Faculty & Researcher Track: Proposal Guidelines

From Problem Solver to Agenda Setter
Seeking the boldest questions from next-generation researchers

Download Proposal Form Download Applicant Information & Consent Form
Guide

Guidelines

There is no minimum length required, but the proposal must not exceed 1,000 Korean characters including all materials (for Korean, including spaces). If you submit in English, you must also submit a Korean translation and the limit is based on the Korean translation. The proposal must be written directly in the template without any additional attachments.

*Submission: grandquest@snu.ac.kr

Reference Materials

A Guide for Grand Quest Researchers (Download) Grand Quest examples (Download)
※ If you would like guidance on the depth and direction of your question, please refer to the reference materials above.
Part 0

Basic Information

Name Applicant Category Affiliation
Submission Guidelines
  • Submission Number: (To be filled in by the organizers)
  • Applicant Category: ☐ Faculty ☐ Researcher (incl. Postdoc)
  • For team submissions, list the information of all members and place the team leader first.
  • Do not include any identifying information (e.g. name, affiliation, laboratory) in the proposal.
Part 1

Prevailing Assumptions

What prevailing assumptions in the field remain largely unquestioned?

Drafting Guidelines
  • Describe the assumptions in the field that are so widely accepted they are rarely questioned—the kinds of ideas that appear as basic principles, common sense, or textbook knowledge.
  • Focus on how these assumptions have shaped the field: what they have enabled, and what they may have obscured from view.
  • Do not include solutions or research plans.
Part 2

What Prompted This Question

What led you to question this assumption?

Drafting Guidelines
  • Describe the specific experiences or observations that led you to question this assumption. For example:
    • You repeatedly encountered data or phenomena that existing theories could not fully explain.
    • An assumption that once felt self-evident began to seem strange or uncertain.
    • Exposure to perspectives from other fields made you realize that assumptions in your own field may not be universal.
    • Recent social or technological changes have created situations that current paradigms struggle to account for.
    • What the mainstream treats as “noise” or “exceptions” keeps appearing as a recurring pattern.
  • The turning point may not have been a single decisive moment; often it is the accumulation of several experiences over time. Focus on the one that you consider most important.
Part 3

Your Grand Quest

What question would you ask to challenge the assumption identified in Part 1?

Drafting Guidelines
  • Formulate a question that challenges the prevailing assumption and opens up a new direction for thinking.
  • Avoid tying the question to any specific technologies or methodologies – the way forward should remain open.
  • You do not need to know the answer. What matters is the direction the question invites us to explore.
Part 4

The Future Unlocked by this Inquiry

If this question were explored, what might fundamentally change?

Drafting Guidelines
  • Focus on the fundamental changes that could emerge in academic paradigms, industrial structures, or social practices if this question were explored.
  • Rather than simply listing expected outcomes, describe the new areas of research that this question could unlock.
  • Envision what kinds of investigations future researchers might begin by building on this question.
Checklist

Self-Assessment Checklist

Review before submission
(Do not submit this page)

Nature of the Question

  • This proposal presents a ‘question,’ not a research plan.
  • It does not present solutions, technologies, or experimental designs.
  • It identifies and questions the prevailing assumptions in the field.
  • It moves beyond critique and points toward a new direction or conceptual framework.

Qualitative Break

  • The proposal suggests a distinct new path, rather than an incremental improvement to existing roadmap.
  • The question cannot be resolved simply by scaling up resources within the current paradigm.
  • The question is not confined to a particular laboratory or discipline and is open to multidisciplinary approaches.

Relations to Existing Research

  • The proposal is not a simple extension of an ongoing research project.
  • It does not duplicate research currently supported by national R&D projects or other funding institutions.
  • The applicant does not already know the answer.

Blind Review Compliance (Required)

  • The proposal does not include any identifying information, such as the proposer’s name or affiliation.
  • The proposal does not include references that could reveal the proposer’s identity or affiliation.
Agreement

Consent and Agreement

Mandatory agreement required for application

  • Copyright of submitted works remains with the original authors.
  • Submitted works may be used as reference material to develop the SNU Grand Quests.
  • To the extent necessary for achieving the purpose of the Grand Quest Program- including the identification of Grand Quest, promotion, archiving, and publication- submitted works may be reproduced, publicly shared, exhibited, distributed, and adapted (including reorganization).
※ [Note] The proposal must not exceed 1,000 characters. Submissions exceeding this limit may be excluded from review.
※ If the proposal contains identifying information (e.g., name, affiliation), it may be excluded from review.