Grant writing

Abstract

Grant writing is the process of responding to an application for a financial grant from institutions such as research organisations, government agencies, corporations, foundations, trusts, and international funding organisations. The skills required to write successful grants are referred to as grantsmanship. Over the past few decades, the process of applying for grants has become increasingly complex and highly competitive. Therefore, the grant proposals must be based on innovative ideas, capable of advancing the current status of knowledge, compelling, and well-written.

Types of Research Grants

• Collaborative research grants are usually interdisciplinary, multicentre, and multicountry. These are led by senior researchers with a team of co-investigators including post–doctoral fellows, and postgraduate students.
• Fellowships are individual research grants that provide the fellow who obtains the grant the time to focus on the research project for a stipulated time.
• Targeted grants are for early-career, mid-career, or senior researchers. The grant announcement for these indicates the category of researchers who are eligible to apply.
• Networking grants are aimed at developing teams and establishing teams of academic and research collaborators for a particular research topic. These grants provide funding for researchers to engage in discussions regarding potential research ideas.
• Small grants fund small research projects or preliminary research that provide initial data for larger research projects in the future.
• Travel grants are usually for professional development and are provided by disciplinary specialist organisations. The researcher is supported to travel to institutions that have resources or opportunities that are not available at their home institution.
• Knowledge transfer grants or industrial partnerships are grants aimed at promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange between academic and non-academic collaborators. The funds can also be used for proof of concept, pilots, and getting new products to the market.
• Conference grants are used to disseminate research findings or host research conferences.

Grant proposals

The proposals should conform to the guidelines indicated in the funding opportunity announcement. Funders have guidelines regarding the sections of the proposals, font type, and font sizes to be used, sections of the proposal, page limits for each section, and the overall proposal.

Project narrative

This section provides the most comprehensive description of the proposed project. The main areas are the background and literature review that identify research gaps. It contains the research problem and questions/aims and objectives and documents the proposed research methods. Other areas addressed are the project management and delivery plan, which may require work packages. The budget and budget justification are also addressed in this section.

Other documents required are:

• The curriculum vitae of the investigators detailing their previous research and how it relates to the current application.
• Well-written letters of support from collaborators and collaborating institutions that address the roles and responsibilities of team members are essential. This is particularly important for collaborative research that involves various partners from other universities, non-academic organisations, and industry. These partners should provide signed letters of support that indicate the specific contribution of the collaborator and commitment research project, and the contribution in cash or in-kind.