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Write grants like a boss

Image: Nic Mc Phee [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Tips on polishing your grantwriting to keep your reviewers onside

Applying for grants has to be one of the most soul-sucking experiences of the modern researcher. Success rates are often depressingly low and there are far more researchers than there are jobs, a situation that is worse for early career researchers and women. Many grant systems are regarded as little more than lotteries by researchers, a reputation they would not have if these systems were truly scientific in their approach.

Clearly, it is hard to get a grant across the line and much of the advice researchers are given is frankly useless. I am often asked to provide feedback on grants, especially from early career researchers who are struggling to build a track record. The advice I give varies little from person to person and is not related to the research itself, but to the level of sophistication with which the research is being communicated.

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