assembling the Academic Team
Who• Variety of skills
– Complimentary– Explicit
• People you like to work with!– Main driver– External influences
• Non-contributors– Track-record ‘padding’
Number• One
– Onerous
• More than 4– Cumbersome– What is the level of
input?– Depends on project
type
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Academic TeamRoles• Ideas people
– Although all should contribute something• Management
– Team• Coordinate meetings• Coordinate read & comment
– Submission process• Coordinate workloads & deliverables
– Who, when, what, how etc.• Document management – one person (usually 1st CI)
– Stakeholder• Assigned to team members
– Contacts and skills
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Managing the CO’s
Who• Interested CO's
– Engage early– Industry workshops/
conferences– Need to keep going
post-award
• Establish long-term partnerships…– Goal = repeat work
Roles/contribution• Type of contribution
– Cash– In-kind
• Time in interviewing/workshops
• On-site experimentation• More interventionist
designs - more reluctant
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Managing the CO’s
Small number (1-3)• Easier to manage/
coordinate• Fewer to please• Higher level of
engagement– But depends on
individual CO’s and the contact person!
• ARC ideally 2-3…
Large number (>4)• Difficult to manage• Reality is only few will
really engage• Lever the ones who
are engaged for other contacts– Get them to get others
involved– Use their enthusiasm
& leverage
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Managing the CO’s
• Contact/Gatekeeper– Usually person you first engage– Can block access to others in the organisation– Internal politics
• Establish Power ASAP ($ power)– Get to ASAP
• Sell concept• Get buy-in/commitment• Try establish direct line of communication
• Getting the signatures!– Make process simple/explicit ASAP– Delay signatures until figures fixed– Establish whereabouts for the 2 weeks before submission
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Planning the Budget
• Excel spreadsheet to manipulate figures
• Precise with figures/estimates
• Provide as much detail as possible
School of Property Construction & Project Management
Managing the Research Proposal
Dr Nick BlismasSchool of Property Construction & Project Management
Ext 55056
