My winning proposal: Give small grants due care and attention

Alison Wray used a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant as bridge funding in a larger project. She didn’t let the grant’s small size trick her into thinking that winning would be easy, she tells Sophie Inge.

Alison’s top tips

• Even with small grants, use best practice, ask for feedback and strive for clarity at all times.
• Never assume you are writing for an expert audience; even experts appreciate clear explanations.
• Using specialist terminology and acronyms will backfire if people don’t understand what you mean.

British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grants support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Grants may be used to facilitate initial planning and development, to support the direct costs of research or to enable its advancement through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Grants range from £500 to £10,000.