Online-Workshop: Grant Proposal Writing

Successful grant proposal writing is a fundamental basis to fund a career in research. There are plenty of national and international funding programmes with different funding schemes. Each scheme has its individual context and thematic focus, eligibility and funding rules, submission and evaluation process, and evaluation criteria. Thus, the detailed features and aspects of a successful proposal in one funding scheme are naturally differing from those of a successful proposal in another funding scheme. However, the process of how to work out these details is a common denominator to the different funding schemes. It requires skills way beyond the ability to work out a research idea in detail. Therefore, this workshop focuses on

a) how to develop your idea for a project into a sound work programme,
b) how to match it to the requirements of the funding programme and
c) how to facilitate the communication with the reviewer by presenting your
    complex ideas in an easy-to-understand way

To achieve this, we will try out the RaumZeit Toolkit for designing and communicating your research project convincingly by working on your own research project. This may be a new idea for a real grant proposal or your current research project. Besides, you will obtain a lot of background information on different funding programmes, evaluation processes and potential pitfalls.

Dates and Timetable
Workshop times are 9:00 to 12:30 with a coffee break of 15 minutes at around 9:30. The workshop room will open at 8:45.

13.03.2023: SESSION 1
Funding programmes and how to read the documents

• The triangle of projects
• Overview on funding opportunities
• Background information on funding programmes and evaluation processes
• How to read the official documents
• The funding scheme fingerprint

14.03.2023: SESSION 2
Develop your idea into a work plan (3.5 hours)

• Elements of a work plan
• The Disney method
• Developing your idea for a research project into a first work plan
• Visualization of the work plan

20.03.2023: SESSION 3
Communicate your project convincingly (3.5 hours)

• Matching your idea to the funding programme of choice
• Communication with the reviewer
• Objectives and how to get the details to make them SMART
• Innovative aspects

20.03.2023: SESSION 4
Impact and Budget (3.5 hours)

• Where to put which information in the proposal and how to write about it?
• The eagle’s perspective on research projects
• Impact
• Budget calculation
• Coordination of the grant proposal writing process

 Methods and Workshop Language

This is an online workshop including presentations, group work and individual work. Some “homework” will be provided for those, who want to use the time between the sessions to work on their grant proposal. There will be the opportunity to obtain some feedback – either in the group or individually – on the homework.

Technical and other requirements for a successful perticipation

Workshops in a virtual room have their own technical challenges. Please make sure, that you have prepared

• an idea for a research project, for which you have not written a grant proposal yet. If you do not have one you can work on your current research project.
• a computer or laptop with keyboard and one or two monitors (mobile phone is too small)
• a headset.

 Results to take home

At the end of the workshop, the participants will have the following results:

• An overview on funding possibilities and helpful sources of information
• A list of contact points, websites and phone numbers, which provide support and detailed answers to questions
• A set of tools for efficiently developing research ideas into research projects and designing them to a funding program of interest
• Commented examples on proposal building blocks
• Concise building blocks for different parts of a proposal: work plan, Pert-diagram, objective, innovative aspects, impact.

Fees

Further information on the workshop program and our partner institutions

The calculation of the workshop fees for this workshop is analogous to that for a 2-day in-person workshop.