How to write a good proposal – a guide

If you're here, it probably means you have heard of Code for Earth, the innovation action run by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts - supported by Copernicus ECMWF and Destination Earth, and you're now wondering how to submit a proposal to the latest Call for Participation and, most importantly, what is it that makes a good proposal.

If that's why you're here, well, you're in the right place— obviously. In this article, we are going to go through all the tips and tricks that make a good proposal, and whether you're already familiar with Code for Earth or are just learning about it, we are going to give you insights on how to create successful proposals for our programme, directly from our team and from participants of previous Code for Earth editions.

Enough with the chit-chat, let's dive right in!

What is Code for Earth?

A little refresher is due; if you're a seasoned Code for Earth aficionado, you can already scroll down to the tips & tricks section. But if you're new, welcome! Code for Earth is an innovation programme run by the ECMWF. Its aim is to drive innovation and open source developments in the Earth sciences community. Since 2018, each summer, selected developer teams or individuals work together with experienced mentors from ECMWF and partners organisations on innovative projects, related to a broad scope of activities such as data science, weather, atmosphere, climate or other earth sciences, visualisation and more.

All cool but— how does it work?

Step 1 is the Call for Participation: browse through the 19 challenges available for this edition on GitHub, and submit your proposal by the 9th of April (if you want to know if you can participate to the Call for Proposals, check out our FAQs). On the 29th of April, we will announce the selected teams on your favorite socials— make sure to give us a follow on Twitter/X too, and to subscribe to our newsletter to get updates. Then, things start to get real. A four-month long coding phase starts on May the 2nd, and ends on August 31st. During this time, the selected teams or individuals will work with their mentors— experts in earth sciences, or technology areas like AI/ML, cloud computing, or open source software development.

On the 18th of September, the programme comes to a close with The Code for Earth Day— a celebratory completion of the programme where teams will be invited to present their project results.

Onto the good stuff: Tips & Tricks on how to write a good proposal

In your submission, you will propose a technical solution to tackle one of the 19 Code for Earth challenges for this year's edition. There's a number of good practices if you want to submit a good proposal and get the chance to be part of the selected teams that will move on to the coding phase.

A potential winning proposal includes:

• A brief description of the problem to be solved, already indicating how you would tackle the issue/challenge. Make sure you are clear in explaining what problem you're going to tackle and how from the get-go.

• And of course, the proposed solution. Which software are you going to use? Which services, which data? Write it down!

• A timeline. Having a clear vision of your milestones and deliverables will help you and your team – and also, your mentors – understand better if it's feasible or not.

To get more in depth on what makes a good proposal, here's a list of recommendations you can follow if you want to be successful:

• Your proposal should be well-structured and precise. Also, make sure you stick to the challenge's requirements— don't overcomplicate things.

• Your proposal should also be technically feasible in four months' time. You will only have that much time for the coding phase— make sure you have a clear timeline and think ahead of the time you'll need to complete it!

• Innovation is key. A good proposal follows the latest technology trends.

• It should be easy-to-maintain. Include in your proposal a plan for maintenance of the project after the closure of the coding phase.

• Your proposal should also be transferable. Include a plan to transfer your code into the EMCWF system, or to the broader open-source community.

• Last but not least: ask questions! Mentors are there to answer your questions on GitHub. Make sure you take advantage of this opportunity, and tailor your proposal to the feedback received from the mentors.

We sincerely hope this guide has answered all of your questions— or most of them. If you still have questions and want to learn more about Code for Earth and this year's edition, make sure you visit the website and follow our social media channels.