PROPOSALS
Having a great idea for a research project is only the first step of the proposal creation process.
There are a number of steps along the way to getting a funding decision:
- understanding the ins and outs of your particular funder;
- identifying your audience(s) and their expectations for your work;
- drafting a proposal that both grabs the reviewer’s attention AND meets the assessment criteria;
- weighing up reviewer comments to craft an applicant response that manages to be polite and factual;
- … and so on.
If you’re looking for a fresh pair of eyes and a little help, Academic Smartcuts offers several levels of support when it comes to developing a grant proposal.
PROPOSAL AUDIT
Proposal audits provide in-depth feedback on a final draft to help applicants strengthen and refine their proposals before submission.Â
While funding can never be guaranteed, Professor Dan Allwood and I check each proposal at several levels:
- Language: Is it clear, concise, and free from typos? Could any phrasing confuse or distract a reviewer?
- Structure: Does the proposal flow logically? Will reviewers be able to follow the argument easily?
- Assessment Criteria: Although we cannot comment on the feasibility of technical content, we will check whether the proposal addresses the assessment criteria and funder’s guidance.
We don’t just flag questions or highlight potential issues; we also suggest possible solutions. All edits are made to the proposal with Track Changes, so applicants can clearly see every suggestion and decide which to accept or adapt.
TRAINING
Courses are available for those interested in exploring the funding process in more depth.
- Proposal Launchpad: Idea Generation for Researchers introduces participants to tools and techniques to help them generate and evaluate their proposal ideas.
- Couch to £500K: Turning an Idea into a Proposal takes a step-by-step approach to help participants learn how to write a competitive grant proposal. Read a case study about how this programme helped one researcher obtain over £3 million in funding.
- Constructive, Honest, and Kind: How to Review is a short course designed to help participants learn to review grant proposals and adopt the mindset of a reviewer when writing their own proposals.
- The Mock Prioritisation Panel puts participants in the shoes of panel members so they can learn what it’s like to serve on a prioritisation panel.
GUIDEBOOKS
Three guidebooks are currently available to introduce aspects of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the proposal creation process.Â
EPSRC Proposal Bundle
Buy all three digital guidebooks to save 20%.
Guidebooks are included in the price of the training courses and as part of the proposal audit; please check whether you already have access.
Are you interested in an audit for non-EPSRC or non-standard mode proposals, or would you like additional information about any of these offerings? Please use the form below to submit your query or arrange a free chat to discuss further.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.