This document summarizes tips for writing successful grant proposals. It discusses different types of grants, including small, large, personal, and consortium grants. It provides recommendations to plan ahead, make the proposal perfect, seek support, and keep trying if not initially successful. Key tips include carefully reading the call requirements, analyzing previous successful proposals, selecting collaborative partners, developing a good idea and feasible research plan, emphasizing impact and dissemination, and using effective writing techniques like addressing all criteria and using buzzwords from the call.

1. Grant
Wri)ng
Jan
Buitelaar
Talk
at
Karakter,
March
17th,
2015

5. Type
of
grants
• Small
–
large
-­‐
really
big
grants
• Personal
grants
– Talent
NWO
– Rubicon/Veni/Vidi/Vici
– ERC
star)ng
/
advanced
• Consor)um
grants
– e.g.
Horizon2010
– NIH,
ZonMW-­‐TOP

6. Recommenda)ons
• Plan
Ahead
• Make
it
perfect
• Seek
Support
• Keep
trying

7. Read
the
call
!!
• Analyse
the
call
word
by
word
• Close
reading
• Talk
to
others
• Call
grant
officers
(if
possible,
if
allowed)
• Check
eligibility
criteria

8. The
call:
TACTICS

9. Read
and
prepare
• Read
examples
of
successful
applica)ons
• Analyse
them
carefully
• Iden)fy
what
has
been
granted
in
the
past
• Talk
to
successful
applicants
• The
more
personal
contacts
you
make,
the
be]er
for
you

10. Seek
your
collaboraters
carefully
• Complementary
exper)se
–
learning
from
others
!
• Iden)fy
your
compe)tors
and
consider
to
invite
them
to
collaborate
!
• “If
you
cannot
beat
them,
join
them
…”
• Collabora)on
is
some)mes
easy,
but
can
also
be
very
difficult
• Gender
balance
/
country
balance

12. Basics
• You
need
a
really
good
idea
!
• Propose
feasible
research

16. Content
• Theory
guided
research
• Mix
of
conceptual
improvements
/
accuracy
and
relevant
data
collec)on
• Propose
detailed
and
realis)c
research
• Infra-­‐structure
!
• List
/
sell
your
achievements
!
• Pilot
studies

17. Why
?
• Why
now
??
• Why
you
??
(Why
this
team
??)

21. Visualize
!

22. Visualize
!

23. Visualize
!

25. Impact
• Society
• Health
care
diagnosis
?
Treatment
?
• Pa)ents
?
Families
?
• Professional
rou)nes
/
guidelines
?
• Valorisa)on
?
Industry
?
SME
?
• Realis)c
)me
plan
?

26. Dissemina)on
• Of
course:
papers,
lectures,
thesis,
symposia
• But
also:
reach
out
to
general
public,
media
• Website
• Papers
in
Dutch
journals

27. Implementa)on
• Work
with
stakeholders
• Assess
opinions/agtudes
of
professionals,
pa)ents,
colleagues,
experts
• Assess
all
sorts
of
prac)cal
problems
• Explore
/
measure
budget
issues
and/or
cost
effec)veness
• Explore
poten)al
resistances,
barrieres

29. The
wri)ng
itself
• Is
for
the
most
part
just
a
ma]er
of
technique
!

30. The
wri)ng
itself
• Buzz
words:
Use
the
same
terms
in
your
proposal
that
are
used
in
the
call
• Less
is
More!
• A
catchy
Name
/
Title
/
Acronym
!
• Good
wri)ng
should
be
easy
to
read
and
understand
• No
sentences
longer
than
2
lines

31. The
wri)ng
itself
• Abstract
should
have
it
all,
should
be
perfect
• Tell
very
concretely
and
specifically
what
you
propose
to
do,
and
why
!
• Make
it
fun
!
• Show
yourself
aware
of
previous
work
/
projects
• Sustainability
is
a
big
issue
• Present
clearcut
deliverables
and
milestones

32. Reply
to
reviewers’
comments
• Stay
friendly
• Convince
the
commi]ee
(not
the
reviewers)
• Be
fair
• If
you
have
been
misunderstood,
say
so
• Short
and
focused