Coping with Rejection

Rejection is an integral part of academic life. Whether you’re applying for jobs or for funding, submitting journal articles or book proposals, or putting yourself forward for promotion, academics need to develop a thick skin in order to survive and thrive.

But rejection need not be crushing. At last month’s Early Career Researcher Network we looked at strategies for overcoming it and support available for coping with it.

The Inside Track on Applying to Leverhulme

Sunlight soap: the beginning of it all (photo: Øklands trykksaker CC BY 2.0)

Academics love the Leverhulme Trust. Other funders may be bigger, or bolder, or more ambitious. But Leverhulme seems to sing the song that academics want to hear. It funds blue skies research without the layers of political varnish. Your work doesn’t have to fit a particular discipline. It doesn’t have to be a collaboration. You don’t have to link with industry, or focus on capacity building.

For Leverhulme, it’s the research, stupid. It funds curiosity-driven research that reflects an individual vision. It disregards disciplinary boundaries. It can take risks. It can fail.

No wonder academics love it.

But what makes it tick? What is it looking for? How does it assess applications? And what are your chances of being funded?

Five Ingredients for a Perfect Research Funding Bid

Five ingredients for a perfect recipe.
Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash

Is there a formula for a successful funding proposal? Not quite, but there are five elements that you should definitely keep in mind when drafting your application. 

The Joy of Six

Life on Quality St: the three speakers in action

The ‘Essential Elements of a Successful Application’ workshop is like the purple one in Quality Street: it’s a perennial favourite. We’ve been running variations on it since we began the Grants Factory in 2009, and there is always a good turnout and a stimulating discussion. I’ve written up some notes from previous sessions here, here, here and here (I could go on). Friday’s iteration was no different.

Grants Factory: Alternative Funding for your Work

13 June 2017, 2-4pm

Venue TBC

Innovation and enterprise funding routes can be a significant and rewarding - but often overlooked - alternative to traditional funding sources. This session, delivered by Kent Innovation and Enterprise (KIE), will increase your understanding of the innovation and enterprise landscape, including Innovate UK and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), and how they can help you access this funding.

The session also includes presentations from Prof Colin Robinson, Professor in Biotechnology/Head of School at Biosciences, and from Dr Jesse O’Hanley, Reader in Environmental Systems Management at Kent Business School, who will share their experiences of securing alternative funding and working with industry partners.

As ever it’s free and open to all, and tea and coffee will be available. However, do let me know if you intend to come so that I can make sure both room and catering are appropriate.

Grants Factory: Who Owns What and Why?

Understanding Intellectual Property and Copyright

7 June 2017, 12-2pm

Venue TBC

In the digital age the question of intellectual capital has becoming increasingly complex. Trying to identify the ‘originator’ of an idea or theory is difficult enough, but is made more complicated still if that idea or theory leads to financial benefit. Fortunately, here at Kent we have two expert guides who can lead us through this confusing and sometimes hostile terrain. Lucy Druesne is the Deputy Director of Kent Innovation and Enterprise, which works with external organisations to share expertise and develop new ideas and technologies. She has helped a range of academics across Kent to understand and make the most of their intellectual property for impact. Chris Morrison, on the other hand, is the University’s Copyright and Licencing Compliance Officer, supporting and advising staff and students on protecting their own copyright, but also not infringing that of other people.

Together they will help to demystify the subject, and provide practical and simple advice to those trying to navigate this new world. The session is intended to be informal and interactive, so if you have specific questions do bring them along. As ever it’s free and open to all, and a light lunch will be provided. However, do let me know if you intend to come so that I can make sure both room and catering are appropriate.

'It's Very Much Worth the Effort'

Dr Richard Guest

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITNs) are one of the most popular schemes within Horizon 2020, and it’s easy to see why: they offer an opportunity for the recruitment of talented early career researchers to be trained in any discipline, whilst also enabling them to flex their wings across national and sectoral boundaries.

However, this popularity comes at a cost, and the success rates for them can make bleak reading. A perfect opportunity, then, to hear from a successful applicant about what’s involved and how best to prepare for the ‘trial by resubmission.’

Dr Richard Guest, from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts, has just received funding for AMBER (enhAnced Mobile BiomEtRics), an ITN that addresses a range of current issues around biometrics on mobiles, and stretches across five universities and seven industrial partners.

The Dark Art of Costing

Professor Massoura-McGonagall instructing colleagues in the dark arts

Sometimes costing a grant application can seem like a dark art, full of unfamiliar terms, complex algorithms, and strange exclusions.

The latest Grants Factory session sought to demystify the process, clearly setting out what you can and cannot apply for, how the calculations are made, and how Research Services can help.

It was led by Dr Andrew Massoura and Dr Jane Benstead. Between them they have an encyclopedic wealth of knowledge about how costing works. Based on this, here are my eleven key points for understanding the dark art of costing research proposals.

Grants Factory and Early Career Researcher Network 2016-17

We've finalised the Grants Factory and Early Career Researcher Network workshops for 2016/17. Below is the full list. Events are free, open to all, and refreshments are provided. However, spaces are limited, and offered on a first come, first served basis. If you want to come to any of these sessions, contact me. 

Applying for European Research Funding in the Humanities

Monday 5 December 11.00 -12.30 followed by lunch

One to one sessions available 14.00-16.00

Dr Giancarlo Pichillo

EU funding is a process. At its heart, you need a good team and a powerful network. Above all, you need a compelling idea. Innovativeness, originality, impact, research excellence, feasibility: no EU-funded proposal will lack these basic characteristics. This is a challenge that researchers and scholars engaged with social sciences and humanities need to tackle in order to let our disciplines survive in the current historical context.

Led by Dr Giancarlo Pichillo from the University of Sienna this session will specifically help you develop EU funding applications but also help you to construct better, more confident funding applications in general. Giancarlo has extensive experience of writing EU funding proposals (for example, Horizon 2020, FP7, Creative Europe etc) and project managing EU-funded projects. He is currently, the project manager of "Playing Identities, Performing Heritage", funded by the Creative Europe Programme (Small Scale Cultural Cooperation Projects), coordinated by the University of Siena.

If you are interested in attending the workshop and/or meeting Giancarlo for a one to one session, please contact Lynne Bennett.

Costing a Proposal: what can I include?

Sometimes costing a grant application can seem like a dark art, full of unfamiliar terms, complex algorithms, and strange exclusions. The next Grants Factory session aims to demystify the process, clearly setting out what you can and cannot apply for, how the calculations are made, and how Research Services can help.

It will be led by Dr Andrew Massoura and Dr Jane Benstead. Andrew heads the Contracts Team within Research Services, previously worked at the University of Oxford and has a doctorate in biomedicine. Jane’s background is also in the life sciences, and has been supporting colleagues for the past seven years, in particular those in EDA, KLS, KBS, Economics and SSPSSR. Thus, they understand the pressures and demands of those working in research, and have a huge amount of experience in supporting them to secure the necessary funding for their projects and fellowships.  

The session is free and open to all, and a light lunch will be provided. However, space is limited, so do let me know if you plan to come along.

Grants Factory 2016/17: Essential Elements of a Successful Application

Prof Mick Tuite

We’ve almost finalised the programme of Grants Factory and Early Career Researcher Network events for 2016/17.  More details will be available soon, and a full listing will be in Research Active, which will go out in mid-October.

The first event will look at the ‘essential elements of a successful application’. Everyone’s research is different, but successful funding proposals share a number of common elements. Mastering these is essential if your application is going to get the consideration it deserves, no matter how good your underlying research idea is. This session will look at these, and will provide insights into how to get them right.

Leverhulme Fellowships: Notes from a Panellist

Prof Davina Cooper

Last week we ran a Grants Factory session on Leverhulme Trust Fellowships. Prof Davina Cooper from Kent Law School offered some thoughts from her time on the Research Awards Advisory Committee which administers a number of Leverhulme’s fellowship schemes, and my colleague Brian Lingley provided some notes from the session below. 

Imposter Syndrome: Notes from ECR Network

The Imposter Syndrome is a relatively new concept. Dr Pauline Rose Clance, a clinical psychologist, was the first to coin the phrase in 1971 when she noticed that her female students were not putting themselves forward as much as their male counterparts. Initially it was assumed that it was a gender-based phenomenon, but at last week’s ECR Network meeting it was clear that it was prevalent across academia.

Grants Factory and ECR Network Events: Spring Term

Welcome back to the new term!

There is a full programme of workshops, talks and events this term as part of the Grants Factory and ECR Network. All of them are free, and refreshments will be provided. There will be more detail on each of these nearer the time but if you already know which ones you want to attend, do get in touch.

Fundermental Top 10 of 2014

Last year I compiled a list of the top ten posts on Fundermentals, based on page views. As we inch towards Christmas, and before the deluge of the REF, I reckon it's time to do the same for 2014.

Essential Elements of a Good Application, 2014

Last week we revisited the 'essential elements of a good application' in the first Grants Factory workshop of the 2014/15 season. 

I wrote an extensive post on last year's event, and I don't want to rewrite all of the points I noted there. These still stand. If anything, they are more relevant as ever as the success rates for the Research Councils take a dip. Instead I wanted to pick out some of the points that I might have skimmed over, or note those that were raised additionally. 

Grants Factory: Using Research Professional

Research Professional (RP) is the UK’s most comprehensive source of up-to-date information on available research funding opportunities. It’s the benchmark for such databases, and the majority of UK research-intensive universities use it. Kent has a subscription, and has also signed up for additional RP services which provide news, intelligence and background information on the research funding landscape.

Anyone on the University’s network can use the service. However, if you register with RP, you can access it wherever you are, and can tailor funding and news alerts. It is invaluable if you are planning to apply for a research grant or fellowship.

The next Grants Factory (8 December) will help you get the most from the service. Luke George from RP will be running two sessions: the first will be a straightforward overview of what RP offers; the second will give you the same overview, but will also give you the opportunity to have a go at using the database, setting up an account, and exploring what it has to offer.

• Overview: 13:00-14:00, KLT2 
• Interactive Workshop: 14:30-16:00, ECT1 

It’s free to attend and you can come to either of the sessions. However places are limited, and will be given on a first come first served basis, so do let me know if you intend to come.

2 Forthcoming Grants Factory & ECR Network Events

The following Grants Factory and ECR Network sessions are coming up at the end of the month. Both events are free and all Kent staff are welcome, but do let me know if you intend to come along. Tea/coffee will be available, and there’ll be lunch for the Essential Elements session.

Grants Factory Workshops 2014-15

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the award winning Grants Factory programme.

The Grants Factory provides academics and researchers with the inside knowledge on how funders work and what makes them tick. As a result, those who attend have a much better chance of success.

The programme speakers are colleagues from Kent and elsewhere, including those who work as reviewers, panellists, and officers for the funders. These workshops are complemented by the Early Career Research Network.

Autumn Term

• The Essential Elements of a Good Application Friday 28 November 2014, 12noon-3pm 
• BBSRC Mock Panel Thursday 4 December 2014, 2:30-4:30pm 
• Using Research Professional to Find the Best Funding Scheme for You Monday 8 December 2014, 1-2pm (talk) & 2:30-4pm (interactive session) 

Spring Term

• The Essential Elements of a Good Leverhulme Fellowship Application Wednesday 4 February 2015, 2-4pm 
• EPSRC Mock Panel Thursday 12 February 2015, 1-4pm 
• AHRC Mock Panel Wednesday 18 February 2015, 12noon-2pm 
• ESRC Mock Panel Wednesday 11 March 2015, 2-4pm 
• Engaging with Politicians & Policy Makers through Parliament Thursday 19 March 2015
• Interdisciplinary Sandpits Dates TBC

Details of some events (such as the time and venue) are still to be confirmed. The events are free and open to all University of Kent staff, and refreshments will be provided. Contact me for more information, or if you would like to take part in any of these events.