Programme

13:00 .........Questions to Answer Before You Start 13:15 .........What a Grant Application has to Achieve 14:00 .........The Sales Pitch 14:30 .........The Magic Formula 15:00 .........The Recipe 15:30 .........SubProjects....Aims and Objectives....Writing Guidelines....Strategy
16:00 .........Finish

Questions to answer before you start

  1. How many aims or research questions do you have? (The correct answer is 3). For each aim or question:-
    1. State the aim or question
    2. Describe how the research will answer this question or meet this aim.
    3. Say what makes it important to answer this question or meet this aim in the context of your project.1. State the overall aim of your project in terms intelligible to someone outside your research field.
  2. Name the funder and research scheme you are targeting.
  3. What makes the research aim important for the target funding scheme.
  4. Describe the overall research methods.
  5. Impact

    1. Who will benefit most from this research?
    2. How will they benefit?
    3. What will you do to ensure that they benefit?

If you start writing a grant application without answering these questions, you might never finish.

What a Grant Application has to Achieve

Why you need a magic Formula

Andrew Derrington

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A good case for support is designed for the decision process

  1. What do funders want to know?
  2. How do funders make decisions

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Funders' questions

  1. IS THE PROJECT IMPORTANT (to Them)?

    • Direct Outcomes (discoveries)
    • Indirect Outcomes (training, career development, mobility...)
  2. WILL THE PROJECT BE SUCCESSFUL?

    • Will it produce the direct outcomes?
      • Will they be put to use?
    • Will it produce the indirect outcomes?
  3. ARE THE APPLICANTS COMPETENT?

    • Can they do the research?
    • Can their institution support it?
  4. WOULD A GRANT BE VALUE for MONEY?

    • Are the resources requested Necessary, Sufficient, and Proportionate

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Answers to Funders' Questions

  • IMPORTANCE (evidence)

    • Evidence about direct outcomes in literature review
    • Evidence about indirect outcomes in details of project, institutions, & investigators
  • SUCCESS (project details)

    • Research activities in relation to outcomes?
    • Impact and dissemination plans..
  • COMPETENCE (evidence)

    • Evidence that the team has the necessary skills in publications (quality and authorship).
    • Evidence that PI and institution can deliver the project in track record & facilites.
  • VALUE for MONEY (project details)

    • Mention how grant resources will be used in the project.
    • Mention institutional resources needed for the project.

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Which question do you start with?

  • IMPORTANCE?

    • Pick an important question

      • Start the literature review

      • ......

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That’s how you write a zombie grant...

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If the description of the research is less than 50% of the case for support it is probably a 'zombie'.

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Always start with the competence question

  • Design a project that you can deliver

    • Do you have appropriate quality publications
    • Do they demonstrate all relevant Skills?
  • Don’t make the project much bigger than your past funded projects.

    • Big projects go to those who have too many little projects
    • Think about a cost ladder
      • £10K/£30K/£100K /£300K/ £1M /£3M/ £10M
    • Don’t try to jump to the top of the ladder

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The Decision

  • Who decides?

  • Committee of successful researchers
    • Very busy people
    • Very successful
      • Have their own grants
      • And research groups
      • And jobs
    • Not knowledgeable about your particular research area.
  • May have ’user’ representation

  • Supported by secretariat

The Decision: what information do they have?

  • Applications

    • Usually a set of 50-100 per meeting.
    • Arrive 3-6 weeks before meeting.
    • Everybody delays reading them as long as possible.
  • Expert referees’ reports

    • Written reports with evaluation and score.
    • Usually 2-5 per application
    • Usually arrive before the meeting but often after the applications
    • Often conflicting
  • Designated members’ reports

    • Oral report by 2 or 3 members who have read the application.
    • Usually lasts < 5 minutes

The Decision: what is the process?

  • Designated members report on the proposal

    • Usually less than 5 minutes
    • Who, what, why, how, outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, summary of referees, how important and exciting, suggested score
    • One person may have to do this for 10 or more grants in a day.
    • Probably based on 30-60 minutes preparation.
  • Discussion by all members of the committee.

    • Even though some of them may be reading it for the first time during the discussion.
      • They will probably have read the summary beforehand.
  • All members in the discussion can influence the score.

    • No matter how little they know.
    • And how little time they have spent reading your proposal.

Implications of the decision process?

  • Referees will analyse your grant in detail but:-

    • Most of the committee won’t read it.
    • The ones who do read it won’t know the field.
    • There will be about 100 other applications.
    • This imposes requirements on the case for support.
  • It must be a very good sales pitch

    • Easy to analyse at a deep level (Referee).
    • Know what’s in it by skimming it (Committee Member).
    • Learn the subject by reading it (Committee Member).
    • Memorable and Distinctive (Designated Member).
  • These properties need a magic formula

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Case for Support as Sales Pitch

  • Introduction
    • Tell them the Outcome & how important it is.
    • Tell them everything that is to come
  • Background/Literature review
    • Explains how 3 research outcomes are really important.
  • Description of Project/Methods/Research Plan
  • Form-Only funders (NIHR)
    • Case for support consists of answers to questions.
    • Make sure Background/Motivation answer maps onto Research Plan answer.

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The Magic Formula

10 Key statements

10 statements define a case for support

  • KS1 States the overall aim, the specific approach & an example of success with that approach
  • KS2 Says what makes the overall aim important
  • KS3,4&5 Say that we need the sub-project outcomes (AIMS) & why.
  • KS6 Introduces the project
  • KS7,8&9 Summarise the research activities in the sub-projects (OBJECTIVES) and their outcomes.
  • KS10 Says what will happen when research is done (Impact?)
  • Use the key statements as the summary.
  • Re-use the key statements to introduce the case for support
  • Use a key statement to begin each subsection
  • Then follow it with the detail
    • that convinces the referee

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Use Layout to Communicate with Skimmers and Speed-Readers

  • Message on first line of paragraph (ASSERT then JUSTIFY)
    • First sentence of para ASSERTS (topic sentence)
    • Remainder of para JUSTIFIES
      • This is where you cite literature
      • This is how you avoid citing too much literature.
  • White space above each paragraph
  • Readers’ eye movements land on blank lines.
    • Speed-readers will read first line of every paragraph.
    • Browsers will only read first lines.
    • Detail readers will know what to expect in each para

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Teach Terminology with Tag Phrases

KeySentences 3,4 & 5

  • ’We need to know’ + tag phrase because....

  • We need to know the relationship between the performance of single neurons and the performance of the whole visual system in order to establish the likely contribution of single neurons to perception. . . .

KeySentences 7,8 & 9

  • ’We will do this sub-project in order to discover’ + tag phrase

  • We will record single neurons during perceptual tasks and calculate sensitivity functions for neural responses and for task performance in order to characterise the relationship between the performance of single neurons and the performance of the whole visual system.

  • Tag phrases provide meaning - link between aims and objectives
  • Use them in headings (make them short enough)

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Re-cycle Text From Case for Support

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  • Repeat key sentences and tag phrases
    • to provide common structure, and
    • to link
  • Maintain structure and order

Key Statements

  • Outcome
  • Institution’s Strengths
  • Fellow’s Strengths
  • Importance of Project
  • 3 Research Aims and why we need them 'We need to know"
  • Project summary
  • 3 Research Objectives to deliver Aims "This will tell us"
  • Dissemination / Impact
  • Developmental Programme (How many parts?)
  • Developmental value of Project
  • Start every section with a key statement that summarises it
  • They introduce the detail
    • that convinces the referee /detail reader
  • Re-use them in the summary

Resources

What's been funded?

Advice on writing:- www.parkerderrington.com/blog

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The Recipe

Sentences 7, 8 & 9 and 3, 4 & 5

The Sales pitch:- We need to know” & “This will tell us”

  • Sentences 7, 8 & 9: "This will tell us" (One per Subproject)
    • Summarise the research activities and state the outcome of a sub-project.
    • "We will do X and this will tell us Y"
    • Structures the Research Plan/Methodology. Introduces a subsection.
    • States an OBJECTIVE (and the aim it will deliver).
  • Sentences 3, 4 & 5: ’We need to know’ (One per subproject)
    • Say why we need the outcome of the sub-project.
    • "We need to know Y because Z"
    • Structures the Background: Introduces a subsection
    • States an AIM
    • Can be paraphrased as a Research Question
  • Rookie mistakes
    • Failing to mention research activities in 7, 8 & 9
    • Describing the research activities instead of outcomes in 3, 4 & 5
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Sentences 6 & 10

Sentence 6 (Project Intro)

  • Sentence 6 introduces the introductory part of the description of the project.

    • Summarise the distinctive aspects of the project in fewer than 40 words.

Sentence 10 (Project Outtro)

  • Sentence 10 introduces your discussion of what will happen after the research is complete

  • It will depend to a certain extent on whether the importance is academic or practical or both.

    • State in about 40 words what you will do to maximise the benefit from the project.

Sentence 1 & 2

The Elevator Pitch

  1. Sentence 1 should have 3 parts:-

    1. What the project will achieve, in terms meaningful to the whole committee.
    2. The general research approach, to suggest you will be successful.
    3. An example of your achievements using that approach, to show you are competent.
  1. Sentence 2 says what it is that makes the outcome important. For example....

    1. Quantify the real-world problem it will help to solve.
    2. Say what it will allow us to do that we can't do now.
    3. Prepare to say which named priorities of your funder it contributes to, and how?

Build the Structure with Key Sentences

Standard Structure: Key sentences as Introduction and Skeleton

Alternative Structure for BBSRC

EPSRC Structure

Standard Structure

Key Sentences form the Intro and the Skeleton

  1. Introduction - Key Sentences 1-10

  2. Background - 5 subsections - sells the project outcomes.

    • KS1 State the overall outcome (GENERAL AIM). Then add the detail

    • KS2 Say what makes the outcome important. Then justify in detail.

    • KS3,4,5 Say why we need each research outcome (AIMS) & add detail after each

  3. Methods. Describes the Project

    • KS6 Summarise the project. Then add detail.

    • KS7,8,9 Summarise each sub-project (OBJECTIVE) & the AIM it achieves. Add detail after each.

    • KS10 Say what happens after the project (impact?). Then add detail.

Alternative Structure

Aim and Objectives introduce the Programme (BBSRC)

  1. Introduction to Background - Key Sentences 1-5

  2. Background - 5 subsections - sells the project outcomes.

    • KS1 State the overall outcome (GENERAL AIM). Then add the detail

    • KS2 Say what makes the outcome important. Then justify in detail.

    • KS3,4,5 Say why we need each research outcome (AIMS) & add detail after each

  3. Programme and Methodology Describes the Project.

    • BBSRC requires AIM & OBJECTIVES. Use KS1 & 6-10; then introduce project.

    • KS7,8,9 Summarise each sub-project (OBJECTIVE) & the AIM it achieves. Add detail after each.

    • KS10 Say what happens after the project (impact?). Then add detail.

Subprojects

What is a sub-project?

  • You break your project into components (subprojects) to make it easier to explain.
    • The sub-projects can be sequential
    • Or parallel
    • Or even different analyses of the same data
    • The only requirement is they produce different, important outcomes.
  • Each sub-project should produce an important outcome
    • That way the explainer will give a sales pitch.
    • If they know what makes the outcome important.
  • The perfect number of sub-projects is 3, but 4 is OK.
  • Don't create dependencies on uncertain outcomes (hostages)

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Aims & Objectives

  • Nobody is sure what Aims & Objectives mean, so you can hijack them to reiterate the sales pitch.
  • Background/Literature review

    • Explains how 3 research outcomes are really important.
    • Make achieving the outcomes the AIMS
  • Description of Project/Methods/Research Plan

    • Describes the research activities in each of 3 sub-projects and makes it clear that they will produce the 3 important outcomes.
    • Make the subprojects the OBJECTIVES.
  • The AIMS and OBJECTIVES deliver the sales pitch.

Strategy

Your strategy must accommodate the likelihood of rejection

  • Most well-written grant applications get rejected.
  • Rejection can be a devastating experience
  • If you need a grant, you should plan to write 5 or 6 based on the same set of ideas
  • Never get down to your last rejection.
  • If you get 6 rejections, it's time to develop a new set of ideas.
  • You need to be able to multiplex grant applications
    • Different Outcomes?
    • Different Datasets?
    • Different Objectives, Same Aims?
  • You need to be able to write well and quickly.

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Should I use a successful application as an example to copy?

  • About 75% of funded applications are very badly written

  • Apply the following test

  • Can you find single-sentence answers to the following questions in 10 minutes:-
  1. What is the overall aim of the project?
  2. What makes the aim important?
  3. What are the overall research methods?
  4. For each aim or research question (there should be 3 or 4):-
    1. What is the aim or question?
    2. How will the research will answer this question or meet this aim.
    3. What makes it important to answer this question or meet this aim in the context of your project.
  • If you can't, it's a bad example to follow.

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Writing Guidelines

  • Should repetitions use the same words or different words?
  • Same words: NO SYNONYMS
  • Punchline at top of para (~6 paras per page)
  • Avoid value claims (state evidence instead)
  • Bullet lists good, lists in sentences bad.
  • No initialisations
    • unless the expansion is in the same paragraph
    • or no expansion is needed

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Nominalisations

  • A nominalisation is a noun phrase constructed from a verb,
  • which can be used with a general purpose verb to create a flabby, pompous, long-winded way of saying something simple.
  • We will investigate X
    • We will carry out an investigation into X
  • We will analyse
    • We will undertake an analysis of