Module 2

The Scholars’ Room: From Research Proposal Writing to Funding

The Scholars’ Room is a two-day programme on developing stronger research proposals and understanding the funding process. It will guide participants from research-problem identification to proposal architecture, funding alignment, implementation planning, budget development, and the funder’s and reviewer’s perspective.

Meet Your Expert

Dr. Shagufa Kapadia, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Department of Human Development and Family Studies

FNAPsy Fellow of the National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) 2021-22

Faculty of Family and Community Sciences

The M.S. University of Baroda

Shagufa Kapadia is Emeritus Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. Her research focuses on the cultural foundations of human development, with particular interests in adolescence and youth, self and identity, morality, parenting and socialization, and gender. She has published in international handbooks by Oxford, Cambridge and APA and serves on the editorial/review boards of Psychological Studies (Springer) and Culture and Psychology (Sage). Her recent co-edited book, A Handbook of Human Development: Perspectives from India, offers culturally grounded perspectives on human development from the Indian context. She has extensive experience conducting workshops on qualitative research, gender, academic writing, and grant writing. Her honours include the Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (2003–04) and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Faculty Research Award (2006 and 2010).

Workshop Content

• Module / Topic	What Participants Will Learn
  1. Identifying Fundable Research Problems	How to move from a broad research interest to a meaningful and fundable research problem; assess the significance, relevance and feasibility of the problem; and position the research in relation to current societal, academic and policy priorities.
  2. Matching Research Ideas with Funding Opportunities	How to identify and select the right funding agency or scheme for a research idea; understand funding calls, eligibility criteria, thematic priorities, funding limits and timelines; and align the proposed research with the priorities of the funding agency.
  3. Building a Logically Aligned Research Proposal	How to develop a strong research rationale and research gap; formulate research questions and objectives; and ensure alignment between the research problem, objectives, methodology, data, analysis and expected outcomes.
  4. Demonstrating Novelty, Significance & Impact	How to clearly communicate what is new about the proposed research; establish theoretical, empirical, methodological, policy and/or societal contributions; and articulate meaningful outcomes, deliverables and potential impact.
  5. Developing a Realistic Budget & Implementation Plan	How to develop a realistic research budget, justify different expenditure heads and link costs to research activities; develop a practical work plan, milestones and timeline that demonstrate project feasibility.
  6. Understanding the Funder's & Reviewer's Perspective	How funding agencies and reviewers assess proposals; what they look for in significance, originality, relevance, methodology, feasibility, team capability, budget and impact; and how to position a proposal from the reviewer's perspective.
  7. Strengthening the Proposal Before Submission	How to identify and address common weaknesses in otherwise strong proposals; critically review one's own proposal; check alignment with the funding call; refine the argument, methodology, budget and expected outcomes; and improve the proposal before submission.