Developing a Proposal
& Short Form Proposals
Terry A. RIng
CH EN 4905
The Purpose of a Proposal
• Address a need.
• Offer & define a solution.
• Sell that solution to a client.
• Layout potential benefits
and risks of the work.
• Secure the needed funding,
and/or permission.
Proposal’s Audience
• A government agency.
– NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD…
• A supervisor or another
division within your company.
– Your College, University.
• Another company.
• A philanthropic foundation or organization.
– Gates, Keck, Ford…
Proposal’s Authors
• Universities.
• Industry.
– Large companies.
• Internal proposals.
• External proposals.
– Small companies.
• Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR).
• Government.
– National Labs.
• Some Mixture of Various Organizations.
– Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR).
Proposal Process
• It can include several painful rounds…
• …or it can be quite simple.
Proposal Process in 4905
Short-Form Proposals
• Why do they exist?
• Decision
makers don’t
have a lot
of time.
• Save
you time.
• Weed out
before too much
is invested.
Short-Form Proposal Formats
•
•
•
•
Single page.
1-4 page concept paper.
Single slide.
Pitch.
– Formal.
– Informal.
Concept Paper
Single Page Proposal
Our One-Page Proposal Format
Our One-Page Proposal Format
Vital details:
names, total
costs, title.
Short description of
entire proposed
project.
Short description
of the need.
What your
audience will get
for their support.
Material Costs.
What existing
equipment and space
will you tie up?
Personnel needed & roles.
Freshmen…
Description of
important EHS
concerns
Concept Slide
METHODS AND ENGINEERED MATERIAL FOR NONINVASIVE REAL-TIME MEASUREMENTS OF TEMPERA-TURE DISTRIBUTION ACROSS
CONFINEMENTS DURING THERMOCHEMICAL BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
Mikhail Skliar, University of Utah
ARPA-E funds: $2.80M
Cost share: 5%
Technology Summary
• Use non-invasive ultrasound (US) to measure temperature
distributions across and inside containments of energy
conversion processes characterized by extreme operating
conditions.
• Use US measurements to control operation of biofuel
gasifiers to optimize process efficiency, allow flexibility of
biofuel feedstock, and prolong service life of refractory.
Technology Impact
• Solve one of the top 3 technological needs in the biofuel
gasification industry.
• Improve the economic viability of carbon-neutral fuels
use and increase US energy independence.
Proposed Targets
Metric
Inferred from
Methane ppm
in Syngas
Proposed Technology
Data Provided
•
•
•
•
Accuracy
±300ºC
±5ºC
Time Delay
20-60 min
5 sec
Spatial Resolution
Not Available
Measured in multiple
locations
Temperature
0670-4970
Temperature
Refractory Thickness
Pitting & Slagging
Enables efficient gasification with bio-feedstock flexibility
Improved Laboratory Safety through the Development of
Homo Coprophagus Somnambulus Management Tools
Project Summary:
Funds $125
Freshmen: 4
Author: Anthony Butterfield
Team: The Sweetbreads
• Conduct research on mitigating zombie infestations within
our projects laboratory.
• Develop new analytical equipment and collect database on
zombie properties.
• Develop and validate novel zombie pacification devices.
Project Impact:
• Remedy one of the top 5 causes of death within our
projects laboratory.
• Develop a life and cost-saving zombie database, SOP,
preparedness kit.
• Our students gain marketable undead management skills.
Proposed Targets:
State of the Art
Proposed Technology
Measurable Zombie
Properties
• Velocity
• Flashpoint
• Tensile strength
• Fugacity
Lab deaths attributable
to zombie attack
 14 deaths/yr
< 2 deaths/yr
Lab’s primary zombie
pacification device
Glassware, GC,
safety showers
Baseball bat /
shotgun hybrid
Metric
Prevent Deaths, Equipment Damage, & Litigation Resulting from Zombie Apocalypse
Funds $125
Improved Laboratory Safety through the Development of
Vital Project InfoFreshmen: 5
Descriptive
Project
Title
Homo
Coprophagus
Somnambulus Management Tools
Author: Anthony Butterfield
tony.butterfield@utah.edu
Project Summary:
• Conduct research on mitigating zombie infestations within
our projects laboratory.
• Develop new analytical equipment
anddescription
collect database on
Short
zombie properties.
of entire
proposed project
• Develop and validate novel zombie pacification devices.
Project Impact:
• Remedy one of the top 5 causes of death within our
projects laboratory.
•
•
Short description
Develop a life and cost-saving zombie database, SOP,
of what audience
preparedness kit.
will get for their
Our students gain marketable undead management skills.
support.
Proposed Targets:
Metric
State of the Art
Right half left for
easy-to-digest
visual depiction
of work.
Proposed Technology
Measurable Zombie
Properties
• Velocity
• Flashpoint
• Tensile strength
• Fugacity
Measurable,
Lab deaths attributable
to zombie attack
 14 deaths/yr
Lab’s primary zombie
pacification device
Glassware, GC,
safety showers
< 2 deaths/yr
quantifiable
outcomes.
Baseball bat /
shotgun hybrid
Short central idea
of the work
Prevent Deaths, Equipment Damage, & Litigation Resulting from Zombie Apocalypse
Images
• Panel will have &
use your concept
slide.
• Deliver a great deal
of persuasive
information quickly.
• Convey important
visual info.
– Schematics.
– P&IDs.
– Preliminary &
Projected Data.
– Plots.
• Images also convey
your understanding
& attention to
detail.
Where Do Proposals
Come From?
The first digital image made on a computer in 1957
showed researcher Russell Kirsch's baby son.
Credit: NIST
Before You Start You Need To Know
• What exactly does my target audience say they want?
– What don’t they know they want?
• What is their proposal process & format?
– Pitch? Concept Paper? Full Proposal?...
– Format? Style?
– Rounds? Negotiations?
• What resources are they offering in trade?
– Money, time, personnel, facilities?
– How much?
• In what time frame do they expect results?
Request For Proposals (RFP)
• Informal.
– Chance workplace conversations.
• May start vague but pin down details.
– Meetings.
– Create your own RFP.
• Formal.
– 100 page document from a government agency.
– Our RFP:
Our Request For Proposals
• Education.
– Improve, add to, or expand upon a 1705 project.
– Expand on a 4903 project.
• Research.
– Conduct a manageable portion of a faculty
research project.
• Service.
– Community outreach module.
http://www.che.utah.edu/community_and_outreach/teaching_modules.php
Our Request For Proposals
• Categories:
–
–
–
–
–
Characterization of New Equipment
Addition of New Equipment
Improvement of the Capabilities of Existing Equipment
Research Use of the Projects Laboratory
Industry project…
• Target Benefactors:
–
–
–
–
–
Students in CH EN 1705
Students in CH EN 4903
K-12 Students
Professors & Student Researchers
Outside company
As You Deliberate, Keep in Mind…
1. You’re pitch and proposal should be on
the project you most would like to
execute…
…but you may actually
have to do what
you say you’ll
do...
Pedal operated mower
United States Patent 4455816
As You Deliberate, Keep in Mind…
2. You should ask around to determine what
equipment peers are proposing to use.
– Some major pieces of equipment in the lab can
only accommodate
one team per
semester.
– You have opponents.
– Your second
choice may be
your most
strategic
choice.
As You Deliberate, Keep in Mind…
3. The best proposals are likely to be
funded, but not necessarily.
– A good idea can be poorly proposed.
– Logistics may mean the choice between two
terrific & similar projects.
– Limited resources
may mean a
great proposal
has to wait.
As You Deliberate, Keep in Mind…
4. You will be responsible for “employees.”
– Your proposals must account for about 4 hr of
work from 2 to 4 freshmen in March.
– An exercise in both management and
mentoring.
– Please,
please,
please,
be a good,
supportive, &
nurturing
Mike's Birds
“boss”…
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mother_and_Baby_Ducks_(5828496140).jpg
Possible Project Ideas
Possible Project Examples
• Hot wire anemometer
• Pump apparatus with drag
reducing agents,
(carboxymethylcellulose)
• pH control apparatus
• New reaction for the CSTR
• CH EN 1705
– Heat transfer
– drug delivery module
– biodiesel analysis…
• Outreach module
• Algae oil harvesting methods
• New micro-reactor strategies
– 3-D Printer
– Laser cutter
• Catalysis experiment
• Measure PM 2.5, cheaply.
• Microfluidics
– 3-D Printers
– Laser cutter
• FFF
• Improve the distillation column.
• Feed forward for liquid level
control apparatus.
• New & improved drag-control.
• Ask around.
• Your idea…
Selling Your Idea to This Panel
• Follow the requested format.
– In some cases, 0.05 pt of a font can kill a proposal.
• Show clear and thoughtful consideration of
desires expressed in the RFP.
– Your product will clearly satisfy the expressed need.
– Time, personnel, $, health, safety…
• Show what engineers want to see.
– Preliminary data collection, simulation, and literature
search say a lot about our possible return on
investment.
What Now?
1. Think about it for a while.
2. Research possibilities.
–
–
Talk to me and other professors.
Search online.
3. Strategize and stake a claim with peers.
4. Produce preliminary data.
– Quick experiments.
– Calculations & simulations.
– Data from teams previously on same equipment.
5. Find preliminary estimations of cost.
6. By the Friday January 17:
– One single-page proposal from each of you.
– One concept slide from each of you.