Opportunity profile: Geology bids need rock-solid grantsmanship

We drill down into what makes a firm Geological Society of London application

Top tips:

• The society’s grants are open to researchers at all stages of their careers.
• The grants may not be used as top-up funds for larger projects but can support projects that pursue lines of inquiry arising from a bigger project.
• Applicants should not worry too much about tailoring bids to any one of the nine funds that feed into the overall grant scheme.
• More than anything reviewers want to see a crystal clear research question and explanation of how the proposal addresses that problem.
• The possibility of the research producing a null result does not disqualify a proposal from funding but that possibility must be addressed in the bid, ideally with a contingency plan.

The Geological Society of London’s Research Grants are designed to fund small original research projects within the society’s remit. Although applicants should make one application to the Geological Society, they will be matched by the society to one of nine funds attached to the award, each with different specialities.