RIES Brochure FINAL - Cardiff University

Award winning ideas
A guide to writing applications for
research funding

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Introduction
Whether you are considering writing your first research application or if you are
a more experienced researcher contemplating your latest bid, securing external
research funding is an important activity which can shape careers in academia.
Winning your own research funding is often a necessity if you are interested in
pursuing your own research ideas (as opposed to working as a researcher on
someone else’s grant) and can provide you with an opportunity to explore a
broader range of projects. Securing funding can seem like a daunting hurdle in the
current climate, where financial cutbacks are in the headlines daily and it seems as
though everyone is scrabbling for cash, but research funds are still available for the
right ideas presented with a well-­‐argued case.
On average around one in four grant applications submitted to the UK Research
Councils is successful and secures funding, so it is vital to ensure that proposals
submitted by the University are competitive. Standards are extremely high, hence
submitting bids which are merely adequate or ‘OK’ is not an option – as in all
other facets of University activity, we should strive for excellence. There are
several reasons for this, including the need to maintain the University’s reputation
for quality, but perhaps the most important is to avoid wasting your time and
other resources in preparing an unsuccessful proposal. Many applications are
compromised by minor errors, so remember that following all appropriate
guidelines and taking advice from experienced colleagues can substantially
increase your chances of success.
Writing a research proposal to any standard can be very time consuming, so
deciding to invest the additional effort required to turn a run-­‐of-­‐the-­‐mill bid into a
potentially fundable one should be a straightforward decision.
By following the advice in this guide, the application process can be streamlined to
maximise your chances of success. Vital to this is taking full advantage of any
internal peer review opportunities available to you and making the most of the
services and advice provided by your school’s research office and Research
Development.
Please read through the advice in this guide and contact the Research
Development team in Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services for further
support. We look forward to working with you.
Dr Dave Bembo
Head of Research Development

1. Develop your Ideas
• Start off by jotting down your ideas, and what your intended project will
deliver.
• Be realistic about your goals and the resources you will need to achieve them.
• In particular, concentrate on how you will achieve your research goals and, if
possible, create a rough timeline for your project. Your methodology is very
important.
• Think about the exact nature of your project outputs.
• Think about whether there are other academics in other schools, HEIs or other
external organisations who may become collaborators on your project.
• Think about any additional staff inputs and/or capacity building through
Research Assistants/Associates, administrative staff or postgraduate students.
• Think about any potential problems, how to reduce risks and what you will do
if the project does not go to plan.
• Identify a funder (see the advice below).
• Think about the potential Impacts of your research. Consider external users of
the research results as well as how you will publish and disseminate outputs. It
is important to engage with external stakeholders in the development stage of
your project, not as a ‘bolt on’ when the work is completed.
• Consider your need for any specific legal support from Research, Innovation
and Enterprise Services in relation to, e.g. collaboration with partners,
intellectual property issues, etc.
EU: Be aware that the application process for European Union funded projects
generally takes much longer, making early planning essential.
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2. Finding a Funder
• Research Innovation & Enterprise Services can offer advice and information
about current funding opportunities.
• They also hold a collection of reference material on the different funding bodies
and the funding schemes they support.
• Visit researchprofessional.com, a UK web-­‐based database which offers
comprehensive information about research funding opportunities and research
sponsors. This can be accessed from any networked computer.
3. Get some Advice
• Speak to your Research Office or Research Administrator and check your
school’s internal research application submission process.
• You can also get advice from Research Development Officers (RDOs; see
contacts on back page). They can provide access to a grant applications library,
enabling you to learn from previous, successful applications.
• Check with your Research Administrator, Director of Research or Head of
School to make sure the school will support your application (as, for example,
there may be financial implications for the school).
• Ensure that your application is reviewed by colleagues. Most schools will have
an internal peer review process -­‐ find out how yours works.
• Explore any legal/commercial/ethical implications of your research project with
your Research Office or RDO.
4. Costing and Pricing
• Appropriate costing and pricing of research is an essential part of any
application.
• If a project is incorrectly costed, this could result in a financial shortfall, which
may result in your school bearing the cost, or refusing to approve the project.
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• You will need to complete a Costing and Pricing form (CAP) and this will need to
be signed by your Head of School.
• It is expected that your co-­‐investigators will also alert their home school(s) to
the project costs.
• Ask your Research Office for a CAP form. You will need to provide the following
information:
o Proposed start date
o Duration of the project
o Name of funding body
o Host school
o Name of principal investigator and amount of time to be spent on the
project
o Co-­‐investigators’ names and amount of time to be spent on the project
o Details of any staff to be employed on the project (name or grade,
amount of time, start/end date etc.)
• This form will be the basis of the accounting system when the grant is awarded
and MUST be signed by your school BEFORE your application can be submitted.
EU: For European Union funding, the European Grants section prepares the
CAP form. Please be aware that European funding models vary significantly
between the various EU schemes and need to be checked before costings can be
prepared. Before requesting a CAP form for EU funding, please contact the
European Office with details of your proposal: European-­‐Research@cf.ac.uk
5. Writing Your Application
• Taking into account all of the advice you have received, complete a draft of your
application.
• Double-­‐check the requirements and attachments needed for your particular
funding opportunity (e.g. Letters of Support, CV, Technical Appendix, etc.).
• Pay particular attention to all questions and assessment criteria, and remember
that every question is your opportunity to sell your project – do not repeat
information if possible.
• Input all financial information. Staffing costs will be generated on your CAP
form. You will need to work out other costs (e.g. equipment, travel &
subsistence, etc.)
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• Be realistic about what resources you need and if you need help ask your
school’s Research Administrator or your Research Development Officer (they
can provide a list of possible costs to consider including in a research project).
• Do not write your proposal and then try to ‘bolt-­‐on’ the budget at the end. Try
to develop the two strands in tandem so that the resources requested are
reflected and justified in your research plan.
6. Internal Peer Review
• Ensure that you follow your own school’s internal peer review process as
failure to do so may result in a refusal to submit the bid. Some schools have a
very well defined process with early deadlines and clear requirements. Make
sure you find out about these in good time.
• If no internal peer review process exists then give a completed version of your
application to a fellow academic, either in your own school, or elsewhere in the
University (e.g. within your College), and ask them to comment on it.
• If you have not yet identified a suitable person, your Research Administrator or
Research Development Officer will be happy to help.
• Allow sufficient time to do this for your internal reviewer to read and comment
fully, and this should ensure that you have time to make necessary changes. (2
– 3 weeks before submission if possible).
• Take comments on board and make changes where relevant. Do not assume
that criticism is personal. Internal peer review is a way to access your peers’
expertise and an opportunity to polish your application. Take advantage of it!
7. Submission Process
• Review your application and make sure all the attachments and information
are in order and every question has been answered.
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• Take your application and completed CAP form to your School Research Office or
HoS for sign-­‐off.
• Ask your school ‘approver’ to send the completed, signed CAP form, preferably
electronically, to racd_eds@cf.ac.uk. CU financial guidance states that forms should
be sent no less than 5 working days before the deadline.
• Most applications need an institutional sign-­‐off and this adds time to the submission
process. If you try to submit your application two minutes before a formal deadline,
we cannot ensure that we will have processed all of the information in time to get it
to the funder.
EU: The majority of proposals for European Union funding are submitted through
the EC Research Participant Portal where personal registration is required. You
will need to request standard administrative information from the European Office to
support you proposal and to grant access to your proposal account. Email European-­‐
Research@cf.ac.uk for more information
8. PI Response
• Some funders will ask you to respond to reviewers’ comments. In many cases these
have a tight deadline to respond, but your responses can make a difference to the
final assessment of your application. You must respond when you are given the
opportunity to do so.
• Do not take any of the reviewers’ comments personally and address any issues raised
in a calm and professional fashion. Consult an experienced colleague for advice.
9. Your Offer Letter
• If your application is successful, alert Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services as
soon as possible. When you receive formal notification we can start to set up
contracts and accounts.
• Consider making your successful application available to others for reference, via
your school or Research, Innovation and Enterprise Services (this can be anonymised
if you prefer).
• If you were unsuccessful, take advice from others in considering how you might
improve the proposal for resubmission or application to another funder.
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For more information see the Research, Innovation & Enterprise Services
web pages http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/racdv/
or call 7 5834/9288
Dr Dave Bembo (Deputy Director & Head of Research Development) Tel: 75159;
bembo@cardiff.ac.uk
Nick Bodycombe (European Office Manager) Tel: 75834; bodycombeN@cardiff.ac.uk
Rebecca Blackwell (European Officer) Tel: 79196; blackwellRM@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Keith Sexton (European Officer) Tel: 79288; sextonK@cardiff.ac.uk
Sian Jones (European Office Support) Tel: 70171; jonesS123@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Amanda Jones (College of Biomedical & Life Sciences) Tel: 79296;
jonesAL6@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Samantha Redman (College of Biomedical & Life Sciences) Tel: 79177;
redman@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Jennifer Geroni (College of Biomedical & Life Sciences) Tel: 75513;
geroniJN@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Lee Bartlett (College of Physical Sciences) Tel: 79198; bartlettLM@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Hywel Edwards (College of Physical Sciences) Tel: 76957; edwardsH3@cardiff.ac.uk
Sally O’Connor (College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences) Tel: 75494;
oconnorS@cardiff.ac.uk
Dr Cinzia Yates (College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences) Tel: 76377;
yatesCA@cardiff.ac.uk
Louise Lewis (Research Development Support) Tel: 79430; lewisLMG@cardiff.ac.uk
Ruth Middleton (Research Development Support) Tel 79626;
middletonR2@cardiff.ac.uk