Semester 2, 2019-2020
Type of courseMethodological and Practical Courses
DateMarch 27, 2020
LocationUtrecht University, Ruppert 033
1 day
Maximum number of participants25
ECTS0.5 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course
StaffMarieke Adriaanse (UU), Denise de Ridder (UU).
Increasingly, junior researchers such as postdoctoral fellows and assistant professors are expected to acquire external funding to support their research. By getting funding from external agencies, such as NWO and the European Research Area (ERC, Horizon 2020), young researchers are able to demonstrate their individual competence in independent thinking about important scientific themes and translate their ideas into testable hypotheses with innovative designs. At the same time there is a (inter)national tendency to address important scientific themes with societal relevance with top down research programs that incorporate large (and sometimes multidisciplinary) themes. Most of the time, young researchers do not participate in these large consortia. Notwithstanding this, it is important to realize that major funding opportunities are not necessarily geared to individual researchers but embedded in programs that address the ‘grand societal challenges’. Individual grants are more successful if one way or another they speak to these challenges and are focused on a particular topic that fits in the (inter)national research agenda.
With this one-day workshop, we address when and why one should apply for grants and how one writes successful grants. During the introduction we will discuss the necessity of participation in consortia and submit large grant proposals. However, as young researchers not always are in a position to contribute to such proposals, the practical part of the workshop is geared towards writing an individual proposal. Specifically, we (i) review the various grant possibilities that exist and are accessible to early-career scientists, (ii) discuss which types of grants one should aim for, (iii) discuss the procedures that grant proposals go through, and (iv) provide inside information about the ways applications are evaluated and distributed. Ultimately, students attending the workshop should become better in targeting their grant application efforts, and in drafting proposals that have a better chance of being successful.