Programme
A Project Sales Pitch....SubProjects....Aims and Objectives......Writing Guidelines.....Elevator Pitch Exercise
What is a Fellowship?
- Personal support for an individual (The Fellow)
- How much?
- For how long?
- To do what?
- Research expenses
- Travel?
- Slush?
- Project Funding
- Equipment?
- Staff?
- Research Costs
Who offers Fellowships and Why?
Who? . . .
- Universities
- Research Institutions
- Funding agencies
- Charities
Why?
- To develop talent
- MSCA, Research Councils, Wellcome Trust
- To attract talent
- Institutions
- To steer talent
- MSCA
- Discipline-hopping
- Industry -> Academia
- To exploit/reward talent
- Superstar Fellowships
What kind of person are they looking for?
- Exceptional research talent
- How can you make your talent exceptional?
- Discuss with your neighbour(s)
- What are you looking for?
- What kind of fellowship might provide it?
What Makes a Good Fellowship Application?
Why you need a magic formula.
Andrew Derrington
A good case for support is designed for the decision process.
Funders' questions
Fellowship Funders are looking for Four Things
- A good PERSON
- Fellows are future research stars.
- Potential
- Achievements
- Creativity
- Which of your achievements make you look like a future star?
- What could you change to make yourself appear more stellar?
- A suitable PROJECT
- As a vehicle for your development
- As a flagship for the funder.
- A suitable PLACE
- Facilities
- Mentors
- Support
- A good PROGRAMME
- New techniques for the fellow (and the host)
- Skills development for the fellow
- Experience
- Connections
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.
Fellowships committees are usually broader than grants committees
Often it’s a 2 stage process
Paper then interview
Project then person
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.
- Even though some of them may be reading it for the first time during the discussion.
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
The Magic Formula
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
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
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 characterise’ + 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)
Re-cycle Text From Case for Support
- Repeat key sentences and tag phrases
- to provide common structure, and
- to link
- Maintain structure and order Back to Programme
Resources
What's been funded?
Advice on writing:- www.parkerderrington.com/blog
Principles of short talks and interviews
Andrew Derrington
General Principles
Decide how big a message your audience will take away.
Decide what is you want that message to be
Learn it
Use a good communication approach to deliver that message
Never never never never never never NEVER EVER
under any circumstances
- Overrun your time limit
Be yourself!
- Or a friendly approachable version of yourself!
What is a Good Communication Approach?
Remember: It’s human-to-human
- Like your audience - it helps with the body language
Look at your audience and expect them to look at you
- Or to shift their gaze and look at what you are looking at
Assert-Explain-Remind
Tell them for what they are going to hear
- Then explain it to them
Then remind them what you told them
Principles applied to Talks
- Message size is 1 short sentence
- Or 3 or 4 short bullets
- Learn the message
- Then make it the first sentence of your talk
- The body of your talk explains the message
- Then you repeat the message
- And thank the audience
- Don’t expect slides or handouts to expand the message
- No slides is fine
- And impresses people
- If the slides are just for you, put them on your phone, laptop or tablet and NOT on the screen
- No slides is fine
Slides, Handouts and Scripts
- Slides
- Only show slides to demonstrate a point -
- Must have very clear explanation of
- What point the slide makes
- What is on the slide - use a pointer
- How it demonstrates the point
- Which point it demonstrates. . . .
- Handouts
- Only if teaching.
- Never to expand the message - write a book!
- Scripts
- Never
Interviews
- It’s like several short talks with the topics chosen by the panel
- Prepare answers for the obvious questions
- If you think time is a problem offer a short answer and then say “would you like me to expand on that?”
- Otherwise tell, explain, remind
- Practise speaking the short answers.
- Look mostly at the questioner but also at the chair and the other members of the panel
Exercise
- Imagine you are in an interview. The first question is "Would you tell us why you have applied for this fellowship?"
- Write an answer in one sentence. . . .
- Compare notes with your neighbour.
Take Home Message
Work out your message - and learn it
Communicate it Human to Human
Don’t exceed your time
Thank you
Marie Curie Criteria
- Excellence 50%
- Quality and credibility of the research/innovation action (level of novelty, appropriate consideration of inter/multidisciplinary and gender aspects)
- Quality and appropriateness of the training and of the two way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host
- Quality of the supervision and of the integration in the team/institution
- Capacity of the researcher to reach or re-enforce a position of professional maturity/independence
- Impact 30%
- Enhancing the potential and future career prospects of the researcher
- Quality of the proposed measures to exploit and disseminate the action results
- Quality of the proposed measures to communicate the action activities to different target audiences
- Implementation: 20%
- Coherence and effectiveness of the Work Plan
- Appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources
- Appropriateness of the management & risk management structures and procedures
- Appropriateness of the institutional environment (infrastructure)
- Discuss with your neighbour the key sentences or headers you would need.
Writing Guidelines
- Should repetitions use the same words or different words?
- Same words: NO SYNONYMS
- Key statement at the start of every section
- Re-use tag phrases across key sentences
- Re-use tag phrases in headlines
- Punchline at top of para (~6 paras per page)
- One verb per sentence (no adverbs)
- Short sentences
- 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
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)
What should the elevator pitch say?
Why is this a good Person?
Why is this a good project?
Direct Outcome?
Training Outcome
Why is this a good place?
Gathering information for the elevator pitch
Ask your neighbour about their project. Try to understand and remember:-
What will their project achieve?
Would that achievement be important? Why - objectively?
- Why would they be a good person to receive a fellowship -
- Get evidence rather than value claims.
How will the project develop their career?
Why would their chosen organisation/lab be the best place to hold the fellowship - objectively?
After 5 minutes, change roles and repeat.
Writing the Elevator Pitch
Imagine that you are trying to persuade a committee to give your neighbour a fellowship.
Write a short statement that will convince them to do so.
You have 5 minutes.
Imagine that you are trying to persuade a committee to give you a fellowship.
Write a short statement that will convince them to do so.
You have 5 minutes.
End
Sales Pitch for a Project
Background/Literature review
- Explains how 3 research outcomes are really important.
- You can call these the "AIMS"
- You can also call them "RESEARCH QUESTIONS"
- And describe them in "We need to Know" Key Statements
- Explains how 3 research outcomes are really important.
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.
- You can call these the "OBJECTIVES"
- And describe them in "This will tell us" Key StatementsS
- Describes the research activities in each of 3 sub-projects and makes it clear that they will produce the 3 important outcomes.
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.
- Use Tag Phrases so Aims match Objectives
- Order them so they match the structure and the wording of the case for support.
- Always try and give both, even if you are only asked for one.