Stage 1: Pre-proposal
A 2 - 4 page pre-proposal is submitted to the SDWA Office for consideration by SDWA Management Board. If accepted, the management board may give approval for the pre-proposal to be developed into a full proposal.

Stage 2: Full proposal
With approval to develop a full proposal, the proponent is also allocated a budget (max €30,000 for Delft Hydraulics staff and S$30,000 for NUS staff) to develop the proposal. These costs form part of the total project sum and will be co-funded by SDWA.

The full proposal must be submitted using the standard SDWA application form. The proposal should contain about 8 - 10 pages detailing the content of the research programme, a detailed budget and funding description, and signatures of the relevant department heads (from both WL and NUS).

After submission, the full proposal will be subject to internal and external (i.e. international experts) review. Review panel will be composed of SDWA International Advisory Panel members and NUS and Delft Hydraulics Scientific Leaders/Discipline Trekkers. Comments of the internal/external reviewers may lead to suggestions for improvements or changes to the research proposal before final approval is given.

Stage 3: Project Execution
All projects will be subject to regular semi-annual review of progress. There will be at least one review per year in the Netherlands and one review per year in Singapore.