Funding

Successfully gaining research fellowship funding is a great skill to have here are some key tips, they are also relevant for other funding applications.

• Deadlines, we aware of when they are some funders only take applications once a year. (is there a department emails advising of relevant funding deadlines, can you get on the circulation list)
• Be very proactive, it is very competitive to get funding
• Use the experts around you, ask academics in your department for advice
• Different funding opportunities are looking for different levels experience, discuss with your supervisor when is the right time to apply for which funder.
• Have a very targeted and clear research proposal relevant to the funder
• Leave plenty of time to put in a funding application, the details on the forms can takes weeks/months to complete, with costing information and getting paper work from other academics who maybe out of the country on conferences or researching off campus, check their availability in plenty of time.
• Review examples of applications, ask someone in the department who has successful with the funding body you are applying to, to show you their application.
• If you can be first author on publications this is more impressive to a funding body.
• Network and get your name out there, so other academics write you into their grant proposals.
• Funders can have panel interviews this can be as many as 10, so get some experience at mock interviews, within the careers service and ask if you can have a mock interview with an academic. (see advice on panel interviews)
• When you get an interview for funding research who is on panel and what interests them, some academics in your departments will have been on these panels, ask them how the panel works and what is important.
• Explore our funding your course links.