Applying for a grant

Before writing a project for a grant or a fellowship there are some important aspects to think about. It is important to plan a proposal well in advance. Think about what you have achieved so far, and how it relates to the research you are planning to do. Who have you worked with? What groups do you have links with already? Your experience doesn’t have to be only academic, and you may want to consider practical skills you have developed (like providing training or mentoring).

Seek support at as early a stage as possible, even if you are only thinking about possible funding options. Start by asking advice from your line-manager and senior members of your group. Don’t hesitate to discuss also with early career researchers. In addition to your closer networking, you may find helpful support from the department (Find funding for MSD).

Here are some hints for early career researchers on planning a grant. Importantly to mention that this section was adapted based on this blog mainteined by Dr Luigi Sedda and a workshop organised and presented by Dr James Mawdesley in 2023. Those materials were collated and inspired the suggestions here presented.

Topic of Interest: Pinpoint project ideas that align closely with your expertise and have relatively less competition. Stay informed on trending topics and engage with funders to tailor your proposals accordingly. They’re keen on attracting top-tier applications.

Grant Selection: Early career researchers may benefit from seeking smaller funds for networking purposes. Expanding your professional circle opens doors to larger funding opportunities and collaborative projects. Keep an eye out for early career grants and prestigious fellowships, which often offer substantial support.

Global Perspective: While local and national grants are valuable, explore international funding avenues like EU Horizon and bilateral agreements. Utilise research grant search engines to identify opportunities worldwide.

Engage with Funders: Attend events organised by funders, such as sandpits, webinars, and conferences. These forums provide valuable insights and networking opportunities, enhancing the chances of your application’s success.

Stay Connected: Keep active communication with your institutional Research Officer and subscribe to funders’ newsletters.

The application

Project proposal
In addition to the project, provide options for a training programme. What is the training that could be important to the leader of the project and his/her employees?
Describe the research environment and highlight the benefits of working in the institute and research group that you choose. State how this can be of benefit for the project conduction.
Include a detailed plan for the finances. In this item you can include costs regarding the salary of the research team, equipment (computers, camera, etc), research related travel costs (including who will be visited and why), conference fees (including travel + hotel), training courses, open access publication fees, costs related to hiring (including possible costs for visas).
Include at least two references (the requirement varies according to the funder agency).

The project

For the project proposal, this must contain:
Background and importance of the topic;
The aims and objectives of your project (how will you achieve your research aims?);
The material and methods that you plan to use;
A perspective of possible outputs generated by your research (how will you use your findings in the UK? What could be the benefits of your project?).

After having the first draft of your project, you might consider:

Show your draft to your colleagues. Let you application be reviewed by experts and non-experts (not immediately in your area);
Ensure that the abstract is understandable by experts and non-experts (not all panel members might be experts in your topic);
Don’t assume that the reviewers will know all the literature; especially yours.
Make it interesting: For example, considering using colourful graphics. You can make a Gantt chart more engaging.
Don’t use lots of abbreviations and be consistent in their use (define of first use).
Ask specific questions.
You will need escape routes or alternatives plan: Troubleshooting options.

The interview

If your application process involves an interview, it’s always helpful to arrange a mock interview to get prepared (for example, two weeks in advance). You may wish to discuss this possibility with your current line manager or in the OU Careers Services. Below we present some options of questions that may arise.

Tell us about why this project is important?
What work have you done in this area previously?
How will the training plan benefit your career?
How will the research environment at University of Oxford support you during the fellowship?
What are the practical issues of conducting this research?
What will be the key impacts of the project?
How do you intend to use the findings from your research to inform policy?
How would the fellowship benefit the UK in the future?
How would the fellowship benefit your personal development in the future?
What are the difficulties/challenges in implementing your project?
What do you know about the Funder Agency?

Funding options

Check the following resources and stay tuned on specific call applications. We also have a #funding_opportunities slack channel.

The Trinity Challenge: Following the success of the first Trinity Challenge, which explored how data and analytics could be used to predict, detect, and respond to pandemics, the second Trinity Challenge concentrates on the threat of antimicrobial resistance, specifically antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Funding will be made available to support the multidisciplinary teams that demonstrate the greatest potential to reduce the impact of antibiotic resistance in bacteria by harnessing the power of data from communities in low- and middle-income communities.
Wellcome Trust Early-Career Award: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity.
NIHR Academy (Pre-Doctoral, Doctoral, Advanced): There is a wide range of training and career development support through our NIHR Academy awards available at different levels, and accessible by different professional backgrounds. These awards comprise both personal awards, which can be applied for directly, and institutional awards which should be applied for through the host institution.
UKRI Future Leaders’ Fellowships: Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) support talented people in universities, businesses, and other research and innovation environments. They also allow universities, research institutes, independent research organisations and businesses to develop their most talented early career researchers and innovators or to attract new people to their organisations, including from overseas. You can receive funding for work in all research and innovation areas supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

There are also Internal Funding Opportunities which are announced via email by the Head of Division (Oxford MedSci News). Here bellow some examples of opportunities: