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RFP Services

A Request for Proposals (RFP) is a formal call for researchers to submit project proposals for funding. It outlines eligibility, objectives, funding scope, evaluation criteria, and deadlines. Researchers submit detailed plans, budgets, and expected outcomes, competing for grants to advance knowledge in specific research areas aligned with the funder's priorities.

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Our Approach

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The RFP process is vital to finding suitable research ideas. We have worked across a broad range of disciplines and offer a range of tools to source, review, and select proposals. 
 


We have in-house expertise in strategy, project management, best practices in open science and application-management systems, which we bring together to make sure every RFP is optimised for the project goals.

Hardware Tools

Our RFP Toolkit

Open Calls

Advertise your RFP to a broad audience. This inclusive approach is an industry standard that allows organizations to source a large number of applications quickly.

Staged RFP

Break the RFP process into a series of selection steps. This allows reviewers to handle a large volume of applications while minimizing the burden on applicants.

Partial Lottery

Offset reviewer bias through a partially randomized selection process. This feature encourages bold ideas while reducing the administrative burden on applicants and program staff.

Champions

Select influential scholars in the field to nominate a group of applicants. This can be useful when launching your first RFP in a particular area.

Double Blind Review

Minimize reviewer bias through applications that hide the identity of applicants. Proposals are reviewed entirely on their own merit without reputational interference. This tool can be paired with compliance measures to ensure applicants have sufficient expertise.

Preregistration

Maximise the impact of research projects by promoting transparency from the start. Preregistered projects provide a more rigorous foundation for scientific impact.

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Our Services

Combining decades of experience, we offer a range of services to help organizations run RFPs. The list below provides an overview of the RFP process, and the tasks we frequently carry out for foundations.

Communication:

  • Website

  • RFP Call / Advertising

  • Correspondence Templates (Invitations, etc.)

  • Society Partnerships

 

Submission Portal:

  • Design, Administration, Instruction/Training, Applicant Webinars

  • LOIs, Proposals, Budgets, Deliverables, Team Members, Progress Reports

 

Internal Review and Downselection:

  • Eligibility Screen

  • Initial Compliance Review 

 

External Review Process:

  • Search, Recruitment, Contracts

  • Rubric and Training for Reviewers

  • Review Portal: Design, Assignments, Administration

  • Bounce Memos / Response to Reviews​​​

Decision:

  • Summary of Materials

  • Rubric, Voting, and/or Lottery

  • Final Compliance Review

  • Award Announcements

 

Grant Management:

  • Contracts: Drafting, Negotiation, Execution

  • Preregistration, Licenses, Approvals

  • Payments: Report Contingencies, Disbursements

  • Progress Reports: Review, Approvals

  • Deliverables: Collection and Delivery 

 

Community Management:

  • Convenings

  • Facilitation

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