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Over the years, we’ve worked on a wide range of collaborative projects through our open calls. The most successful ones? They tend to have a few things in common right from the proposal stage. Here are five tips to help your proposal lay the foundation for a smooth, impactful, and genuinely rewarding collaboration.
Image adapted from Unsplash
1. Describe the challenge, not the solution
We love a good challenge. If the technical solution is already fully defined, there’s less room for us to contribute meaningfully. For example, instead of saying “we need a dashboard that does X”, describe the challenge: “we struggle to analyze Y because current tools can’t handle Z.” That kind of framing sparks our curiosity and drives the creative collaboration we love.
2. Dedicate real time to the project
We’re looking for genuine teamwork — whether that’s you, your postdocs, or PhD students. The best projects have collaborators who test the software as it is built. For example: “we tried the new analysis module this week, here’s where it’s slow, and here’s a feature we hadn’t thought of before.” Aligning your proposal with existing commitments makes this kind of feedback loop much easier.
3. Be realistic
Ambition gets projects funded. And we love bold ideas — but bold doesn’t mean bloated. Make sure your proposal has a solid core to build on, and leave room for exploration, iteration — even failure. A focused project with space to explore usually delivers more than an overpacked one that runs out of steam.
4. Build on what you have
We love improving workflows and building better tools — but starting from scratch rarely works in one project. If the data is missing, the workflow doesn’t exist, or the whole thing is still hypothetical, that’s a red flag. Don’t think what might be useful for someone, someday. Instead, think what would help *you, today, *and make your code and data available before submitting the proposal. Even a messy dataset or clunky script gives us a real starting point, so we can hit the ground running.
5. Think beyond the project
A successful project doesn’t stop when the funding ends. Our calls require a sustainability plan — and for good reason. The tools that have the biggest impact are those that become part of daily workflows and get shared, adapted, and improved over time by a community of users. So think about how your software fits into your everyday research, and who else might use or build on it after the project wraps up. Check out the SMP tool to get a jump start.
Ready to collaborate? Check our website for an up-to-date overview of past and open calls, or simply get in touch.*
This blog post represents original content created with AI assistance.
