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Target Audience: Academic/Research Staff, all levels

Dr. Robert Porter will deliver this workshop that covers the basic principles of good grant proposal writing.  He will start with the phrasing of a compelling research theme to the actual construction of the proposal itself.  Major differences between traditional "academic prose" and persuasive grant writing are highlighted. Common pitfalls that can lead to early rejection of good ideas are reviewed, matched with practical strategies for better writing.  Special attention will be paid to the perspectives of grant reviewers and how to write in ways that will meet their expectations.

Writing exercises

There will be a number of writing exercises interspersed throughout the morning and afternoon sessions, attendees should bring along a fully powered laptop.

• Six Critical Questions. These are designed to introduce researchers to the persuasive writing style that characterizes successful grant proposals, and how that style differs from traditional academic prose. The exercise results in a brief talking paper, or “preabstract” that can be used to test a selected research idea with colleagues and for fit with appropriate funding sources.
• Funding opportunities. Participants are asked to identify three different grant programs that might be interested in their core research themes, and contact information for funding agency officials, if available.
• Goals, Hypotheses, Research objectives. Participants will draft early versions of their project’s goal statement, hypothesis, or research questions, then follow up with 2 – 4 specific research objectives for their project. Volunteers will e-mail their drafts to Dr Porter, and he will project them on the screen for group discussion and editing. This is highly interactive and a capstone of the day.
• Visual illustrations. Dr Porter will demonstrate how to locate visual models for a project’s overall design and the work plan. Participants will follow to identify their own and paste them into their exercise booklet.

The following key areas will be addressed during the workshop:

• Killer mistakes in grant writing and how to avoid them
• Two critical steps that will double your chances for success
• How to win over the grant reviewer
• Simple keys to a more powerful writing style
• Visualization: Using illustrations to "sell" your project

Workshop Leader

Robert Porter, PhD, has presented grant writing workshops at leading universities and medical schools internationally. A national leader in the growing field of research development, he has presented papers and workshops on grant writing at national conferences and has published prize-winning articles in the Journal of Research Administration and Research Management Review.

Prerequisites

Cancellation Policy

When applying for a course, you should note that there will be a £50* to your department if you cancel within 5** working days or you do not attend, and a £25 charge for cancellations/ non-attendance between 6 and 10 working days. There will be no charge for cancellation made 10 or more working days before the event. Notifications should be made to OSDU@strath.ac.uk

A department is welcome to send someone else in your place if they wish without incurring a charge, providing that person has the necessary pre-requisites for the course. In the case of courses split over more than one day, you must attend ALL parts of the course. If you fail to attend any part you will be charged as outlined above.

*This is the standard charge for cancellation or non-attendance of course of 1 days duration or less. For some courses there may be a higher cancellation charge and if this is the case you will be advised of this at the time of booking.

**Any bookings made within 10 days of the event will incur the charges as specified.