New year: time for a new funding application?

If your new year resolutions include writing a new funding application, you may (already) be wondering how you will carve out the time to fit this in among all your other academic commitments. It is well known that academics with time on their hands are as common as unicorns. So, how do you make time for writing funding applications? Well, perhaps you do not need to…

I have written before about how essential it is to talk to others about your ideas. This is also true of funding applications. I know some are wary about sharing valuable ideas with colleagues; some have been stung by unscrupulous others who have appropriated their ideas. But I believe that the benefits of sharing outweigh its risks. By talking about your project ideas and funding endeavours, you open yourself up to a myriad opportunities and serendipities. From the colleague who knows ‘someone who can do this', to the relation who knows the ‘organisation that could use that’. From the friend who has congruent knowledge that can enhance the project’s outcome, to the mentor whose kudos will make the project team shine. From the research officer who knows that adding this element will be particularly attractive to the funder, to the community liaison officer who can recruit participants.

All of these come together to build an application that has strength and vibrancy.

So perhaps it’s not time to write the application that you need, but time to talk about it. Hopefully, it will make your funding practice more enjoyable (I’ll take that cup of coffee with a colleague over being cooped-up with my laptop any time). And, dare I say it, your application might virtually write itself as a result!

Happy new year to you. May all your students be focused, your organisations supportive, and your funders generous.