2.1 The idea
Having a strategic sense of the bigger picture for research at the national, state, and institutional level (and, hopefully, where you fit in it), it is now time to develop a project idea or concept. As a researcher, you will have been developing project ideas for some time, but it is worth reiterating some of the basic points.
First, your idea should be new and exciting, as much to stimulate your own curiosity and interest as to engage other members of your prospective team and gain essential funding support. However, the idea also needs to be realistic. As we know with cancer research, there are many teams of researchers working on many projects over a long time-span trying to find a 'cure'. It is not realistic to think you will solve that problem in one 3-year project. It is part of the scoping exercise to find the appropriate balance.
One thing to do is to put down all of your ideas as a starting point and then edit them down to something reasonable, that is within your capabilities and capacity, always bearing in mind that you are aiming for research quality not quantity.
Second, once you have the genesis of your idea sketched out, you need to step back and, being as frank and honest as possible with yourself, determine if it is actually any good. A successful research leader will be confident in their abilities and objective about what they are producing. This is probably one of the more difficult aspects of conceptualising your project, and something you will struggle with throughout your career.
You then need to attain feedback on your proposal. Again, this will not always be an easy process, as you need to expose yourself to possible harsh criticism. However, you need to be brave and take a risk. Better to get useful feedback at this early stage than to waste a lot of valuable time and effort on a proposal that has no real chance of success. Seek out more experienced researchers who may know you or your work and ask for feedback. Some universities may have a formal mentoring system in place to assist you in this endeavour, although an informal approach will probably be the norm. If you are unsure who to approach, check with your Head of School, mentor, a relevant research centre director, or the academic head of a school or faculty research committee for advice. If you wish to learn more about research mentoring you are encouraged to read Topic 4 of the ‘Settling In’ module.
One of the essential points to consider is that you should not underestimate the time needed to refine an idea. You have to allow yourself time to cogitate on it. This can be difficult, with all the competing pressures on university academics. Unless you are a research-only staff member, you will have teaching responsibilities, and everybody will have some community responsibilities (e.g. meetings, stakeholder events). You also need to have some time for a life outside of research ('work–life balance') or risk early burnout.
Your university may also have other forms of support to ensure your concept is appropriately scoped.
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