Write down your good ideas
Do not wait until there is a relevant call, just go ahead and do it. Most applications are submitted in pdf format, so you can write in Word, Latex or any format you prefer.
Read the call text in detail
Be sure that your project idea fits the call. It is a waste of time to apply if your project does not fit the call.
Start early
You need time for the project idea to mature. Give yourself time to think, doodle and discuss. Ideas need time to fully form themselves.
Who are you writing for?
Find out who your audience is and what are the evaluation criteria? Are you writing for generalists or specialists? Are the evaluators even from the same research area? This should of course affect both the content and the writing style of your application.
Write alone or with others
Some calls are directed at projects with one project leader, other calls are suitable for cooperating groups of researchers. Make sure the format of your project fits the call.
Get help reading
Ask colleagues and others to help reading the application. Choose your "trial readers" carefully: Find a group that can give you feedback on the different parts of the application. Choose one close colleague, but in addition, try to find one colleague working in a related research field (but not the same as you). Make sure that the application is read by someone in the administration who knows the formal rules of the call. Feel free to use friends and family to read, they can give you other forms of feedback than your colleagues.
Know the evaluation criteria and use them actively
Remember to send the evaluation criteria to everyone who are reading your application. Then they are aware of what criteria are used to evaluate the application and can give you better advice and feedback.
Make yourself understood
A good rule of thumb is that everyone should understand the first half page of your application regardless of their area of research. A good introduction is important to make a good first impression.
Remember to involve the administration in your application process
They can help you with all the formalities and are essential to get a correct budget to include in the application.
Submit your application several times
Most funding agencies will give you the opportunity to submit an updated version of the application as many times as you like until the final deadline. Create your own internal deadline (for example a week before the official deadline), to send in a first complete application. This will give you the opportunity to make corrections up until the deadline, but at the same time be sure that you have submitted your application in time.
Be nice to the evaluators
Remember that the evaluators are people too. So everything you can do to lighten the readability of your application is a good thing and makes the evaluators job easier.
Learn from your own mistakes
When the application is submitted - spend some time reflecting and making notes about the application process. What went well? What could have been done differently? Do this with everyone you worked on the application with.
When your application is rejected (because this happens much more often than we would like)
Sit down, read the evaluation report and use it as a learning experience. Is it possible to reuse the application or parts of it somewhere else?
Writing applications is a useful exercise
No matter the outcome, use the application process to think through and structure your research. In this way, writing applications will never be a waste of time.
Avoid these traps
Technical errors
Start filling in the online application form well ahead of the application deadline. All deadlines are absolute, and there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to send in the application in time because of a technical glitch.
Use the right template and reply to the call
Even though it is always most fun writing the scientific part of the application, make sure to spend enough time on the other parts of the application. Many applicants loose points because they lack structure and clarity in the parts of the application that should be easy to write (milestones for the project, dissemination etc).
No funding agency is interested in funding "business as usual"
If you apply for "a bit of funding to do some research, like we usually do" the possibility to get funding is very small. The application should contain a clearly defined project that fits the research front in a timely manner and where YOU are the best project leader.
Balance the workload and resources
Make sure that there is a balance between the size of the project (the work that is expected to be done), the resources you are applying for and the work hours you plan to put into the project.
Train before an interview
If you have to give an interview as part of the application process, take every opportunity to practise answering all thinkable and unthinkable questions. Find out who is in the interview panel. Are they generalists or specialists? The questions you will be asked will be affected by this and the way you answer should be tailored to your audience. (Researchers from other research fields will generally see mathematics as difficult, inaccessible and far from reality, so it may be important to prepare examples of where and when your research "meets reality".)
Avoid using standard CVs
The CV that you attach to the application should be tailored to fit the content of the application. Mention things in the CV that do not fit into the project description. Remember that the intention of the CV is to introduce you to your readers (who may not know your research field well). Consider if you want to include information about what publications are the most important in your field and say something about the citation tradition in your field as well. Some fields list authors alphabetically, others don't. Remember to include citation numbers and what source the numbers are taken from. (MathSciNet, Scopus and Web of Science are good sources, Google Scholar and Research gate are regarded as less serious.) Your CV should emphasize the roles you have played that shows independence, maturity and that your colleagues trusts you (invitations, referee work, seats on editorial boards etc etc). When you list the PhD-students that you have supervised try to include what jobs they have today.
All parts of the application are important
Spend enough time on filling in summary, keywords etc. in the online application form. This information is often used to find the right evaluators for your application, and will also be the evaluators first impression of your application.
Give your readers room to breath
Avoid using small fonts and narrow margins to stuff as much text as possible into your project description. Use plenty of air and illustrations if possible to create breaks in the text and explaining things in different ways. A good illustration or table may explain a lot!
Make the project idea before you choose partners
Then you can be certain that you get the right partner for this particular project.
If you have questions about writing applications or want help - contact the department research adviser: Elisabeth H. Seland