Tips for your application: SMART objectives
In the next issues of the newsletter, the Research Support Office will provide tips for your applications. A general recommendation is to start your application well in advance of the deadline. This ensures the best guidance process – and a higher chance of success.
In a highly competitive funding environment, every detail counts. Your research project must, of course, be relevant to the call, but the clarity and precision of the application are crucial to making it to the top. Evaluators read a large number of applications, and each section of your application must be precise and align with the points raised in the call. In this issue, we discuss SMART objectives.
Think SMART when setting out your objectives in your application
Clear objectives will provide essential direction for your research project and help you plan and communicate about the project. But they also give you and your team the opportunity to regularly evaluate your work. SMART objectives can be highly effective in making the objectives of the research project clear to all participants.
What are SMART objectives?
SMART objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound, and they are a way of setting out the objectives and outcomes to be achieved. The SMART criteria ensure that the objectives are clearly defined, practical and easy to achieve and monitor.
Specific: Describe your objectives in detail. In a proposal, you will have the opportunity to provide specific details about what you plan to achieve and how you intend to achieve your objectives.
Measurable: For each objective, you should specify how you intend to achieve it. You can refer to a baseline against which to track your progress. Specify the measurements you intend to use.
Achievable: Every objective must be feasible and achievable. There may be risks and obstacles to success, but you must convince the evaluator that you can overcome these challenges and achieve what you have set out to do.
Relevant: Your objectives must be consistent with the budget, but must also align with the broader context of your research plans.
Time-sensitive: Provide details of when each objective will be achieved and evaluated.
Next time you write an application, look at your principal research goal and break it down into SMART objectives. This will demonstrate to the evaluators that your project is well-structured, precise and feasible.
Contact the Research Support Office if you need help with your application.