Developing Winning Research Proposals: Status and Impacts of an Innovative Training Initiative

Abstract

In the current global scenario, research project management plays an influential role in Research and Development. Therefore, in the year 2004, ICAR- NAARM designed and implemented Developing Winning Research Proposals (DWRP) capacity building program. The main purpose was to enhance the skills of agricultural scientists in the area of project proposal writing and further implementation, and to enrich the quality of research outputs and outcomes from the National Agricultural Research System (NARS). Since inception of the programme around 3300 scientists have been trained through 72 capacity building programmes, which include 34 in-house and off campus training programmes, the rest were project workshops and short term modules. After significant number of capacity building programmes, it was thought to analyse the impact of DWRP, therefore a questionnaire survey was done by sending email questionnaire to more than 700 training participants, besides other instruments of the impact study were also used. Afterwards, the present book entitled “Developing Winning Research Proposals: Status and Impacts of an Innovative Training Initiative” has been prepared with the purpose of multiplier effect of this initiative. The analysed data reveals that, after implementation of this programme, the trained scientists also upgraded themselves on research project prioritization, conceptual planning, clarifying research objectives, innovative outcomes and logical thinking. For further learning support to trainees, in 2017, the theoretical concept of research project prioritization, conceptual planning, logical frame approach methodologies were transformed into innovative online software applications. The results of learning teaching model through online software were highly satisfying in terms of group working and individual learning. The operational aspects about software packages are briefly presented in the chapters. The book contains four chapters and seven annexures. The chapters provide the brief description of training program and short modules on DWRP and software packages enriching the quality training. The last chapter deals with survey methodology, evaluation and impacts analysis. The seven annexures contain additional and complimentary data. The Authors acknowledge the help and cooperation received from resource persons of the DWRP trainings, workshops and modules, the faculty and staff of NAARM, and also the coordinators and staff from those organizations, wherever the off campus programmes are conducted. We hope that the book will be instrumental in creating awareness among the large number of scientists about strategic thinking in writing the research proposals.