Applying for fellowships Franciska de Vries BBSRC David Phillips - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Applying for fellowships Franciska de Vries BBSRC David Phillips Fellow School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (formerly FLS) “a” “a” “the”

Who am I? 2015-present BBSRC David Phillips Fellow 2014 Maternity leave 2013-2015 Faculty Fellow (University of Manchester) 2012-2013 Senior PDRA (Lancaster University) 2009-2012 PDRA (Lancaster University) 2004-2009 PhD (Wageningen, the Netherlands)

Grants awarded as PI 2012 British Ecological Society Early Career Grant 2012 NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Grant 2013 Royal Society International Exchanges Grant 2015 BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship 2017 NERC Standard Grant

Grants applied for as PI 2008 Dutch Rubicon Grant 2008 Newton International Fellowship 2012 British Ecological Society Early Career Grant 2012 L’Oreal -Unesco Fellowship for Women in Science 2012 NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Grant 2013 Royal Society International Exchanges Grant 2015 Royal Society University Research Fellowship 2015 BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship 2016 NERC AMR Pump Priming Grant 2017 NERC Standard Grant

What do you need to be “successful” in getting grant funding • Resilience • Determination • Willingness to take, and learn from, criticism • A good track record (papers!) • Write excellent grant proposals

What do you need to be successful in getting a fellowship • Resilience • Determination • Willingness to take, and learn from, criticism • A good track record (papers!) • Write an excellent proposal • Give an excellent interview

Royal Society URF success rates split for male and female applicants

BBSRC David Phillips success rates split for male and female applicants

NERC fellowship success rates split for male and female applicants

ERC Starting and Consolidator grant success rates split for male and female applicants

So success rates are low… and even lower if you’re a woman - Don’t leave a stone unturned and an opportunity unused to make your proposal excellent - Be aware of your own weaknesses/ limitations - Ask for help/ feedback

Write an excellent grant proposal Before you start writing: • Keep up with the literature and be aware of knowledge gaps in your field • Keep a file with your ideas • Talk about them with your colleagues • Think about relevant schemes/funders and take enough time to write

Write an excellent grant proposal When you know which scheme to apply for: • Closing date • Submission system • Nr of pages, format, font, etc • Maximum cost

Write an excellent grant proposal 1. Case for support 2. Track record/ CV

Case for support • Why is this research important • Why should it be done now • Why should it be done by you

Case for support • Clear questions/ hypotheses/ objectives • No loose ends • Preliminary data

Track record/ CV • Sell yourself!

Other bits • Summary • Technical summary • Justification of resources • Pathways to impact • Impact summary • Academic beneficiaries • Commercial exploitation • Letters of support • GANNT chart • Choice of host organisation • Use of facilities • Equipment approval (by Faculty)

If invited for interview • Arrange a mock interview with some very critical people, and schedule it well before your interview takes place

If invited for interview DO: - Highlight why YOU need to do this research - Highlight your independence - Have an answer ready for the most obvious questions - Make a clear, slick, simple presentation

If invited for interview DO: - Dress smart and clever - Google the people on the panel - Act confident - Smile

If invited for interview DON’T: - Repeat your proposal - Sit down while you’re presenting - Make a presentation that is too long

And if unsuccessful… try again. Some more reading on fellowships, gender issues in grant funding, women in science: franciskadevries.wordpress.com 500womenscientists.org @frantecol