Successful applications and completed projects
Key points from the data:
- Examples of previously successful grant applications are very instructive for applicants because they provide an immediate sense of structure, form and the level at which an idea might be pitched to result in success.
- Looking at other peoples' current or completed projects can provide applicants with a wide range of information, for example, the topic area, team size and composition, project aims, deliverables and dissemination activities.
Exemplar applications
Seven out of 10 interviewees commented on the usefulness of viewing exemplar applications to provide them with an idea of the characteristics of a successful application. This familiarised them with the nature of the document, for example, length, format, the 'pitch’, budget, its scholarly engagement, appendices and so on. Mikko (A-size institution) encouraged applicants to 'utilise examples of existing successful research grants as models for developing your grant applications'. Sally (C) indicated, 'If I know someone who has written a recent application, I ask them if I can have a look at it so that I know what they’re (the funding body/assessors) looking for'. Gerry (D) said that viewing previously successful applications provided 'an insight into which parts of the application required what level of detail'. Vivien (C) recommended that applicants to 'read as many previous successful grant applications as you can'. Gerry (D) said he met with centrally-located staff who could 'walk through examples'. Trevor (D) had strong views on this when asked for his advice for prospective applicants:
I'd say (see) examples of grants that got up. That is really good and it is really weird. Each institution seems to have a different culture around the sharing of those. (Mine) is very open and I really think that is great. I have had colleagues at other institutions who can't get a winning grant from their institution. They can't see an example of this thing being done well. How are you supposed to write one if you have never seen one? I think the OLT should actually provide some. I just think that would be great. It is not in the OLT's interest to have people write crappy grants, so I think examples (are useful).
Chris (C) came at this from a slightly different angle, saying that support he had received at his institution included seeing exemplars, plus having 'central' staff working with him who made suggestions on the basis of having 'seen a number of applications'.
Completed projects
Although Lucy (C) was the only interviewee to suggest that looking at other peoples' current or completed projects was useful in helping her get an idea of how to develop her applications, the suggestion is eminently sensible. She said, 'It's really good to look at other peoples’ projects to see what has been successful and see what their outputs are … looking at ones that you think are good or not so good is both useful'. The OLT website is a repository for a significant number of completed project reports and associated web resources. Selectively choosing a number of them will inform applicants of a range of project characteristics, for example, the number of project partners, dissemination strategies, budget, timeline, project focus, deliverables and outcomes.