Five common mistakes grant applicants make

The road towards winning a research grant can be bumpy—especially since many calls for proposals make for complex reading. Here, research managers from several leading South African universities share common mistakes that researchers make when reading and trying to follow application guidelines.

1. Failing to read the small print

One of the most common mistakes is that researchers don’t read the instructions for applicants properly, says Ninette Mouton, research grant manager at the University of Pretoria. She advises researchers to write a list of points that the funders want and another of items that are not covered under the grants. After writing the lists they should match up their needs with those of the funders.