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Preliminary Studies and Relevant Experience

See sample: Preliminary Studies and Relevant Experience. (Adobe Acrobat File help)

• The goal of this section is to demonstrate the experience and competence of the staff to perform the tasks of the proposed project. Use this section to show reviewers that, based on your past successes with similar research, the project team is 100 percent capable of carrying out this work. You may not leave this section blank, so even if you have limited experience, be creative! Complement your experience with teaming arrangements or use consultants to enhance your expertise in certain areas.




Try your hardest to collect pilot data, even if your N is small.

• Often, the feasibility of your proposed study is demonstrated through the report of pilot data, which shows that it is possible to recruit study participants and carry out a study such as the one you are proposing. Try your hardest to collect pilot data, even if your N is small. Remember, reviewers tend to give significant weight to pilot study data, even when the pilot study is small in scale. Spending some time to conduct a small pilot study before you turn in your proposal will increase your chances of getting funded, and THAT will pay off in the long run. Relevant experience or preliminary studies conducted by your institution, department, or center in the specific research areas you are applying for can also be mentioned here.



• Look at sources of pilot data within your university or company, as well as from outside sources. If no pilot data are available, specifically mention any data you may have from similar projects that support any of the ideas or hypotheses of the proposed study.



• Complete references to appropriate publications, manuscripts submitted for review, or manuscripts accepted for publication may be listed in this section. Relevant manuscripts of your own work may be included in an appendix.



List any preliminary studies or relevant experience for this proposal.

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