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GAUSS Career Workshop: “Grant Writing” (March 20, 2020)

We are happy to announce our March workshop “Grant Writing” by John Dixon.

This workshop is intended for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers who are new to the process of applying for a scientific research grant. Ideally, participants should already be in the process of applying for a grant or planning to start writing within the next 3 months. Therefore it is crucial that they have an idea about the research topic and and possible funding bodies.

Registration: Please register here and send an e-mail to career@gauss.uni-goettingen.de including a short statement on your motivation to attend the workshop.

Workshop Description: 

Objectives of the workshop
After the workshop, participants should have developed a rationale for their research: an argument that justifies the aims and importance of the study. They also should have understand the application process, who reviews applications and who makes the final decision. Furthermore they should appreciate the characteristics of a good application and know what to avoid in an application. Finally they should have have written an abstract for their intended research, understandable to an informed lay audience, and received feedback from the tutor.

Overview of the program
Preparation before the workshop: Participants should identify a research question or hypothesis and aim of the research, and outline the importance of the research.
During the workshop: Throughout the workshop, short presentations with discussion to cover the nine pieces of the ‘grant application jigsaw’: be complete (reference to funding bodies such as German Research Foundation and Wellcome Trust); have a compelling rationale; use persuasive writing; have robust methods; be credible; be clear and concise; be correct (proofread, avoid inconsistencies); have an attractive layout; have a strong abstract. Furthermore we address the commonest questions applicants ask reviewers about a grant application (Q&A). There will be also group exercises to identify the characteristics of a good scientific grant application as well as to critique some abstracts from the National Institutes of Health and German Research Foundation.
Writing task after the workshop: Participants are invited to consolidate everything they have learned by preparing a 500-word grant application abstract, understandable to an informed lay person. The trainer will provide individual, written feedback.