Centre for Doctoral Studies

Equipping doctoral research students at King's College London to excel

Tag: Research

15 top tips for writing a funding/grant application

05/05/2022 /

Blog post by Dr Nigel Eady, Director of Research Talent, Centre for Doctoral Studies

I spend quite a lot of time reading applications for funding. Some are for around £100k or more, for example, scholarship funding for a PhD, others may be much smaller, a few hundred pounds to attend a conference.

Funding schemes are nearly always competitive. In some instances, you don’t get funding just because there were too many good applicants. However, you’d be surprised how many people make very basic mistakes that significantly reduce the chance of getting funded.

So here are my top tips to give yourself the best chance possible!

  1. Check remit/eligibility carefully. If you’re not sure what you’re proposing is in the remit of the scheme, then ask! You also want anyone reading your application to see really clearly that you’re a good fit for the scheme or the funder. You certainly don’t want to spend lots of time preparing an application to find out you weren’t eligible anyway!
  2. Contact the administrator for advice. Don’t be afraid to contact the people running the scheme. Their job is to answer your questions! They are judged on the smooth running and impact of the scheme. They want to get good bids and they are better able to do that if they are talking to potential applicants. They like to build relationships with the people they’re funding.
  3. Follow the guidance you’re given. If a question says ‘max 400 words’, don’t write more than 400 words! Word limits are partly there for fairness and consistency, so everyone is given the same opportunity to present their application. You need the people reading and scoring your application on your side, so do everything you can to keep them happy! You don’t want them thinking you’re trying to gain an unfair advantage, and you don’t want them annoyed that there’s lots of extra info to read! Beware – some forms will just cut off anything over the limit!
  4. Remember the panel may not be experts. Please write in plain English – no jargon, acronyms…. Or at least as few as possible! I have a PhD in biochemistry. That means I understand certain research disciplines but it won’t take long for me to get lost (or annoyed!) by jargon that may make sense to you, but not to me.
  5. Don’t forget the panel are probably busy! If your application is hard to read or confusing or very long, it’s not going to help how your reviewers feel about your application. If it’s easy to read and understand then the panel will likely be on your side and more likely to advocate for you to get funded!
  6. Demonstrate commitment to what you want to do. Have you already applied anywhere else for funding? Why not? Funders like to see commitment. It may persuade those reviewing your application that you’re really serious about doing the research, going to the conference or whatever you’re asking for money to do.
  7. Show that other people think you’re worth funding. In an academic setting, it might be as simple as showing you have the support of your supervisor or department or faculty through a short written statement or letter. Even better, is there someone who will commit part of the funding for what you want to do? This is often called ‘matched’ funding. Always be clear what funding you already have and what other funding you’ve applied for. You can’t ‘double fund’, i.e. get funding from two places to do the same thing! Always read the information about the funding scheme carefully and check what’s allowed (and maybe double check with the administrator).
  8. Be honest about the costs. Time spent getting your budget right won’t be wasted. If you ask for too much money, you may immediately be ruled out. If you underestimate, you might end up having to deliver something without enough money! Panel members will often be considering whether a budget is realistic. You should definitely be truthful, not least as that shows the panel that you can be trusted with the funds. Requesting exactly the amount on offer tends to look suspicious, unless you’re showing that it will cost you more than the full amount and you’re just asking for the maximum available. Where possible, include quotations for purchases you’d like to make.
  9. Make sure your budget adds up! You’d be amazed how may budgets are wrong! Get someone else to check your calculations and that what you’ve written makes sense. There’s actually lots to say about budgets – maybe I’ll write a separate post with further thoughts!
  10. Provide a clear timeline. Funders want to know that you will spend their money wisely. In your application, show that you can think like someone managing a project and describe what will happen over the weeks or months after you get the money. You don’t necessarily need a proper GANTT chart, a few clear bullet points may be enough. What will you do if something goes wrong? Is there enough time in your schedule to respond to difficulties? Have you already planned for the most obvious risks?
  11. Ensure supporting info supports your request! The supervisor whose statement in support of your application effectively says nothing more than ‘I confirm this person exists,’ isn’t doing you any favours! The more bespoke and tailored the statement the better! Consider what the panel are looking for. Perhaps you can give your supervisor/PI/referee a few bullet points they might consider including in the statement/letter? Hopefully if you’re one of a number of students from the same research group applying, your supervisor won’t have written the same statement for everyone!
  12. Make your application easy to read. Again, keep your reviewers onside. Online forms sometimes make this difficult (as you may have little ability to format text) but do think about formatting and structure. Long, dense paragraphs of text, ridiculously   are all a bad idea!
  13. Ask for feedback. Get as much feedback as you can, especially if your application isn’t successful. Verbal feedback can be even more helpful. People may say more verbally than they are willing to write down! You might be able to turn a ‘failed’ application into a really successful one, based on the feedback you get.
  14. Seek advice on applying. Do you know someone who’s applied before? Will they read your draft application? Are there examples of good/bad applications available?
  15. Think like a reviewer. Imagine you were reading applications to the funding scheme. What would you want to know? Give your reviewers the assurance they are looking for.

 

If you bear all these points in mind, you’re giving yourself a good chance of getting over the first hurdle and being considered for funding.

All the very best for your funding applications.

Research Reflections from Yanqing Wang, Part-Time PGR Student in the King’s Business School

01/04/2022 /

Hello, I am Yanqing and also known as Callie. I am a part-time PhD student in Banking and Finance Research Group in the King’s Business School. My research interest lies in financial technology, risk management, macroprudential policy and financial stability. I am passionate about applying research-based learning to solving real business problems.

It is my pleasure to be invited to write a blog for the Centre for Doctoral Studies. Inspired by my PhD peer, who kindly shared his reflections on his adventures as a lifelong learner, I thought it would be a good idea to share my part-time PhD journey over the first few months. So far, my journey can be summarised in two words: “balance” and “impact”.

 

How to balance work and life, and how to balance what you want to do versus what you can do?

Personally, I don’t think there is a single agreed recipe to get this right. For me, it usually involves lots of planning ahead and prioritisation, among other things. I have done a lot of learning and knowledge refreshing over the last few months on many training modules. Although it is hard to fully grasp all of the content if it is a new domain to me, I still try to follow it and at least build my awareness of what is feasible and available if needed for my future research project, so that I can revisit it when necessary. In addition, I strongly feel that research is different from learning, although we continue self-learning during research projects. Sometimes I have found that doing research can be a lonely journey, as you won’t always be sure what you will find out; much thinking is involved in defining your questions before considering ways to resolve it (or providing insights into the puzzles).

 

What impact do you want to have?

I first came across this question in the research training module for all new PhDs; it appears to be a straightforward question but it is not easy to answer on the spot. Luckily, I had the opportunity to write a blog for my university on climate change before COP26, looking back on the impact of previous climate change accords and what we should consider in the future. It was a good experience for me to realise that the impact of any research goes far beyond academic citations. It is critical to demonstrate the benefit or changes caused, or contributed to, by the specific study in society, the economy and the environment. From my point of view, the research impact pathway is non-linear. We need to plan for impact, engage with stakeholders and consider active communication. As a PhD candidate, how we create a long-lasting impact for research studies is a key question that I need to continue revisiting.

 

From industry back to academia, what to prepare?

You need to prepare yourself physically and mentally for the challenge in front of you. For example, you need to work with your supervisors to set up reasonable expectations with continuous reality checking (even saying ‘no’ to tasks, as there is no need to satisfy everyone, at least not all in one go). I think we do not need to be perfect and ‘good enough’ is fine (be comfortable, at least don’t panic, when you feel you are lost and unsure where to go next). Given part-time PhDs are also likely to be working full-time or have other life commitments, it is important to set up a boundary and retain a balance between work and life. I hope my insights will debunk some common myths you might have on the PhD journey.

 

Do you need some help?

Doing a part-time PhD is a life-changing experience with many considerations and commitments. My personal experience told me that the application journey is not always easy, so we may all benefit from being able to ask a few questions or sense-checking a few things with people who have just gone through the process.

You are not alone in your part-time PhD journey. There is now a Teams channel set up for KCL PT PGRs. Everyone is welcome to join this group (you can request to join via MS Teams).

Please come and join this growing part-time PhD community. We all need to have a safe place to discuss concerns or ask for advice.

Let’s enjoy our part-time PhD journey.  All the best!

 

 

 

PhDeets Podcast – Talking about all things PhD

04/05/2021 /

Blog post by Carolin Oetzmann, Katie White & Nicol Bergou.

The PhD Journey can be a turbulent one – from finding the right program to navigating supervisor struggles, and all the madness in between! PhDeets is a podcast aimed at current and prospective PhD students to share experiences and help those trying to figure it out.

About the hosts

Carolin

We are three researchers working and studying at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.  Each of us are in a different stage of our PhD journey. Katie is in her second year of a part-time PhD, alongside a research assistant role. Nicol is in her first year of a 1+3 programme funded by the Medical Research Council. Carolin is due to start her MRC funded PhD in September 2021, after contemplating whether doing a PhD was the right next step for her.

 

 

Nicol

All three of us are the first in our families to do a PhD and we struggled to make sense of the different PhD programmes, funding options, application processes, career pathways and other things that are difficult to figure out without having a friend or relative who can answer your questions along the way. There is information online, but we wanted to create a platform where diverse student voices could be heard. Being avid podcast listeners, we decided to start a podcast ourselves.

 

 

 

Katie

About PhDeets

PhDeets is the podcast we wish we had when we were applying for our PhDs. Its target audience is current PhD students at all stages, as well as people who are deciding whether or not to apply, or those currently going through the ups and downs of the application process. We interview current PhD students, postdocs, lecturers, professors, people who left academia during or after their PhDs, those who are recruiting people with PhDs into industry positions, career advisers and really anyone who has any useful insights into the academic journey.

 

Previous episodes

We use our experiences to inform the topics we cover, but we also reach out to people to ask what topics they’d like to hear about. Some of our previous episodes are:

  • Neurodiversity at university – Panel discussion of neurodivergent researchers Claire, Katrina and Sheila about what being neurodivergent means to them, how it impacts their university life, what support they find helpful, diagnosis and labels, and more.
  • Luke’s journey to becoming a lecturer – We interviewed Luke Devereux, a lecturer at Middlesex University about his journey from PhD to becoming a lecturer, changing topics between undergrad ad postgrad, getting teaching experience, and balancing teaching and research responsibilities.
  • More than one way to do a PhD – Another panel discussion with PhD students Jaya, Shaheim, Victoria and Fiyory about the differences and similarities between their PhD programmes, including a partnership with the industry, self-funded PhD, 1+3 programmes, student versus supervisor driven applications, our reasons for doing a PhD, and applying for funding as an international student in the UK.

 

If you’d like to propose a topic for a future episode, or get in touch about anything to do with the podcast, you can message us on Twitter @PhDeets_podcast or you can email us at podcast@phdeets.com

 

 

 

You can find the podcast on our website phdeets.com or wherever you get your podcast.

Why PhD students should think about their entrepreneurial skills

26/08/2020 /

Blog post by Emily Clements, PhD Student in the Neuroscience of Entrepreneurship.

PhD students and entrepreneurs are actually very similar in a number of ways.

PhD students are already very entrepreneurial by nature – there aren’t many roles you can go into and say ‘here is the gap, and this is how we are going to address it’. From the get-go you get to contribute novel findings and manage your own project. But the word ‘entrepreneur’ is something many of us may not relate to.

My PhD research explores the neuroscience of entrepreneurship. This is a collaboration between the Entrepreneurship Institute and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s. My background is cognitive neuroscience, and I knew very little about business before beginning. Therefore, I understand that to most, the word ‘entrepreneurship’ can seem intimidating and off-putting.

But entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business.

In the same way we often do our PhD because we love the topic, entrepreneurs create ventures based on their passions. Entrepreneurial behaviour is that which provokes change, drives ideas forward and compels other to follow suit. Whether for economic or societal impact, its absolutely pivotal people exist that are able to do this.

However, one key difference exists between entrepreneurs and PhD students – while there is an existing and current issue in the measurable impact of research. Entrepreneurs are consistently creating measurable impact. I think helping PhD students improve their entrepreneurial skills would create an undeniable force of informed change-makers.

PhD students should improve their ability to get-it-done and compel others of their ideas.

While both PhDs and start-ups provide new ways of doing things, in research we spend more time thinking, planning, and hypothesising. This is key and necessary to ensure we produce meaningful and informed research; however, I feel this sometimes creates a habit-behaviour in us, in which we sit around talking about things, without getting it done, perhaps one of the most important skills to learn for success in any career.

What’s more, we produce such compelling and novel work. However, often we want the complexity of our work to speak for itself based on journal publications, which anyone outside of academia doesn’t respond to. Conversely, entrepreneurs are incredibly good at pitching themselves and their ideas to everyone – PhD students should be just as confident in their expert knowledge and be able to speak about in a way that compels people outside of their field to realise its potential.

This is why I now think PhD students could learn a lot from entrepreneurs and the skills they posses.

Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute has shown 67% of PhD students want a career in academic research but only 30% stay in academia three years on. Moreover, while PhD students feel confident in analytical, data and technical skills, we tend to be less confident in managing other people and finding career satisfaction. Up until completing a PhD, many of us have only experienced and developed skills for the research world.

By developing entrepreneurial skills, those of us who leave research would be equipped with a skillset with which we can drive ideas forward, compel others and create meaningful, measurable impact. Whether starting a business or working in any industry, companies at the moment are actively investing in people who have an ability to promote change in their workplace. So why not work on these skills now?

Meanwhile those of us who stay in research make up the future generation of academics. It’s important that this generation learns to promote its own research efforts, as well as address many of the current issues and challenges we are all so aware of today. Entrepreneurial thinking already exists and is evident with the rise of open research, however we can do more; such as speeding up the pace of our work, eradicating a bullying culture, and increasing the number of women and people from BAME communities in senior academic roles.

 

If we learn anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the speed at which studies and labs can be set up and whole departmental structures changed. This highlights that there is possibility for change – but it needs disruption and entrepreneurial minds to push it forward.

Learning entrepreneurial skills supply you with the means to get it done, be resilient, compel others and build teams to help you make an impact.

 

 

I recommend taking part in the Entrepreneurial Brain Challenge (EBC), a project I have just launched, which makes up the first part of my PhD. By completing the challenge you can get personalised feedback on your 7 Skills of an Entrepreneurial  Mindset (a framework developed by the Entrepreneurship Institute at King’s), your personality, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, as well as a pack containing resources to help you improve your weaker areas.

 

 

Emily Clements, PhD Student in the Neuroscience of Entrepreneurship.

 

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