Getting Started

The following section provides general guidance on considerations when preparing your proposal as well as information about the review process.  These sections include proposal planning, proposal objectives, improving clinical care, knowing your audience, the proposal review panel, and areas of focus.  

When planning a proposal, remember the basic definition of a proposal: it is an offer or bid to do a certain project for someone. What makes a proposal a proposal is that it asks the audience to approve, fund, or grant permission to do the proposed project.

A proposal should contain information that would enable the reviewers to decide whether to approve the project, to approve or hire you to do the work, or both. To write a successful proposal, put yourself in the place of your audience—the recipient of the proposal—and think about what sorts of information that person would need to feel confident having you do the project.
 

1. Demonstrate how the proposed device/technology will substantially improve the quality of medical treatment through the use of a point-of-care approach.
2. Assess the engineering and manufacturing viability of the proposed device.
3. Assess the commercial viability for the proposed device including market size, competing technologies and any potential barriers to market entry. 

Much of the research or technology that is funded by POC-CENT is not ready for the clinical setting as a product.  It is important that research being conducted is working towards this goal.  The researcher must possess a vision of what the future product will accomplish.  Preliminary ideas of how the product will function and what information the product will offer a clinician is necessary even at the earliest stages for a successful product to be developed.  The POC-CENT review panel will be assessing the potential for the product to improve clinical care at the point-of-care.

Our team’s mission is to improve the care and health of the neuro patient by providing fast and reliable information about the biological events they are experiencing. Our team consists of individuals in the engineering, medical, scientific and commercial communities that are here to support and develop emerging neurotechnology.

This interdisciplinary team has been assembled to ensure that every aspect of technology development is given proper attention. These areas include commercialization, securing intellectual property and improving clinical care through point-of-care technology.

Experts in all areas of neurotechnology development will be reviewing your proposal.  Each reviewer has a different area of expertise.  For a proposal to receive funding it must appeal to each reviewer. A well-balanced proposal that appeals to the whole panel has the best chance to receive funding.        

Most importantly the panel needs to be convinced your research will result in technology that improves clinical care. 

Clinical/POC
POC-CENT was created to improve the lives of neuropatients by improving point-of-care technology. The easiest way to demonstrate a potential products impact is to give quantitative results. During neuro emergencies POC-CENT uses the term "time is brain".  It is the proposal writer's job to assess how their technology may one day save percentages of brain from dying, extend a patient's life, improve quality of life and limit hospital stay.

Commercial
Commercial aspects of the proposal include assessing the market size and need for your technology/product, benchmarking competitive products and assessing the barriers to the market.  POC-CENT will look for the proposal to display awareness of obstacles that the research/technology will face as it is developed into a product.  A strategy to overcome these obstacles will assure the review panel that the researcher has a strong grasp on current research, while keeping in mind the future obstacles and goals of the project.

Technology/Research
An applicant's research design must be deemed feasible by POC-CENT.  Time-phased objectives should be included.  Applicants should exhibit insight on what technology is readily available for research and what technology will have to be developed should be included POC-CENT will look for the proposal to display awareness of obstacles that the research/technology will face as it is developed into a product.  A strategy to overcome these obstacles will assure the review panel that the researcher has a strong grasp on current research, while keeping in mind the future obstacles and goals of the project.