Although no one enjoys writing grant proposals, securing funding is a necessary evil of any scientific career. In today’s climate, the competition is especially fierce. Reviewers must consider hundreds of applications, weighing strengths and weaknesses to reach an overall impact score. To stay in the game, any weakness in your proposal must be eliminated before it reaches a scientific review group. Here are five suggestions that can increase your odds for landing an award.
Clearly state the impact of your research
A grant application in many ways is a sales pitch in which the proposal must be tailored to align with the funder’s goals. Clearly and convincingly state the significance of your research goals as early in the proposal as possible. In drafting the aims and objectives, link back to your hypothesis and concisely reiterate its potential impact. Convey how your project addresses a current gap in knowledge, or enhances current knowledge, in relation to the funding opportunity.
Despite the rampant use of jargon in scientific papers, it’s preferable to use clear, common language in your proposal when feasible. Grant proposals are often peer-reviewed, but not always. The invited review panel must read through numerous applications. Do not expect that because reviewers hold Ph.D.’s they understand all specific terminology or procedures unique to a subdiscipline. Although you need to convey intellectual ability and expertise, keep the reader in mind. When in doubt, spell it out.
Conduct background research
It’s up to you, as an individual scientist, to know your specific field’s directions, knowledge gaps and all current research. You must justify your hypothesis based on current scientific literature, but showing familiarity with unpublished work through personal contacts demonstrates acumen, as well. In assessing the competition, research prior applications from successful grantees. By reviewing these awards, you gain a better understanding of the intellectual merit and novelty of a funded study, the impact of the research, how the hypotheses were supported, qualifications and experience of the investigators and the facilities used for the research. Searching through grant abstracts lets you see if someone was already funded for a similar idea.
Seek feedback from colleagues
If you’ve completed a first draft—congratulations! What matters now is whether a review panel will accurately perceive what you’re attempting to communicate. Early and regular input from colleagues or advisors is essential for this reason. In addition, colleagues may have applied for a similar grant and can offer funding advice or pitfalls to avoid. They also may have a better assessment of the competition in the field; offer ideas for collaboration, if you lack sufficient publications or experience; or provide insight into the level of resources needed to compete.
Revise and rewrite, repeat
Writing a grant proposal is a major undertaking. Editing and rewriting are integral parts of the process. Improving the quality of your writing improves the quality of thought. Allow yourself plenty of time to incorporate colleagues’ suggestions and refine your proposal. After you have a polished draft, always go back and review the application instructions. There are usually highly specific page count, margin and figure requirements. Failure to follow instructions, as well as spelling errors and poor grammar, can be construed as major weaknesses in your proposal. With your committee in mind, it’s also preferable to use a larger font vs. the minimum eight-point type.
Connect with funders
Even if you don’t win an award the first time around, the funding agency contacts you make along the way may prove valuable in the future. In addition to addressing specific application questions, funders can offer insight into how proposals are reviewed and scored. Budgetary requirements for a proposed period of support are especially tricky and worth double-checking with the agency before submission. For instance, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have very strict guidelines about listing support for all existing and pending grants and contracts. It is highly suspicious when an investigator is near or over 100% commitment to existing and pending grants and forgets to list certain funded projects. Although this is less of an issue for new researchers, any possible budgetary overlap must be addressed.
Unfortunately, grant-proposal writing is rarely a standard component of scientific training despite its importance. Highly published academics often struggle miserably with writing proposals, and it’s no wonder, as the writing style is radically different (i.e., direct sentences and fewer technical terms than articles in scientific journals). On the bright side, as you advance in your scientific career and submit more grant proposals, the process becomes slightly less painful. And if you’re lucky enough to win an award, the satisfaction will be immense.