Life as a grant writer

Grant writing is not many researchers’ favourite task—what if it was your whole job?

Writing grant applications can be daunting, even for experienced researchers who are incredibly knowledgeable in their fields. This is where grant writers can help. Those with expert knowledge of what funders are looking for can spot areas where a pitch is unclear or where a reviewer will be looking for more information.

But is it necessary for support staff to have specialist knowledge of a researcher’s subject area or is it better to bring an outside perspective? This was the question asked of Finnish academics by grant writer Johanna Toivonen de Gonzales and colleagues at Finland’s University of Turku. They shared their findings at the annual conference of the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators in Oslo this month.