Most funded PhD positions in Europe ask for a research proposal — often 2-5 pages. This is where professors decide whether you can *think* like a researcher, not just study like a student.
1. Title and summary (half page). A clear, specific title plus a 150-word abstract. If the professor can't understand your idea in 60 seconds, it's too vague.
2. Background and literature (1 page). Show you know the field. Cite 8-15 recent papers, identify the gap your work fills. Don't summarize textbooks — engage with current research.
3. Research questions and objectives (half page). 2-4 sharp, answerable questions. "Investigate X" is weak; "Determine how X affects Y under Z conditions" is strong.
4. Methodology (1 page). How will you answer those questions? Name the methods, tools, datasets or experimental setups. This is where most proposals fail — vague methods signal you haven't thought it through.
5. Timeline and expected outcomes (half page). A rough 3-4 year plan and what success looks like: publications, a prototype, a dataset.