Get that international grant: some practical advice

With all the international grants and funders out there, you may be overwhelmed about where and how to get the process started. Here’s some practical advice to keep in mind.

Before applying 

• Seek advice . Speak to experienced researchers both within and outside your immediate network for advice and mentorship. Leverage their experience and insights. They could make all the difference to a successful application. Look at online grant sites like ogrants.org for examples of funding and applications across disciplines. 
• Extend your network. Deliberately seek out the type of opportunities that will help you to forge international collaborations in your field. This will allow you to have more research capacity and expand your capabilities. If you can add co-investigators with established reputations in your subject (and better yet, with a record of successful funding applications with this particular funder), it will add credibility to your application.   Funders will have more confidence in a successful outcome.
• Be aware of deadlines. Be aware of project, team and institutional milestones that may apply en route to the final submission deadline. Remember that it is essential to stay abreast – preferably ahead! – of the requirements, so consider using a timeline to track your progress.
• Note the fine print. International grant applications have different considerations to local grant applications. For example, you may need a partner from the country offering the grant or the research may need to benefit the funder’s country. 

When applying 

You have spotted the perfect international funding opportunity for your research. Excellent, but now what? Try to address the following three questions that funders and reviewers will ask when they consider your proposal.

• What are we going to learn as a result of the proposed project that we don’t already know?
• Why is that information worth knowing?
• What will you do with the results and what impact will they have?

Remember that a grant application is essentially a marketing document for your research project: it should be focused, clear and compelling. Bear in mind that both subject matter experts (reviewers) and non-subject matter experts (committee members) may be  reviewing your proposal. Write for your reader and take care not to simply describe your work but put forward a case for why the work needs to be done, and just as importantly, why you are the right person to do it.

Finally, keep at it and don’t give up. The more qualified and substantiated applications you send off, the likelier it is that you will be successful. Keep working, keep applying and use the feedback from unsuccessful applications to refine your narratives.

Need help finding the right funding opportunity fit for you? Read our post on finding the perfect international funding opportunity.

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