Presently, working in the science sector requires operating in project mode, where grants are awarded in open competitions. To implement original research plans and develop the career in the field of their interest, the scientists have to be experts in acquiring and accounting for research and development funds. Even the best ideas and most talented researchers may have problems with searching, acquiring and accounting for public funds. It requires quite good management skills and understanding how R&D sector operates from financial and operational side.
Sylwia Piskorska – Chief Fundraising Specialist in IDEAS NCBR – describes the most common mistakes and problems, which are met by scientists in grant projects. This text is continuation of our interview (available on our website), in which our expert explained how to successfully acquire research grants.
Mistake 1: trying to kill several birds with one stone
SP: Many scientists, particularly at the beginning of their career, approach the submission of applications in a chaotic manner. Many times I saw them for example trying to submit the same application to different competitions without any reflection. Authors concentrated only on modifying the schedule of implementation, names, or costs category, matching descriptions to the particular sections and after such “renewal” they would send the application again. Please: before you submit the grant application, fill all the tables and descriptions, and complete documents, check if this competition is for you. Verify if subject of the competition or target group fits your project. Check if you meet the formal criteria of the entity for which the grant is provided. And what is most important – please think if the application implements the guidelines for the competition.
Mistake 2: Do it for me
SP: Another bad practice is outsourcing preparation of the grant application concentrated on acquiring financing and not the content of the project. Of course you may approach the matter this way and be almost certain to achieve score of 100%. Unfortunately, afterwards it turns out, that to achieve desired effect (acquiring financing), you have to fulfil demanding indicators and implement incredibly innovative and breakthrough goals. “Application will accept all.” But its implementation may not be so simple. Fulfilling contractual obligations will be connected with disproportionate amount of work, stress and bureaucracy compared to the funds acquired and the actual ability to achieve scientific success.
Mistake 3: Ctrl C + Ctrl V
SP: Copying sentences 1:1 from the competition documentation may seem to be convenient solution. After all, in manuals for applicants you may often find tips on which information should be included in the application. Unfortunately, copying and pasting the tips is only the evidence of lack of appropriate attention to the application and its content. Answers and descriptions in the particular sections of the application should comply with the competition guidelines and explain how and why the proposal of this project fits their mission and guidelines. Manuals usually include suggestions only, not the precise directions what should be written in which point.
Mistake 4: words, terms, definitions
SP: Using complicated terminology and catchy key words is often incomprehensible to the team assessing the project. It is hard to resign from using specialized language, but it should not dominate the description of grant application. Main sections of the application such as aims of the project, expected results or gains of implementation should be written using “popular science” language – understandable for each reader. If we “overload” the assessing team with overly specialist slogans from the very beginning, we may put them off further reading. We may leave the specialized terms for later, e.g. to describing ways of implementing tasks, methodology or necessary technology used to implementation of the project.
Mistake 5: Houston, we have a problem
SP: Very often the applicant writing grant application concentrates on identified challenges forgetting to offer solutions. Nobody likes to listen to the person who only complains and wrings hands giving nothing in return. Grant applications definitely should clearly describe key problem. However the main focus should be directed to methods used to address that problem. You need to show what measures or methods may be used to solve it, what would be the results and benefits and convince why this is worth being financed.