Avoiding Common Problems in Grant Application

Greetings again. I hope you’re doing well.

As you might have seen, this year AuthorAID is again offering grants. In the first round, 2 travel grants and 2 workshop grants are available. We look forward to receiving many good applications.

So . . . now might be a good time for some tips on avoiding problems in grant application. These tips might seem obvious. However, I have seen that researchers often neglect to follow them.

• Observe eligibility criteria. For example, some grants are only for researchers in certain age groups or from certain countries. If you don’t qualify, you’re wasting your time by applying.
• Propose eligible work. Calls for proposals commonly say what kind of work the grant can support. Stay within this scope. For example, if the funding source is offering grants for training workshops, don’t propose a research conference.
• Follow instructions about length. Grant-application instructions often state maximum lengths for the application or for parts of it. If these lengths are exceeded, the application might be disqualified or parts of it might not be read.
• Identify broad impact. If asked to state the expected impact of the grant, don’t say only how the grant would help you. Instead or in addition, say, for example, how it would benefit your students, colleagues, institution, or country.
• Proofread the application. Before submitting your application, review it and correct typographical or other errors. A well-prepared application helps show that you’re careful and competent.

I hope these tips are useful. Until the next post—

Barbara