Fields 8-11: Project Narrative, Bibliography, Facilities, & Equipment

Cover page 

Provide company-specific and project information, including company name and address, PI, project title, topic number, and subtopic letter. 

Please note, the cover page, or the first page of the documents, does not need to be a single page with no text other than the above information, but rather applicants can begin their narrative on this page.   However, it must include the information listed above.  

Proprietary Data Legend 

Proprietary Application Information – Trade Secrets, Commercial or Financial Information if applicable.  If application includes any of this data, you must include the Notice of Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data on the first page of your project narrative in accordance with guidance under Part VIII, D., Proprietary Application Information of the current FOA. 

Include on Cover page if applicable 

Identification and Significance of the Problem or Opportunity, and Technical Approach 

• Define the specific technical problem or opportunity addressed by your application.   
• Provide sufficient background so that the importance of the problem/opportunity is clear.   
• Indicate the overall technical approach and the part that the proposed research plays in providing needed results. 

Recommended approximately 4 ½ pages 

Anticipated Public Benefits 

• Discuss the anticipated technical, economic, social, and other benefits to the public as a whole if the project is successful and carried over into Phases II and III.   
• Identify specific groups in the commercial sector as well as the Federal gov’t that would benefit from the projected results.  
• Describe the resultant product or process, the likelihood that it could lead to a marketable product and the significance of the market. 

Recommended approximately ½ - ¾ page  

Technical Objectives 

State the specific technical objectives for the Phase I research and development. 

 5-6 objectives 

Work Plan 

• This section should be a substantial part of the narrative.   
• Provide an explicit, detailed description of the Phase I research approach and work to be performed.  
• Indicate what will be done, the qualifications of the team (including PI, key personnel, subcontractors and consultants) to execute the project, as well as where and how the research/work will be carried out.   
• The work plan should demonstrate the applicant’s capability for performing the research.  

 Recommended approximately 5 pages 

Performance Schedule 

• The Phase I budget period may be less than but no longer than 12 months.   
• Briefly describe the important milestones to be achieved and the estimated amount of time for completing each task in the Work Plan.   
• Please note that Phase II applications are due approximately 9.5 months after the project start date.  Critical milestones that will be important to include in your Phase II application should be completed in the first 9 months of the project. 
• You may wish to provide the timeline as a graphic rather than in narrative form so that reviewers can easily the flow and progression of the proposed research.   

Research Institution 

• If the grant application contains a formal collaboration with a Research Institution (RI) (required for STTR, optional for SBIR) identify the name and address of the institution, the name, phone number, and email address of the certifying official from the RI, and the total dollar amount of the subcontract.   
• Describe the work to be done by the RI in detail in the Work Plan section.   
• Provide a detailed cost estimate including costs for labor, equipment, and materials, if any, as well as a specific statement certifying that they have agreed to serve in the manner and to the extent described in the RI section of the Work Plan.  

Other Consultants and Subcontractors 

• If consultants and/or subcontractors are to be used, this section of the application must identify them by name, whether they are to function as a consultant or a subcontractor.   
• Letters of commitment must be provided from each consultant or subcontractor.  For details of the contents of those letters see Letters of Commitment in this guide.    
• The work to be completed by the consultant and/or subcontractor must be detailed in the Work Plan section of the application.  

Bibliography and References 

• Provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project Narrative.   
• Each reference must include the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article and the journal title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publications.  Only include bibliographic citations.   
• Follow the guidance provided by EERE when citing source materials relied upon in any section of the application.  
• The list of references should be related to the problem and demonstrate the innovativeness of your project.   
• The bibliography does count toward the page limit. 

 Not more than 1 page 

Facilities/Other Resources/Equipment 

• Describe the available equipment and physical facilities necessary to carry out the Phase I effort/research.   
• Use this section to demonstrate that you understand what resources/facilities are needed for the research and that you either have the resources or have secured access to them.   
• If you intend to purchase equipment with grant funding, please note that this equipment must be described and justified in this section.  Equipment is defined as an article of tangible, nonexpendable, personal property, including exempt property, charged directly to the grant, having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 per unit or more.      
• For more information regarding the restrictions and requirements for facilities, resources, and equipment, including contributions made by research institutes, subcontractors, and other partners, please see the section on facilities, other resources, & equipment.