Requirements for Admissions Research Proposal

Information Systems Engineering and Management, D.Eng.

Your research proposal should address an important and complex problem. It should be engaging with a clear presentation of the issues to be addressed, the objectives pursued, the impact of the solution sought on scientific advancement and practical implications.

The Heilmeier Catechism for research evaluation should be used as a guide for creating an impactful research proposal.

1. What are you trying to do? Clearly articulate your objectives.
2. How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
3. What’s new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
4. Who cares?
5. If you’re successful, what difference will it make?
6. What are the risks and the payoffs?
7. How much will it cost?
8. How long will it take?

The admission committee will be specifically looking for answers to the following questions:

• Does the project address an issue of significance?
• Is there a deep scientific premise for the project?
• What industries or organizations will benefit from solving this problem?
• Has the issue been addressed before? You should convince the committee of your knowledge of the literature in this domain and be aware of the limitations of current solutions.
• What is different and novel about the problem and/or the solution?
• What are the significant scientific challenges to overcome?
• How will you address the challenges? Give your thoughts on solution approaches to be researched for the solution.
• Will your solution contribute to new and novel ideas that have scientific merit?
• How impactful are the ideas and the solution to the problem posed?  Identify the relevant socio-economic and environmental impacts of your solution.

Proposal outline

The research proposal should be at most 10 pages and organized as follows:

1. Summary of problem and objectives pursued (1 page max)
   1. Short description of the problem, clearly stating its significance and the objectives pursued.
   2. Summarize the research idea and/or novel solutions to be explored.
   3. Clearly state the impact of your solution if successful.
2. Problem description and significance
   1. Describe the problem in greater detail highlighting its importance and significance.
   2. What are the challenges to be solved?
   3. What is novel in your problem or solution?
   4. Describe the impact of solving the problems.
3. Review of current solutions and limitations
   1. Has this problem been addressed in the literature?
   2. Describe current solutions and limitations.
4. Research strategy
   1. Clearly state the success criteria of the solution sought.
   2. State the main steps of your methodology to solve the problem successfully.
   3. Describe possible solution approaches that will be researched.
   4. State the innovations in your solution.
   5. What is the anticipated length of time required to solve the problem?
   6. What skills and expertise are required to solve the problem?
   7. Do you have all the skills to solve the problem?
   8. What are the possible scientific advancements, or innovations in practice?
5. Describe the impact of solving the problem in terms of socio-economic and environmental significance if applicable.
6. References