VALIDATE ECR Workshop 2024: Grant Writing
The VALIDATE Annual Meeting 2024 kicked off with an exclusive Early Career Researcher (ECR) Workshop on 15th July. Held in the Air Room of the Avani+ Riverside Hotel, this highly interactive grant writing course provided early-career researchers with essential skills to craft effective research proposals and secure funding. Hosted by Scriptoria, a provider of training for international organisations and research centres, the workshop covered the nuances of the proposal review process and proposal writing skills. Participants were guided through the proposal evaluation process, learning how to draft compelling abstracts and write convincingly about research impact. The morning sessions focused on crafting executive and lay summaries, writing statements of need, and understanding funding opportunities with talks from notable funders, including Dr Alison Kraigsley from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr Mariana Delfino-Machin from the Medical Research Council, and Mrs Samantha Vermaak from VALIDATE.
The afternoon sessions detailed the methods of work planning, linking outputs to outcomes, planning budgets, and the professional writing and editing cycle. Participants also engaged in practical exercises to refine their ideas and writing for a broader audience. Feedback from the workshop was overwhelmingly positive, with participants praising the practical exercises and the trainer's interactive approach. The day concluded with a workshop dinner in the Sky Room, providing further networking opportunities for delegates.
Workshop Agenda
Part One (Morning)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:00 - 09:15 | Registration & Coffee |
| 09:15 - 09:25 | Group warm-up - open discussion on proposal writing challenges |
| 09:25 - 09:45 | Understanding the evaluation process |
| 09:45 - 10:15 | Crafting an executive and lay summary |
| 10:15 - 10:30 | Breakaway group discussion - critiquing lay summaries |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Break |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | Evidencing the need for your project (writing your statement of need) |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | Setting targets (aim/objectives) and writing your project description |
| 11:45 - 12:30 |
Funding opportunities - Three talks from three important funders.
|
| 12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch |
Part Two (Afternoon)
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 13:30 - 13:40 | Group post-lunch warm-up activity |
| 13:40 - 14:10 | Detailing work-plan - methods and outputs |
| 14:10 - 14:40 | Linking outputs to outcomes and impact |
| 14:40 - 14:55 | Breakaway group discussion - critiquing the project description |
| 14:55 - 15:25 | Break |
| 15:25 - 15:45 | Highlighting your team and organisation |
| 15:45 - 16:00 | Breakaway group discussion - planning your CV |
| 16:00 - 16:20 | Planning a budget |
| 16:20 - 17:00 | Using the professional writing and editing cycle |
| 17:00 - 19:00 | Workshop Dinner (Sky Room) |