Proposal Development Workshop Landscape Analysis

Landscape AnalysisProposal Development Workshop

Keith AspinallJamie Burns

Competitive intelligence overview

Analyzing the research landscape

Practice

Questions

Agenda

What is competitive intelligence?

Competitive Intelligence is the ethical collection and analysis of information to inform decision making.

● Strategic

● Unbiased

● Measurable

● Actionable

● Repeatable

Funding Opps

Expertise

Research Fields

Assets

Sponsors

What products are available to you?

Capacity Analysis

Funding Landscape Competitive LandscapeExternal ProfileSponsor AnalysisProgram Analysis Literature/Research Review

Sponsors Competitors

ASUASU

How can you do CI on your own?

CI Process

Planning Collection Analysis Transformation Dissemination

CI Process - Planning

Determine motivation

Create a checklist

Define the key question(s)

Understand the audience (sponsor)

Manage expectations

CI Process – Collection

Understand limitations

Human intelligence is valuable!

Beware of bias.

Engage primary and secondary

sources

What information is needed?

Know when to

STOPHave basic

understanding of topic

Keep in mind key question

CI Process – AnalysisConsider key questions as you examine information

Remain objective

What methodologies or other tools will help make sense of the data?

Identify patterns or themes

What are the gaps?

Iterative process with collection

CI Process – Transformation

Taking information and turning it into actionable

intelligence/key findings

How does this effect your story for your

sponsor

What are patterns, networks, and connections

relevant to your work

Why is this useful? What is the value of competitive intelligence?

Competitive Intelligence Value

CI is valuable when it informs decision making

Identifies opportunities and weaknesses

Improves short- and long- term planning

Can help avoid surprises and reduce risks

QUESTIONS?

Analyzing the research landscape

Key Takeaways

● How to give your proposal a competitive edge

● How to learn about your competition

● How to align your proposal to fit sponsor and program goals

Understanding what the sponsor has

awarded in the past or wants to fund

in the future can give your proposal

a competitive edge

Five Steps to Grow Competitiveness

Step 1: Understand the sponsor and the program

Step 2: Read the solicitation

Step 3: Watch program webinars

Step 4: Analyze previous awardees

Step 5: Talk to faculty who have submitted before

How can I know what a sponsor wants?


Understanding the Sponsor and Program

Sponsors have specific aims and objectives. A competitive proposal will highlight how your research helps the sponsor achieve their aims.

● Strategic plans● Budgets● Press/Media

Strategic Plan Example

Budget Example

Press/Media Example

Where can I get information about a program?



● Program pages

● Talk to a program manager!

News

rogram Managers


Awards

Synopsis

Webinars

● Program pages

● Talk to a program manager!

READ THE SOLICITATION

Step 2

How can I get information beyond the solicitation?

Step 3: Watch program webinars - Q&A section is most important

Watch program webinars

● Programs often have webinars available.

● Pay special attention to the Q&A portion!

KE TRIPS Programfunding.asu.edu

https://funding.asu.edu/

But I still have questions…


Analyze Previous Awardees – Gather Data● NSF

● NIH

● DOE

● NEH

● NEA

● USAID

● DOD – No database, search for program and find press releases about awardees.

● NASA – Database isn’t the best. Search by directorate and use program pages. Program pages have a history of funding at the bottom.

● DoEd – Search by program. Each program typically has a link to its current awardees at the bottom of the program page.

● Philanthropic – Varies by foundation.

https://www.nsf.gov/awards/award-search-guide.jsp

https://federalreporter.nih.gov/Home/Help

http://pamspublic.science.energy.gov/

https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/main.aspx

https://www.arts.gov/grants/recent-grants

https://explorer.usaid.gov/data

Analyze Previous Awardees – Gather Data

● What information should be pulled from an awards database?

Year Title Institution PI Award Amount State Partner

InstitutionsExternal Partners Topic

Number of Team

Members

Number of Students

Analyze Previous Awardees – Find Trends

Award Count by Year:

Anticipated v. Actual

● How does that anticipated award count differ from the actual award count? What can you realistically expect?

● What is the average number of awards?

● Is it increasing year to year? Decreasing?

How many awards does this program fund?


Award Size

Allowable v. Actual

● Do they award the max amount? Less? More?

● What should you expect in terms of funding?

● How might the actual funding amount impact your budget?

How much funding might I receive? What is

a realistic budget?


Awardee Analysis

● Are there certain institutions that consistently perform well? What features do these institutions have? Do ASU have similar features?

● Do you have contacts at those institutions? Can you reach out and gather intel?

● How are these institutions able to consistently perform well? How can you mimic their success?

Which institutions have won awards in the

past?


Geographic Analysis

● This is not always relevant! You will often see high concentrations of awards located where large, R1 institutions are.

● Focus on geographic discriminators

● Does ASU’s location offer a geographic discriminator that you can highlight in your proposals?

Where are awardees located?


PI Analysis

● Does the program typically fund full/associate/ assistant professors?

● What experience should a PI have based on the data? How many awards are standard? How many publications?

● What do the awardees CVs look like? How does mine compare?

Who has won in the past?


Topic Analysis

● If yes, which topics?

● Does your proposal align with the favored topics? Does it go beyond what’s been previously funded?

● If your proposal doesn’t align with favored topics, highlight how your idea can advance program goals.

Does the program favor certain topics?


Team Analysis

● What should you consider when forming teams?

● What is the average team size? Are teams interdisciplinary?

● How many team members are internal to the lead institution? How many are external? Who are the external partners? Industry? National labs?

● How are students involved?

What’s the average team size?

What about human intelligence?


Talk to faculty who have submitted before

Questions to ask might include:● Do you have any advice for me as I apply to this program?

● Can you share the feedback you got from your review?

● If you were to apply again, what would you do the same?

● What would you change?

https://analytics.research.asu.edu/

For Limited Submissions:

https://asu.infoready4.com/

[email protected]

https://analytics.research.asu.edu/

https://asu.infoready4.com/

mailto:[email protected]

Five Steps to Grow Competitiveness


Step 2: Read the solicitation

Step 3: Watch program webinars - Q&A section is most important


Award count, Award size, Awardee institutions, Geographic discriminators, PI History, Topics, and Teaming


QUESTIONS?

Let’s give it a try NSF | DOD | NEH

NSF Geoinformaticshttps://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503447&org=GEO&from=home



Number of Team

Members

Number of Students

https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503447&org=GEO&from=home

DOD MURIhttps://www.cto.mil/2020-muri/



Number of Team

Members

Number of Students

https://www.cto.mil/2020-muri/

NEH IADTHhttps://www.neh.gov/grants/odh/institutes-advanced-topics-in-the-digital-humanities



Number of Team

Members

Number of Students

https://www.neh.gov/grants/odh/institutes-advanced-topics-in-the-digital-humanities

QUESTIONS?

Understanding what a sponsor has awarded in the past or wants to fund in the future can give your proposal a competitive edge

[email protected]@asu.edu



Proposal Development Workshop Landscape Analysis

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