My winning proposal: Ask around for AHRC success

For first major grants, it pays to reach out beyond your faculty

Top tips

• A strong advisory group can be a tremendous source of support and advice throughout the bid-writing process
• Be brave enough to approach people who you do not necessarily know to try to find a connection
• Similarly, when drafting the bid, reach out beyond your faculty for feedback
• Include visual evidence in your bid, such as diagrams, to provide a clearer and more engaging overview

The Arts and Humanities Research Council’s early career research grant scheme offers funding for two-to-five-year projects to researchers who have either received their PhD or equivalent professional training in the past eight years, or are within six years of their first academic appointment. The goal, other than supporting the research itself, is that grantees gain experience of managing and leading research projects.