Assemble a Team

The strength of the research team is one of the most important considerations when writing a proposal. Keep in mind that there should be at least one member of the research team who has demonstrated experience with each aspect of the research plan.

Consider these questions to recruit suitable co-investigators and collaborators:

who will be affected by the outcomes of your research? (e.g. service users, caregivers, health care professionals)
who has knowledge and expertise that would improve the quality of your project? (e.g. an experienced researcher, an expert in the research area)
who could share the workload? (e.g. another researcher in the same field)
who has resources that you could use? (e.g. administrative help)
who has sufficient status / experience to impress potential funders? (e.g. researcher with a track record of securing funding)
who could improve the chances of the results being published? (e.g. researcher with a track record)

Once you have identified prospective team members, you may also want to find out about some of the studies they have been funded for by visiting funded project databases on funding agency websites.

Where to Find Research Collaborators

Many institutions have expert databases that you can use to search out potential collaborators. Below are a few places you can look to find potential research team members.