Research Funding Help: Find NGO's, Gov Programs & More

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the challenges faced by a student attempting to restart an inactive research lab on campus. The student seeks information on potential funding sources, including NGOs, government programs, and partnerships with other schools for various research topics related to renewable energy and technology.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • The student expresses a need for funding to revive a research lab and lists potential research topics that may attract funding.
  • One participant questions the student's approach, emphasizing the importance of having a clear rationale for why funding should be provided.
  • Another participant suggests that the student should determine specific funding needs and project goals to improve chances of securing support.
  • A different participant mentions that fundraising can be inefficient and recommends collaborating with like-minded individuals at the university to work on projects voluntarily.
  • The student clarifies that specific projects exist within the proposed topics and outlines previous budgets for small and large projects, indicating a serious commitment to reviving the lab.
  • The student expresses frustration with the responses received on the forum compared to other platforms and reiterates the request for legitimate funding sources or partnerships.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to securing funding. There are differing opinions on the necessity of a clear funding rationale and the effectiveness of collaboration versus independent fundraising efforts.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the complexities of securing research funding, including the need for clear project definitions and the potential inefficiencies in fundraising efforts. The student’s background in grant writing is noted, but challenges in finding funds remain unresolved.

Who May Find This Useful

Students, researchers, and faculty members interested in research funding opportunities, collaboration in STEM fields, and strategies for reviving inactive research initiatives may find this discussion relevant.

Frostfire
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Wasn't really sure where to put this post,
Here is the short version

I am a student who is trying to restart a research lab on campus that is highly publicized but inactive, much to my dismay as a transfer student. I have discussed it with faculty and admin, however without outside funding, the proverbial snowball has a better chance.
'
I am trying to find NGO's, government programs, schools that need a partner for projects etc.

Here are the topics that I have received approval for, if funding exhists
(other fields may be allowed as well)

Electric vehicles
Vehicle design
Scale models of Energy production for education
Fuel cells,
Biomass
parallel energy production
Automated RC robotics,
Carbon Offsets
general Renewable Energy production research
Arbortoriums,



If anyone has any programs they know about...
 
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Why should anyone fund you? Seriously - if you don't have an answer to that question, you have no chance. You need to think about that. You also need to decide what to do: maybe fuel cells, maybe planting some trees is not a research plan.

You need to work on those two things.
 
You need to start by being able to answer 1) how much money are you going to need 2) what exactly you want the money for.

Also unless you already have experience with grant proposals you will find that fundraising is extremely inefficient, and you are better off trying to get "like minded individuals" to work together on a volunteer basis. If you have a lot of people in your university that are already being funded to do something related to the lab, then you'll find it a *lot* easier (although still far from easy) to arrange journal clubs and joint projects.
 
Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, . Specific projects exhist in all the areas that were mentioned.Each with an extensive project discription. I was only general in an attempt to find out what field might be funded easier. This is the main development lab for the school, it has just been sacrificed do to school cut backs and change in administration and I am trying to revive it. small scale projects have a buget of a few grand, some of the larger research projects in biomass originally had a budget of about 200k.

I already have many inidividuals that want to work, but the school will not allow access unless funding can be procured. I have a background it grant writing but not finding the funds. I have spent many hours looking online and am appling to a few through NSF,

the post was an attempt to provide legitimate sources, not state the obvious, or critique a question.

Considering this forum is made up largely of member of the field, why is it i get more benificial answers from yahoo when I use the same question.

Going by my experience on this site, most will probably not reply however, I would sincerely appreciate any sources that can be provided or any school labs that are have projects and would like a partner, as stated in the first post