APPLYING FOR EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING / ATT SÖKA OM EXTERNA FORSKNINGSMEDEL LAURA J. DOWNING, PROF. OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES

APPLYING FOR EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING / ATT SÖKA OM EXTERNA FORSKNINGSMEDEL LAURA J. DOWNING, PROF. OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES

What I will talk about 1 Gunhild has asked me to provide some tips to bear in mind when applying for research funding. I will talk briefly on the following topics: - Preparing to apply - Structure of the proposal - What are reviewers looking for? - Final words of advice.

What I will talk about 2 First, a few words about the experience I bring to this brief talk: - I have applied for a number of applications, sometimes successfully, in the past 20+ years, from a variety of funding agencies. - I have reviewed grant applications regularly, for the past 20+ years, for a variety of funding agencies. - I am currently on a VR review panel.

Preparing to apply 3 Start preparing to apply for research funding WELL in advance. 1- research possible funding sources. 2- attend all the workshops offered on preparing applications. 3- contact the GU grants office for an appointment and/or to consult their grants database.

Preparing to apply 4 Start early from an intellectual point of view: 1- Have you thought through what you want to research in your project and why? 2- Do you have the publications/conference record to support the project? 3- Do you master the current literature? 4- Do you have a network of potential collaborators (funded or unfunded)?

Preparing to apply 5 Once you have narrowed down your choices of most relevant funding sources: 1- try to find some model applications for those funding sources ask colleagues, ask the grants office. 2- read the instructions/requirements carefully and well in advance and follow instructions! 3- begin writing the application early enough that you can ask a critical friend to read through a draft and offer comments.

Structure of the application 6 The basic formula for an application: address the questions, What? Why? How? What is the goal of your project? Why is this research goal important and timely, likely to make a significant contribution to research in this area? Why are you the best person/group to carry out this project?

Structure of the application 7 How will you carry out the project - be concrete about your work plan and the contribution of each member to the project if you are not the only one. How does each piece of the work plan contribute to the whole? How does your plan for disseminating results ensure that the project will contribute to knowledge in your field?

Be clear! 8 Make sure this kind of structure is clear in the application. A reviewer - possible reading a dozen or more applications to deadline - should not have to struggle to find this essential information.

What reviewers are looking for 9 Let me share with you the reviewing instructions from two different granting agencies: National Science Foundation (NSF) Vetenskaps Rådet (VR) They give you tips of what to keep in mind when writing your application: this is what reviewers are looking for. Note the focus is on: Why? How?

NSF Reviewing Instructions 10 What is the potential for the proposed activity to advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields (Intellectual Merit); and benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes (Broader Impacts)? To what extent do the proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts?

NSF Reviewing Instructions 11 How well qualified is the individual, team, or institution to conduct the proposed activities? Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a mechanism to assess success? Are there adequate resources available to the PI (either at the home institution or through collaborations) to carry out the proposed activities?

VR Reviewing instructions 12 Novelty and originality The project should have an independent research objective that is expected to lead to new, and possibly, ground-breaking knowledge. There are many varieties of novelty and originality. These can include finding new answers to fundamental questions, generating new fundamental questions and guidelines for research, or developing an innovative application for existing methods and technology in new areas.

VR Reviewing instructions 13 Scientific quality of the proposed research This assessment is based on the degree to which the project is theoretically and methodologically supported by sufficient information and exhibits the appropriate stringency, as well as on the degree to which the expected results have wide-ranging importance. The project should include clear aspects of basic research and should be near or on the cutting edge of research.

VR Reviewing instructions 14 Merits of applicant(s) This assessment relates to the specific qualifications of the applicant or applicants for the project in question. High-level qualifications are necessary for implementing a clearly described project according to plan. This assessment primarily relates to the researcher or researchers that perform the primary scientific work of the project.

VR Reviewing instructions 15 Feasibility This criterion involves an assessment of the other conditions for the feasibility of the project, such as the method, data, and sources being described in such a way so as to instill confidence that the research objective can be achieved. These criteria can also be used for assessing the reasonability or the availability of data, the design of the study, the timing, and the institutional and legal requirements.

Final advice: Be persistent! 16 All grants are very competitive: usually the funding rate is only around 8-15% of all applications. You can expect to be rejected, so: be prepared to apply more than once and apply to every funding source that is relevant for your research area. Use whatever criticism you get from reviewers to improve your application and try again...

17 QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?