Introduction

Yes, your aim is to carry out your own research ideas and to win a career grant. But what is actually available to you in terms of funding opportunities? Which agencies are there to help you fund and develop your career? What are the terms and conditions of the funding agency you hope to apply to? How do these appeal to you?

You might ignore all these questions and simply start writing your research proposal immediately and just see where it ends up. And perhaps you will do well – who knows? But if you are really serious, then you will probably decide to continue reading this chapter to learn more about the funding agencies before you start with the actual writing. If you want to play the game and optimize your chance of winning a career grant, then you must know how to play the game and what the rules are. Here are the keys to getting a full picture of your destination before you depart:

• Target. Which types of people do funding agencies actually want to award career grants to, what do they expect from their laureates, and are you ready for this? What do they actually target? What is your own target?

• Brochure. Check websites and download brochures to explore the opportunities offered by various funding agencies. Which agencies provide career grant opportunities matching your scientific dreams?

• Procedure. The funding agency defines the procedure and processes for evaluating you and your competitors so that the best, in their eyes, may win. You need to learn more about these procedures and processes before you start. This is critical for your success in the career grant competition.

• Rules. The best way to kill your application is to submit it after the deadline. And there are many other silly or naive ways to reduce the value of your application in the eyes of the external reviewers and panel members. Learn how to avoid them.

Introduction

You’re rolling the dice, you’re going to apply for the career grant. You have analyzed the funding agency’s and your own situation and defined your strategy. Now you are ready for the exciting step of writing the proposal. The list below gives several keys to success:

• Plan. This is the detailed script for the scientific work to come: what, when, where, by whom, in what order, and with what risks. It will be evaluated by the panel members and reviewers, some of whom may be pretty experienced in your field, while others will be less knowledgeable of the specifics but will still have long experience of running scientific projects. How can you write a convincing script?

• Impact. Now predict the success your script will have. What types of success should you think of upon completion of the work plan? And how about successes in the mid- and long-term, perhaps long after the work plan has been finished? When would your prediction seem realistic in the eye of the evaluators?

• Abstract. Does your abstract outline your main problem, your reasons for tackling it, the predicted success, and the most convincing factors showing how you are going to achieve this success?

• Title. Does your title clearly reflect the intention of your scientific proposal? Which title formats work best?

• Budget. Have you asked the funding agency for enough money (but no more than strictly required) to finance all that you have promised to do in your work plan? And how can you actually know or reasonably estimate the costs?

• Résumé. Does your résumé demonstrate your leadership with a track record packed with convincing facts, exciting facts, astonishing facts? Do the most important ones really stand out well?