Preparing for global challenges success, large and small

Good use of internal funding is critical for Global Challenges Research Fund success no matter which call you are going for, Lorna Wilson, head of research development at Durham University, tells James Brooks.

Lorna’s top tips

• Compliance with Official Development Assistance should be fully embedded in all research relevant to international development.
• Take time to grow your partnerships and networks, and tap into second-degree connections from them.
• Go for internal funding as much as you can, which will help set you up for large external calls.
• Early-career researchers should approach both the university’s international office and research office, as both may be able to help.

Lorna Wilson’s involvement in global challenges research dates back to November 2015, when the government published UK Aid: Tackling Global Challenges in the National Interest, the Treasury document which laid the groundwork for the eventual creation of the Global Challenges Research Fund.