Full proposals
Only proposals submitted on the current application form will be presented to the HDC sector Panels. Full proposals are invited by Panels following from successful concept notes.
HDC R&D projects are awarded on the basis of information contained in the proposal form. Any subsequent contract will be based on the information in the form. Applications for research funding are treated as confidential documents, and remain so irrespective of the Panels' decisions.
The completed form should not normally exceed seven sides of A4.
Deadlines for submission
Forms must be received by HDC at least 4 weeks before the Panel meeting at which they are intended for submission. Please see Key Dates section for more information.
Notification of outcome
The nominated Project Leader will be notified in writing as the outcome of the Panel's deliberations no later than four weeks after a Panel meeting.
If further information is required in connection with full proposals for research funding, please contact the HDC office on tel: 01732 848 383, fax: 01732 848 498, or email: techadmin@hdc.org.uk.
Guidance notes for completing HDC Full Proposal forms
1. Title of the project
The title should not exceed 20 words, and should give a clear indication of the objectives of the project.
2. Project leader
Give the name and contact details of the person who will be responsible for overall management and management of the project.
3. Project summary
Please summarise, in no more than 150 words, the main aim of the proposed work and benefits to the HDC levy payers. The summary should be written clearly, avoiding complicated scientific terms because it will be published on the HDC website if the proposal is successful.
4. Proposed start date
State when you wish the project to commence. Consideration should be given to seasonality and time scale for the commissioning process. Many HDC contracts aim to start on the 1st of April.
5. Proposed duration of project
Give a figure in years and months. Please allow sufficient time to prepare the Final Report after completion of the experimental work.
6. Key Words
Please insert crop names, trade names and active ingredients, pests, diseases weeds (both Latin and common names) and other important search words.
7. Total funding requested from HDC
Give the total sum requested, this should be the same as the total figure shown in Project Costs (24).
8. Total cost of the project
State the entire cost of the project, including cash and 'in-kind' contributions from other sources.
9. Are the results of this project likely to be suitable for organic production?
Please complete this question answering either yes or no.
10. Collaborators
List any other organisations which will be carrying out work within the project. Only the name of the organisation(s) and the central contact person is required.
11. Priority research target addressed from HDC R&D Strategy
Give the research objective, target or initiative your project addresses from the HDC R&D Strategies document.
12. Background and commercial objectives
The background to the proposal should convey briefly the history and commercial significance of the problem/opportunity that will be investigated (append key references as appropriate). It is helpful if this can be quantified, e.g. number of growers affected, area covered, etc. The background should also refer to commercial experience elsewhere. Do they have the same need, have they found solutions?
The HDC funds work addressing the following commercial objectives:
- improved labour efficiency, practice or technology
- integrated crop protection strategies
- efficient use of water and energy sources
- optimisation of inputs, eg substrates, fertilisers, growing media, etc
- waste management
- product quality, added value, market opportunities (including organic produce)
- product scheduling and robustness for supply chain
13. Benefits to the industry
All proposals should include a cost-benefit analysis and address in particular the potential impact on labour utilisation and cost. Whilst it may be difficult to provide accurate figures for this section, we need to ensure that success can bring a worthwhile pay-off for the industry, using assumptions that are credible to growers. The pay-off from certain projects may not be immediate and an indication of the timescale when benefits can be expected will be helpful. Certain developments will be easy and cheap to implement, whereas others will be more difficult or may involve additional investment by the grower.
14. Related scientific and technical work
Proposers are required to comment on the current state of relevant technical knowledge in the UK and overseas, to give assurance that (a) existing knowledge in the UK or overseas is not already adequate to meet UK growers' needs, and that (b) there exists an adequate basis of scientific understanding to support implementation or further development of the work. Please provide a list of relevant references to support your proposal, if appropriate.
Significant parts of the HDC R&D programme will build on, or be integrated with, strategic research funded by Defra, other government departments or by the EU. The underpinning provided by Government-funded R&D is critical to the long-term success of the HDC programme and proposers should clearly indicate linkages with recent or current DA or EU programmes (using appropriate project numbers if possible).
To avoid duplication of effort, as much information as possible should also be given about any parallel work in progress. Opportunities to integrate HDC-funded R&D with existing projects are welcomed and should be discussed with the HDC Technical Managers.
15. Programme of the work
(i) Overall aim
Briefly and clearly state the overall aim(s) of the project
(ii) Specific objectives
Give, in order of priority, a clear list of realistic, measurable and achievable objectives for the work. Unless otherwise indicated, all the objectives identified in this section should be addressed during the course of the project and will be the basis of the description of the work presented in (iv).
- List the objectives(s) (please number 1, 2, 3 etc.).
- Interdependence of objective(s). To what extent does the success of one objective depend on the successful completion of another? How essential is each objective in achieving of overall aim?
- Estimate the chances of achieving them.
- List any factors, specific to the project, which might delay achieving the objective(s).
(iii) Methods
Include information on all practical aspects of the project e.g. experimental design, site details, choice of materials, methodology etc. and provide an indication of the likely involvement of statistical analysis in formulating conclusions. Include materials, methods and measurement parameters. Give the Latin binomials and verified cultivar names of plants to be used on the work.
(iv) Workplan and approaches to be taken
The detailed description of how the objectives will be achieved should be the largest section of the proposal. Sufficient information to give a clear picture of what the sponsors will be paying for should be provided.
Clearly describe the work programme showing what each contractor will do (if relevant). A diagrammatic presentation, e.g. Gantt or bar chart is helpful. Please cross reference to the numbered objectives.
16. Statistical Consultation
To ensure appropriate statistical advise on the design and interpretation of experiments is made at the beginning of projects Project Leaders are requested to seek the advise of an appropriate biological statistician when drafting a full proposal. Name and contact details of the statistician consulted should be given. Details should also be given on agreed methodology for statistical analysis of experiments.
17. Milestones
Milestones should be defined as key steps in the work towards achieving the objectives of the project; producing an annual report, for example, should not be put forward as a milestone. Based on your programme of work, please list achievement indicators "milestones" with target dates. Each milestone should relate to one scientific objective, (i.e. the milestones for objective 1 should be numbered 1.1, 1.2 etc.). These milestones together with the other details provided in this section, will form the basis of the discussion at the HDC project review meetings and it is important to ensure that plans and targets are clear and realistic. Attach a Gantt chart, or similar, if you wish.
18. Locations and facilities
Identify the main site at which the work will be done, additional research sites, and growers' sites (with address and contact details). Give details of the facilities at the sites relevant to the project.
19. Staff responsibilities
State the names, grade of staff, numbers of the HDC-funded staff-years (to one decimal place) to be spent on the project by individuals at each organisation. If applicable, please show from where staff costs will be met if not funded by the HDC under this project. Provide a brief explanation of each individual's expertise and their role in the project. Include the name of the person within the applicant (lead) organisation who will be responsible for financial management of the project at the lead organisation.
If the proposed work involves pesticide screening please provide evidence of PSD Official Recognition of Efficacy Testing Accreditation (ORETA).
20. Project co-ordinator
Project co-ordinators will be allocated to the project by the relevant HDC Technical Manager to advise on grower relevance, horticultural practice, etc. Normally this is arranged after acceptance by the Panel of the concept note to allow for grower focus in preparation of the full research proposal.
21. Justification of resources requested
Provide brief justification for any major items of spend. Special justification of any high cost staff effort can be included here. Indicate the main components included in "other costs".
NB. Normally HDC does not fund capital equipment. If specialist equipment is essential for a specific project the case will be considered separately.
22. Communication plan
The HDC has a policy to promote two-way communications between growers and researchers for the benefit of the British horticultural industry. Consequently the HDC places great emphasis on the dissemination of results from projects and aims to ensure that the benefits of the project results are passed to the HDC members as rapidly as possible.
Indicate how results will be communicated, a) during the project and, b) after completion:
List routes and timetables for disseminating information from the project to HDC members, e.g. publications, factsheets, grower workshops, conferences, etc.
consultation with the relevant HDC Communications Manager is recommended.
23. Exploitation of results
Summarise the likely deliverables of the project (with estimated timescales) and how growers could use the results from the project. Point out what additional resources may be necessary for growers to use the results, eg:
- extra capital costs
- extra management or labour inputs
- regulatory hurdles, e.g. SOLA application required
- computer hardware and software necessary
- additional research or development
24. Project costs
Please complete the costs table provided. Where there is more than one contractor please complete a separate costs form for each. Costs should be divided in project year.
These costs should be stated to the nearest pound (£). Where an allowance for inflation is included this should be explained and the percentage increase used in the calculation should be stated. The HDC does not usually expect to pay VAT for research and development projects. However, the HDC expects that VAT costs will be incurred where independent consultants are the contractor and in such circumstances, the full cost, including VAT should be stated.
Funds are occasionally allocated for compensation to growers for crop loss due to projects on grower holdings. A maximum figure should be included in the 'other costs' section. It is normally expected that the actual crop losses will be calculated at the year end.
Click here for a copy of HDC Full Proposal Form. |
