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Centre for Sustainable Agrifood Systems

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STARTProject Development Toolkit

Workshop tool

Concept note

Use this when you have a project idea or a funding call and need a one-page outline to present to potential partners.

Where it’s used:Step 1: Concept note

How to use it

The concept note is a brief outline of the project that you use to gauge the interest of potential partners and stakeholders. It should be specific enough for partners to understand the project, but not so detailed that it leaves them no room to add their knowledge.

Make it a maximum of one page, with these five sections:

  1. Project title: clear and concise, describing the project in a few words.
    • Don't spend time making it catchy. The title will change over time.
  2. Project objectives: what the project should achieve.
    • This can be based on your own ideas or on the specific funding call.
  3. Background and context: the research problem, why it is important to address and for whom.
  4. Expected outcomes and impact: what the research aims to achieve and how it will contribute to society or the identified stakeholders.
  5. Budget: a very short section on how much money you need to raise.
    • This will change over time, so just propose an estimate.
Concept note: one page, five sectionsA single page divided into five sections: 1 project title, 2 project objectives, 3 background and context, 4 expected outcomes and impact, 5 budget.Concept notemax. 1 page1Project titleClear and concise. It will change.2Project objectivesWhat should the project achieve?3Background and contextThe problem, why it matters and for whom4Expected outcomes and impactHow it contributes to society or stakeholders5BudgetA preliminary estimate
The five sections of a one-page concept note.

Source: START Triple-I project development tool kit, pp. 7–8.