Grant Writing: Art, Science, or a Masochist’s Hobby?

Writing a successful grant is hard, but it’s much easier if you know the unwritten rules of the game. Image created by DALL-E

Securing research funding can feel a bit like chasing a unicorn through a maze designed by Kafka. You work feverishly late into the night, polishing that perfect pitch that will make the world’s problems go poof if only a funding agency hands over a big bag of euros (or dollars, or any currency, really). Yet, reality often smacks you in the face: rejection slips, mysterious reviewer comments (“This is groundbreaking — unfortunately, not for us”), and interminable guidelines that read like the script of a less cheerful version of “Catch-22.” Fret not, though. A good dose of humor, cynicism, and knowledge of the labyrinthine research-funding system will go a long way toward that joyous letter beginning with, “We are pleased to inform you…”

The Quest for a Great Topic (a.k.a. The Holy Grail of Funding)

Before the epic journey to the pot of gold, you need a question so compelling that reviewers will be racked with guilt if they even think of rejecting you. As comedic as this sounds, the backbone of any successful grant is a big, hairy, audacious research problem. Think of it as the unifying force that ties together your storyline, preliminary experiments, and that one-of-a-kind method that only you seem to have discovered. You are trying to solve an unmet need — sometimes that means healing…