Before you apply

When planning to apply for funding, the primary objective is to find a call that suits your project idea. In short, this means finding a funding body that cares about the problem you aim to solve.
To avoid wasting your time writing and submitting a proposal for an ill-fitting call, it is vital that you start by exploring the funding landscape and, once you have done so, carefully reading the calls that you have identified as suitable.

Nobody knows your project idea better than yourself. Thus, you are the best suited for finding the right funding options. By following the four steps listed below, you should be able to find the calls that suit your project the best:

1. Use Research Professional, a database of funding options to which SDU provides access.
2. Ask people in your network how they have obtained funding.
3. Check out the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of publications within your research field.
4. Explore the annual accounts of your own institute, or that of another, to see who has received funding- and from whom.

Once you have an overview of the funding landscape and targeted a number of calls from funding bodies that might suit your project, the real work begins.

First of all, be sure to carefully read the call as well as the assessment criteria related to it! This will allow you to shape your initial idea into a fundable project.

It is vital to avoid wasting time writing proposals that are actually non-competitive. You will be much less likely to spend hours writing non-competitive proposals by closely reading the call in question as well as by exploring the previously funded projects.

At this point, you are advised to ask around to see if anybody you know have received funding through the call in question. Reading a successful proposal may help you better target your own proposal to the call you are considering applying for.

Be aware, however, that each project is specific and that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for a successful proposal!