This is the most important section of the grant application. Without clear evidence that the research is important, useful and timely, it will not be funded. ‘Why should it be done and why now?’ can be covered in several sections:

• Aims. The ‘big picture’ purpose of your research.

• Background. The background to your research includes
  • the problem that it is addressing – what the problem is (eg health, environment, industrial, economic, social, scientific); why it is a problem (eg lack of treatment, lack of technology, lack of understanding); and who, what and how many it affects
  • the research that is being done to address the problem – current understanding and progress in the field, and how your proposal relates to work in the field
  • references – to demonstrate that you have a good knowledge of the field, citing other work in a standard format.
• Significance. Your description of the significance of the research should
  • relate directly to the problem you have described in ‘Background’
  • describe how your research will address the problem
  • describe the impact of the research in terms of dollar value or the number of people affected, or similar
  • explain why the work should be done now, and not be put off until some later round of funding (eg every year we wait costs this many dollars or that many lives, or risks Australia losing its pre-eminence in the field; we are poised to build on our preliminary work and now have the collaborations to support progress).

If the problem is more abstract or narrowly focused, you can describe the broader application of the outcomes.

The dinner party technique (see Tips and tricks for writing) is useful for this section: pretend you are talking to someone you want to impress at a party. They ask ‘so why is your work important?’ Answer them clearly and enthusiastically.

The reviewers want to know that you have the skills, commitment and resources to do the work. They also want to know why it should be you and not somebody else – do you have a new idea or novel approach? are your team members leaders in the field? do you have a unique collaboration or equipment? The information should include the following:

• Track record. Reviewers want to know whether your track record demonstrates that you can deliver high-quality research. Provide details of similar projects, cited publications, patents, previous grants, and national or international collaborations. They may also want to know about your commercial achievements and understanding, such as industry consulting, industry placements, involvement in previous commercial ventures or licensing of intellectual property.
• Role of personnel. Explain clearly the roles of the key personnel and their contributions to the project.
• Partner organisations. Explain why these partners have been chosen (eg particular experience, skills, knowledge, equipment, intellectual property, pathways to utilisation or commercialisation). Make it clear how the partner organisations and personnel are involved in the proposal. Show that it is a real collaboration (eg student or staff exchanges, shared databases, communication methods, membership of steering committees). Explain how the project is likely to lead to further collaboration.