SCIENTIFIC WRITING/EDITING

One of the challenges that researchers sometimes face is aligning their research program with the goals of the funding agency. While it is perfectly reasonable to use an existing research idea, it is crucial to ensure that the elements of your idea are in alignment with what the agency is looking to fund. 

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During the consultation, let's discuss how to best fit your research for the agency's funding call. At the end of this consultation, you will receive an actionable plan that you can use to write your draft. 

Typically, before a proposal goes out to the review panel, there is a pre-review process where your proposal is evaluated for adherence to the agency guidelines. This is often the first step in the short-listing process and improper adherence to application instructions may result in a score penalty or an automatic rejection of your proposal.

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I can provide a customized outline in adherence to the agency's guidelines. The outline will contain relevant subheadings in accordance with the review criteria and be formatted and named according to the agency guidelines. In the cases where you are uploading an application to an on-line portal, this document will contain the subheadings and instructions from the portal to facilitate the writing and revision process. 

With the number of research grants that need to be reviewed, it is often difficult to assemble a panel of experts in every particular field for review. In my experience, most panels are comprised of researchers who have some expertise in your overall field (e.g., health, life sciences, physics, chemistry). Therefore, it is crucial to have your draft be reviewed by a scientifically-literate non expert. This allows you to identify potential jargon/elements in your application that are too technical and difficult for a potential reviewer to understand.

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In my experience reviewing successful proposals as a generalist, I have found that the common element in all of those proposals is that they are reasonably self-contained and easily defensible at grant review panels.

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I will provide a critical review of your proposal against the funding agency guidelines and provide actionable feedback on writing a proposal that compellingly takes the reader through your idea, making it easy for them to defend your project at review meetings.