Grant Writing Courses for PhD students
No matter the career stage, securing external funding is crucial for scientists to be able to explore new ideas and advance their careers. Proposal writing is both an art and a science, and as such, it can be taught and learned. Since 2021, The EPFL Research Office has offered a Doctoral School transferable skills course titled, “How to prepare successful grant proposals”, during which students will write a full, ready-to-submit funding proposal.
Next dates:
2024 EDOC course ENG-601
Seven biweekly meetings from Thursday 12 September until 5 December 2024, 11am-1pm.
Objective
Primarily intended for advanced PhD candidates, this course will teach participants where to look for appropriate fellowship and research funding opportunities, the ins and outs of the application process itself, and how to prepare a written proposal. Practicing writing is a key step in learning how to write, as is reading the work of others. Therefore, the main goal for students in the course will be to write a full proposal for a major postdoctoral fellowship or proof-of concept grant through an iterative process. Students will write and receive critical feedback on proposal excerpts before rewriting them based on these constructive criticisms and suggestions. They will also gain an understanding of how proposals are being assessed by funders and hone their proposal writing skills through peer review exercises.
Structure
The course will include seven sessions. Each class will include a mini lecture and a peer review exercise done in small groups. The exercise will be based on written assignments related to the topics of each class. The course will begin with a general introduction to the funding landscape and grant writing tips, as well as peer review and research integrity (week 1). Three classes will then be devoted to crafting the proposal itself, including crafting a compelling abstract, defining the significance of the proposed research, and identifying objectives and hypotheses (week 2); imagining an impactful title and writing an effective introduction (week 3); and convincingly presenting the research plan (week 4). Students will subsequently learn the dos and don’ts for other components of an application, in particular the results, timeline, budget, and the broader impacts of the research (week 5). The penultimate class will focus on crucial fellowship application elements, such as CVs, career plans, and the choice of host institution, and be rounded out with discussions on the bibliography, research ethics, and data management (week 6). Finally, an expert panel of EPFL professors sitting on different grant review boards will share inside knowledge and tips with course participants (week 7).
Registration
Enrollment is limited, and budding EPFL researchers interested in attending should not wait to sign up for this course. Registrations through Doctoral School will be available as of mid-August. Any questions can be directed to the EPFL Research Office through its generic email address.