Discussion Prompt:
A) Write a brief description of your funding organization’s business area, activity, and mission. What kind of organization is it? What is the organization’s mission? (Remember, you can use a real funding organization or a fictional one).
B) What is the problem/opportunity within the funding organization that needs attention? State your proposed research topic in the form of a question. Why does it need to be a question? Because you don’t know the answer yet. That’s why you need to perform the research project. For example: What water runoff control methods can best reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay? This is an open-ended research question that does not assume an answer. An incorrecttopic would be: Agricultural fertilizer runoff reduction is an effective method to reduce pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. This assumes an answer. If the answer is known, why perform research? You may have an answer in mind, but until you conduct your research you do not know whether it is the best answer.
C) What is the importance or significance of the topic?
D) What is the funding organization’s size? Here are some example answers:
E) What potential benefits will the funding organization receive as a result of the research you perform? Here are some example benefits categories: Reduce costs, reduce production time, increase quality, expand consumer base, avoid lawsuits, increase output, increase profits, strengthen worker morale, expand product scope, increase safety, build clientèle, etc.