Advice on Application writing

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:

• Use funding databases such as Call Calendar,  Research Professional and EU funding apps.
• Ask people in your network how they have obtained funding.
• Explore list of funding granted at SDU by year.
• Check out the ‘Acknowledgements’ section of publications within your research field.
• 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!

For some calls, such as the EU Global Challenges, you will need to identify consortia partners. This pertains regardless of whether you wish to lead a project or become partner of one. We are happy to help you find partners just as you can attend brokerage events specifically designed for the purpose.

 

Find EU partners

Before writing your research proposal, consider participating in one of SDU's grant writing courses. These courses will help you adress the most common dos-and-don'ts when writing research proposals and help you target the specific calls you are applying for.

--> Master classes and courses from SDU: https://www.sdu.dk/en/uddannelse/kandidat

You should always follow the Faculty of Health’s guidelines for budget approval. If the budget exceeds 8 mio. DKK you need approval from FSØ. If the funds applied for are less than 8 mio. DKK you only need budget-approval from your host institution.

Budget approval for Health (SUND)

You should always start drafting your project proposal early enough to allow for others to read it before submission.

Successful proposals typically go through several drafts, so start making a draft as soon as possible once you have found a suitable call!

You can get feedback on your application in several ways:

• Non-expert academics
• Peer Review
• Research Support
  

When drafting your application, you should always make sure that your project intends to solve a problem that the funding body cares about.
This may equally well be a practical and/or technological problem (“How to optimize treatment of X by inventing device Y?”) as a purely scientific, basic-research problem (“What are the causal mechanisms between X and Y?”)

Knowing what issues your funder cares about will allow you to frame your initial project idea to fit their specific concerns. If reusing material from previous applications, it is imperative to revise it so its responds to the priorities and criteria of the funding body. Never use an identical application for two different calls!

As a general rule, you should always write for your reader. Avoid presupposing specialist, theoretical insight, using technical jargon or introducing unexplained abbreviations! 

Typically, the review board will not be experts in your field but generalists reviewing a lot of different applications.

Write in an argumentative style aimed at convincing the review board that the solution to the problem you propose it both novel and feasible and that it responds to their specific concerns.

In general, for an application to have a chance at success, it is crucial that it clearly demonstrates how you intend to solve a highly specific problem that has not yet been solved, how you are going to do it and what the perspectives are of doing so. There should be no doubt as to who is going to do what, how and why.

 

-->CV guide for SUND researchers: https://sdunet.dk/en/enheder/fakulteter/sundhedsvidenskab/forskning/syddanskforskerstoette/ansoegningen/guide-til-cv

The length of a research proposal varies greatly from one call to another. Generally, however, a proposal should contain the following:
1. Purpose
2. Background
3. Objectives
4. Research plan
5. Perspectives
6. Ethics
7. Schedule
8. Dissemination
9. References
10. Budget

Note as well that the exact ordering may vary for different calls. Moreover, for consortia grants it is imperative to include sections describing partners and their role in the project!