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PEKTURProgramm ta' Edukazzjoni Kontinwa, Tahrig u Ricerka
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Introduction
The current research priorities section below will assist you in deciding whether your idea falls within the Commission's current priorities. If id does, you should submit a proposal to the Commission as indicated above.
The Commission does not have a specific application form for proposals, but it does require applications to follow a standard format. This applies whether the requests for funding apply to research projects, training courses/ programmes, or bursaries to pursue further studies.
Standard format for making an application
You should provide two unbound copies of the proposal as follows:
· a succinct, but clear,
proposal consisting of a maximum of 1,000 words;
· a summary of the proposal consisting of not more than 300 words;
· a curriculum vitae (C.V.) for the project proposer, and collaborator(s),
if known.
Any proposal not submitted in this way may be returned for revision and thus
delayed for consideration by the Committee.
The required structure of proposals is the same whether you are making an
unsolicited proposal or responding to a particular programme of work.
What should the proposal cover?
All proposal should include the following:
1. Title
Give the project a short, explanatory title.
2. Background
2.1 This section should explain the reasons for undertaking the project. You
must place the proposed piece of work in the context of exiting knowledge
and practice, demonstrating a familiarity with the field and the relationship
of your proposal to relevant recent or current work being carried out by others.
2.2 You should also explain the extent to which the new project will relate
to, or build upon, previous work.
(a) Development projects must draw attention both to the innovative nature
of the project and how the experience of this work can be applied more generally.
(b) Research proposals should indicate what gaps in knowledge the proposed
project seeks to fill.
(c) Training courses/ programmes should indicate what gaps in knowledge the
proposed project seeks to fill.
(d) Study bursaries should indicate what gaps in knowledge the proposed project
seeks to fill.
3. Aims
You must state clearly the aims of the proposal.
4. Policy relevance
You must draw out the policy or practice implications of the proposed work.
Be as explicit as possible about the scale and nature of the policy or practice
questions your project will address and also the timeliness of the proposal.
5. Methods
You must state clearly the methods to be adopted and why they are appropriate.
This principle applies to both practice, and research based work. However,
those proposing research projects should include a detailed exposition of
the strengths and weaknesses of the suggested methodology.
6. Timetable
You must provide a schedule setting out the elements of the work to be done.
This should cover what activities will be carried out, when they will occur,
how they relate to other activities and how long they will take. You must
allow time within your schedule to complete the required outputs. The Committee
gives close attention to ensuring that projects are completed on time (elements
of funding may be withheld in the even of delays).
7. Staffing
Those submitting the proposal should include a curriculum vitae (C.V.) detailing
their qualifications, experience and any relevant publications. Similar details
should be included for other key workers, where known.
Active participation of persons with disability, &/or parents of persons
with disability, will be favourably looked upon by the Committee during its
deliberations of each proposal's merits.
8. Dissemination
You should give details of the audiences who are likely to have an interest
in the outcomes of the work, and which aspects of the findings are likely
to be of particular interest to whom.
Research Projects
The Committee expects all projects to produce a report of consisting of a
maximum of 4,000 words written in plain language (Maltese, or English) with
a structure that makes it accessible to a non-specialist, non-academic audience.
Other Projects
Where this is not appropriate, for example, when you are proposing to develop
a training course/ programme, a training pack, or a video, you should give
details of the outputs you expect to produce.
9. Other support
You must include details of any other support which the project may have received
or is seeking. (This may be in the form of other grants or in the provision
of accommodation, office facilities, staff time, equipment, etc.).
10. Budget
A detailed breakdown of the projected costing of the project is essential.
Research Projects ONLY
What are the arrangements for publishing?
The Committee reserves the right to publish summaries of project results in
one of the Commission's publications. All projects are required to submit
a draft for possible publication in this way. Findings may be distributed
widely to those who might be expected to apply the lessons learned to future
policy and practice, as well as to the media.
The Committee itself does not seek to publish reports directly. The majority
of reports arising from projects funded by the Committee may be published
through on of two routes:
· a joint publishing agreement with the Committee;
· through the project's own institution or through a publisher arranged
by the project.
Researchers may also seek to make their work known through articles in learned
journals and in papers delivered at academic conferences. The Committee welcomes
this activity and recognises its value, but does not regard purely academic
outputs as a priority for its funding.
How does the Commission inform policy and practice?
The Committee gives great priority to dissemination of findings and works
in partnership with the projects it supports to ensure that the findings are
of value to policy-makers and practitioners. As an essential part of the publication
process outlined above, the Committee seeks to ensure that findings from projects:
· are made public rapidly, so that they can inform current debate and
practice with the most recent data analysis;
· are presented in a form which can be grasped quickly by influential
people who are normally too busy to read long, technical reports or books,
and
· are written up in a concise form and in plain language (where possible,
publication will be bilingual).
The move to a programme-based approach has been prompted by an awareness that change takes place slowly and the timescale and weight of an individual project may not be sufficient to make an impact on current policies and practice.
General Notes For Applicants
Checklist for a good proposal
1. Is the subject within the Committee's areas of interest?
2. Is the project likely to have outcomes which have implications for policy or practice?
3. Is the subject of sufficient interest and importance to merit a project?
4. Does it build on what is already known about the topic?
5. Is the way in which it is going to be carried out appropriate to the subject and the Committee's interests?
6. Is the way in which it is going to be done feasible and methodologically robust?
7. Have you kept the proposal within the set limits and is it clearly presented?
8. Have you completed a detailed breakdown of the project budget costing?
9. Have you prepared a 300 word summary in the right format?
10. Does your proposal include active participation of persons with disability, &/or parents of persons with disability?
Address your proposal to:
The Chairperson
PEKTUR Selection Board
Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni
b'Dizabilita'
Istituto Vincenzo Bugeja, Centru Hidma Socjali
Sta. Venera HMR 18.