Writing effective research grant applications
Being a good researcher does not necessarily mean you are good at communicating your ideas to an audience outside of your speciality. To interest a funding organisation, you need to explain clearly and concisely what it is you want to do and why this is important for society. That means moving outside the world of jargon and complex sentences and stripping your argument down to essentials. This course will teach you how to apply time-honoured persuasive writing techniques to your research grant proposals.
You will learn how to:
Who should take this course?
All researchers who want to increase their chance of winning funding, whether a graduate student or professor. We can organise a course at your institution at a time that is convenient for you. Researchers or staff in research development can call Tony Spencer-Smith on 02 4308-9152 or email him to discuss your workshop requirements.
Trainer
Tony Spencer-Smith, award-winning author, a former Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest Australia and highly experienced corporate writing trainer.
“I found Tony's presentation on grant writing to be absolutely brilliant – very thought-provoking and full of valuable tips. I learned a lot from it, and would recommend it to others who are trying to polish up their grant-writing skills.” Professor Ray Norris, astrophysicist, Western Sydney University and CSIRO.
“Every researcher needs this type of training in writing grant applications. It is hard to move from the rarefied language of research to the clear and concise plain language that will convince funding committees that the research is valuable and worth supporting. I found the course very helpful, with good practical exercises, slides and examples.” Patrick Foong, Lecturer, School of Law, Western Sydney University.
You will learn how to:
- focus on and engage with your audience
- get the tone right, avoiding dull academic language and unnecessary jargon
- cut the waffle and get straight to the point
- structure your material for maximum impact
- use facts skilfully, not burying your readers in too much detail
- cut the deadwood out of your sentences
- write with stylistic flair
- make your research exciting, not just a pile of dry facts
- harness the power of narrative to tell the story of your proposed research
Who should take this course?
All researchers who want to increase their chance of winning funding, whether a graduate student or professor. We can organise a course at your institution at a time that is convenient for you. Researchers or staff in research development can call Tony Spencer-Smith on 02 4308-9152 or email him to discuss your workshop requirements.
Trainer
Tony Spencer-Smith, award-winning author, a former Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest Australia and highly experienced corporate writing trainer.
“I found Tony's presentation on grant writing to be absolutely brilliant – very thought-provoking and full of valuable tips. I learned a lot from it, and would recommend it to others who are trying to polish up their grant-writing skills.” Professor Ray Norris, astrophysicist, Western Sydney University and CSIRO.
“Every researcher needs this type of training in writing grant applications. It is hard to move from the rarefied language of research to the clear and concise plain language that will convince funding committees that the research is valuable and worth supporting. I found the course very helpful, with good practical exercises, slides and examples.” Patrick Foong, Lecturer, School of Law, Western Sydney University.