Characteristics of an IR proposal

• Clear distinction between routine disease control and systematic study and analysis of issues.
• Indicators to measure outcomes.
• A focus on a limited number of priority areas, rather than focusing on a large number of small isolated issues that are unlikely to have a significant health impact.
• Possibility to extrapolate to other settings and diseases.
• Active link to disease control.
• Partnership and link up with other ministries, departments and agencies.
• Involvement of mentoring and training for younger researchers and involvement of more experienced individuals.
• Involvement of health professionals from the study setting.
• Active dissemination of results at all levels of implementation.

Additional characteristics to consider:

• Each funding agency has its own proposal format and specific requirements.
• Not all agencies will require all components included in this module.
• Some agencies may require a letter of intent (LOI) or a concept note as a preliminary screening step, to ensure your proposal will align with their needs.
• LOIs include the same components as a research proposal, but with less detail.