SciSpace Academy
Tutorial

Research Proposal and Grant Writing with an AI Agent

Dr. Faheem UllahEnglishGrant writing

TL;DR

1-min read

In this tutorial, Dr. Faheem Ullah, Assistant Professor and Cyber Security Program Director at the University of Adelaide, demonstrates how the SciSpace AI Agent can speed up research proposal and grant development. It is aimed at researchers writing their first proposal as well as those refining a grant application, with real examples and live demos throughout.

Key takeaways

  • An AI agent can help identify research gaps worth addressing by surfacing where findings conflict, where groups or settings are under-studied, or where authors call for further work; each gap should then be confirmed by reading the key papers.
  • Methodology can be shaped and justified using evidence from the literature, giving reviewers a clear rationale for the approach you propose.
  • A clear, evidence-based narrative that links the gap in the literature to your aims and expected impact is usually more convincing than broad statements about importance.
  • Live examples show an AI-assisted proposal workflow from first idea to draft, making the process concrete for first-time writers and experienced applicants alike.
  • Reviewers generally look for a significant problem, achievable objectives, a sound method, a capable team and a realistic budget and timeline.
  • Balancing automation with your own expertise keeps the proposal credible: the question, methods and argument must come from you, and every claim and citation needs checking.
Apply it

To apply this, use the SciSpace AI Agent to scan recent studies for gaps in your area, verify them in the original papers, and build your proposal narrative around the strongest one.

How to do it

  1. Scan recent studies for gaps

    Use the SciSpace AI Agent to surface where findings conflict, where groups or settings are under-studied, or where authors call for further work.

  2. Confirm each gap in key papers

    Read the key papers to verify each gap, then build your proposal around the strongest one.

  3. Justify your methodology with evidence

    Shape your methodology using evidence from the literature so reviewers see a clear rationale for your approach.

  4. Draft an evidence-based narrative

    Link the gap in the literature to your aims and expected impact. In research proposal writing with AI, a clear narrative is usually more convincing than broad statements about importance.

  5. Check against reviewer expectations

    Confirm the proposal shows a significant problem, achievable objectives, a sound method, a capable team and a realistic budget and timeline.

  6. Verify every claim and citation

    Keep the question, methods and argument your own, and check every claim and citation before sending the proposal to funders.

Watch the tutorial43 min

Write a Research or Grant Proposal with an AI AgentPlay video: Write a Research or Grant Proposal with an AI Agent

Chapters

  1. Welcome and agenda
  2. What is a research proposal and who needs to write one?
  3. Why a research proposal matters: 4 purposes
  4. 4 questions every research proposal must answer
  5. Why descriptive literature reviews fail: use critical analysis
  6. Grant proposal outline: title, abstract and introduction
  7. How to present the literature review with a comparison table
  8. Research methodology section: use a process flowchart
  9. How to show a research timeline with a Gantt chart
  10. Ethical considerations, resources and references in a proposal
  11. What is a research gap? Types of research gaps explained
  12. How to find research gaps with AI in SciSpace
  13. How to find papers for a literature review with SciSpace
  14. Extract methods and datasets from papers into a table
  15. How to get the PDF of a paywalled paper in SciSpace
  16. Can AI write a literature review draft? SciSpace Deep Research
  17. How to fix and format your reference list with AI
  18. How to generate a research proposal outline with AI
  19. How to get AI feedback on your research proposal before submitting
  20. How to turn a research proposal into a poster with SciSpace
  21. How to find funders for your research proposal with AI
  22. What to watch out for when using AI for grant writing
  23. Research proposal tips: key takeaways

Try this on SciSpace

Frequently asked questions

Can AI write my research proposal for me?

AI can speed up literature searches, suggest structure and produce first drafts, but it should not replace your own thinking. The research question, methods and argument need to come from you, and every claim and citation must be checked. Funders hold applicants responsible for the content, and some ask you to disclose AI use.

How do I find a research gap for a grant proposal?

Review recent studies on your topic and compare their questions, methods, populations and limitations. Gaps often appear where findings conflict, where certain groups or settings are under-studied, or where authors explicitly call for further work. AI tools can surface these patterns quickly, but confirm each gap by reading the key papers yourself.

What makes a grant proposal fundable?

Reviewers generally look for a significant problem, clear and achievable objectives, a sound methodology, a capable team and a realistic budget and timeline. A narrative that links the gap in the literature to your aims and expected impact is usually more convincing than broad statements about importance.

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