Research funding advice

Guidance on how to secure research funding, from finding funding to grant applications and working with funding bodies.

Man typing at laptop with sustainability symbols surrounding it

How funding processes and cross-discipline connections can support more sustainable research practices

Universities could embed and improve sustainability throughout the research cycle, including funding requirements, guidance and policy. Here, three academics reflect on a project that aimed to use funding as a driver of change

Ava Lorenc, Anne-Laure Donskoy, Matthew Fackrell

The University of Bristol

Everyone loves interdisciplinary research, but no one wants to fund it

Higher education talks a lot about interdisciplinary research, but finding funding is still an uphill struggle. Lindell Bromham offers a solution

Lindell Bromham

Australian National University

Man pushing pound coin up a hill in Sisyphys metaphor for research funding

The Sisyphus trap: surviving plummeting funding success rates

Building a research programme absolutely depends on winning grants, but early career researchers also need to be able to distinguish which opportunities are worth pursuing and where their finite time is best spent

Meysam Qadrdan

Cardiff University

Team meeting with lightbulb in foreground

Don’t just assemble an interdisciplinary research team, design one

Being intentional about collaboration across fields results in a more responsive, open and effective research project. Seyedahmad Rahimi shares advice for ensuring the right people are working together in the right way

Seyedahmad Rahimi

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

How to foster an open research culture

Guidance on establishing a culture of collaboration and transparency in research

Campus contributors, Kiera O’Brien

Campus

A beginner’s guide to open science

Open science may seem impenetrable for early career researchers. Sarahanne Field explains what it is and how to get started

Sarahanne Field

University of Groningen

Researchers work together over a microscope

Bridge the gap between university knowledge and societal challenges

Let’s build a culture where local communities can benefit from ground-breaking research. Here’s how a funding programme helped develop research aligned with the SDGs

Laura Salinas

Universidad Austral

Female student looking through a microscope

Europe invests in research but underinvests in forming researchers

Europe has built an admirable research support system but there is one crucial stage that is overlooked – the early formation of researchers, writes Adam Kola. He offers examples from his own institution on how to address this

Adam Kola

Nicolaus Copernicus University

Rethinking the process of patient and public involvement

To get a full picture of the impact of PPI, would it be better to focus on improving the process of involving people in health research as well as measuring outcomes?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Podcast graphic featuring Lisa Diamond of the University of Utah

Campus Talks: Why being a queer researcher ‘means speaking truth to power’

An LGBTQ+ scientist explains how funding cuts as a result of the US administration’s attacks on DEI-related research gave rise to a ‘gonzo science’ project and why data collection is its own form of resistance

Lisa Diamond, Eliza Compton

The University of Utah

Look beyond commercialisation to a wider landscape of impact

Instead of seeing commercialisation as an entrepreneurial activity, let’s look at it as part of a broader picture of the value research creates

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Interdisciplinary research cultures are inclusive, not competitive

Research that crosses disciplines strengthens networks, diversifies expertise and moves thinking beyond inherited boundaries, but effective interdisciplinarity takes time, curiosity and willingness to tackle cultural and structural obstacles

Valentina Cardo, Claire Clarkin , Ingrid Slade

University of Southampton

A graph is volleyed upwards by a tennis racquet-wielding figure

Commercialise research with lessons from the sporting playbook

Looking for investment to turn your research into a company? Don’t think it’s all over – here’s how to knock it out of the park

Paul Sailsbury

Arden University

A woman starts her business plan on a whiteboard

Write a business plan for a university spin-out company

Looking to secure investment for your spin-out? Find out how to write a business plan that ticks every box

Robert Crammond

University of the West of Scotland

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

A step-by-step guide to commercialising your research

Practical insight on how to take your discoveries from research laboratory to marketplace

Campus contributors, Kiera O’Brien

Campus

From lab to market – part 2: writing a business plan

In the second part of this two-part series on finding investment for research commercialisation, here’s how to build a business plan

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

Scientists discuss a project with an investor in the lab

From lab to market – part 1: finding investment

In the first part of this two-part series on investment and business planning for research spin-out companies, discover all you need to know about attracting venture capital

Eirini Epitropaki

Birkbeck, University of London

A researcher explaining her work to an investor

Who are you selling to? A marketing guide for researchers, part 2

Advice on creating a value proposition that clearly communicates the benefits of your work to different audiences

Rushana Khusainova

The University of Bristol

A researcher pitching to a room full of investors

Who are you selling to? A marketing guide for researchers, part 1

With research, it is not just about what you produce, but how and to whom you communicate it. Learn how to identify and understand the needs of your audience

Rushana Khusainova

The University of Bristol

Colleagues looking at sticky notes on glass wall

A lean approach to university technology transfer

Universities can leverage selective outsourcing to build a lean, adaptive technology transfer office that enhances collaboration and responds to external funding cycles

Gavin Clark

University of the Arts London

Measuring the value of movement: how universities can capture the benefits of sport and physical activity

With robust, quantitative data, the higher education sector can show how its sporting activities and facilities contribute to both student and staff well-being and national health goals while strengthening the case for future investment

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

A woman researching at a desk in a library

How to get started with pedagogic research (and actually publish it)

Pedagogic research is increasingly central to teaching excellence in higher education, yet many academics are unsure how to begin. Discover how to shape your idea, secure funding, navigate ethics and find the right publication for your work

Rushana Khusainova, Marios Kremantzis, Christopher Pesterfield, Xiaoting Luo

The University of Bristol

Funding bid for research illustration concept

How research technical professionals can enhance research infrastructure funding bids

When technicians are empowered and supported, they don’t just contribute to best practice and equipment sustainability, they can boost bids for investment in infrastructure

Alex Laude

Newcastle University

Campus Talks: The future of doctoral research funding for arts and humanities

An award-winning historian shares insights on changes to the PhD funding landscape in the UK and how early career scholars can maximise their chances of securing support

Alice Taylor

King’s College London

Illustration of research funding concept

Finding the funding: how to support research projects of any size

How do central research offices operate, and why are they often key to securing research funding? Eleanor Nelsen explains what help is available for researchers, including training and on-demand resources

Eleanor Nelsen

Virginia Tech

Advice for finding and securing research funding

Advice for finding and securing research funding

Tips for writing grant proposals, identifying the right route to funding and keeping a clear head on the journey

Kiera O’Brien, Campus contributors

Campus

Investing in futures: maximising legacy gifts in higher education

Legacy giving provides a valuable and sustainable source of income for charities but it’s still relatively untapped in the higher education sector. With universities and students under increasing financial pressure, now is a good time to make it a priority. Here’s how to get started

Carolyn Jones

University of Liverpool

Liquid with dollar sign dropping into test tube, research funding

Who cares about this problem as much as you do?

Securing funding requires researchers to think like strategists, storytellers and coalition-builders. Nicole Akers offers advice for navigating the demanding process to win grants and turn ideas into impact

Nicole Akers

Virginia Tech

Piles of money with trees growing on top of them

A guide to crafting better research funding proposals

Drawing on the experience of establishing Mexico’s first wine research centre, Eduardo A. Durazo-Watanabe and Mayer Cabrera-Flores share practical strategies for strengthening proposals, diversifying funding sources and leveraging teamwork to make ambitious projects a reality

Eduardo A. Durazo-Watanabe , Mayer Cabrera-Flores

CETYS Universidad

From lab to London Stock Exchange: six lessons for quantum tech founders who want to change the world

Deep-tech commercialisation requires different strategies from those that drive typical start-ups. Three university collaborators share six practical lessons from transforming quantum research into a public company with a £14.8 million valuation

Rob Young, Alan Gilchrist, Mark Rushforth

Lancaster University

Academics sit round a table, analysing documents

Write a grant proposal to win government funding

Hone your grant proposal for government funding to perfection with these tips. Yanwei Wang, Baktiyar Soltabayev and Zhumabay Bakenov draw on their experience from Kazakhstan’s funding landscape

Yanwei Wang, Baktiyar Soltabayev , Zhumabay Bakenov

Nazarbayev University

An illustration of scientists working to fund their research

Five tips to help you find non-federal research funding

Non-profit groups and industry partners can be great sources for funding opportunities. Here’s how to find the right ones and build a relationship with them

Kalene Johnson

University of Florida

Build workforce capability through smarter university-industry partnerships

Universities are expected to produce job-ready graduates, but many partnerships with industry remain ad hoc. Building deeper, more deliberate relationships with employers is key to developing stronger regional talent pipelines

Grant Ritchie

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Campus Talks: What does it take to successfully commercialise research?

A technology transfer expert and biotech spin-out founder explain the steps involved in moving discoveries from the lab to the market

Mairi Gibbs, Andrew Hammond

University of Oxford, Imperial College London

Detail statue in Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy

How to write even when the words won’t come

Books, articles and grant proposals do not arrive in a single stroke. They are created, like sculptures, through a thousand small movements. Here, Catherine De Vries explains how to develop ‘skill power’

Catherine De Vries

Bocconi University

What does the UK’s spin-out ecosystem need to thrive nationwide?

Despite their abundance of research and expertise, UK academic institutions lack mechanisms to encourage and incentivise movement between academia and industry, particularly within the spin-out community, writes Richard Hague

Richard Hague

University of Nottingham

Run your lab more smoothly by centralising chemicals management

A simple change reduced our lab waste by a tenth. Find out how you can do it too

Mohd Fatimie Irzaq Khamis

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Protecting your work – and your values – in US higher education

With US higher education under attack from the federal government, what can scholars do to ensure their research is preserved and to stand up for academic freedom? Lisa Schiff, a co-author of the Declaration to Defend Research Against US Government Censorship, explains

Lisa Schiff

Independent academic

Middle-aged male patient with female doctor

Evaluating the impact of patient and public involvement in health research

Measuring the impact of involving patients and the public in healthcare research is less about proving that the practice is a ‘good thing’ and more about finding ways to do it better, writes Gary Hickey. Here, he shares eight key considerations

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Illustration of scientists passing test tube

Researcher speed-dating: developing strategic collaborations with international partners

From meeting online to forming long-term relationships, researchers’ shared projects can foster stronger international partnerships between universities

Joanna Daaboul

Université de Technologie de Compiègne

Woman with laptop and numbers, transformation concept

Reimagining the role of higher education in a world of intersecting revolutions

To remain relevant, universities must shift from reactive funding requests to proactive transformation, writes Rahim Somani

Rahim Somani

University of Northern British Columbia

‘Changing the culture from academic-owned equipment to shared ownership is not easy’

With dedicated research technical professionals alongside equipment investments, universities can foster a culture of equipment sharing. Here, Sarah Bennett explains this key role in resource management

Sarah Bennett

The University of Warwick

Campus Talks: Two vice-chancellors on maintaining quality and financial stability within a university

Hear Anton Muscatelli of the University of Glasgow and Alex Zelinsky of the University of Newcastle, Australia, discuss the complexities of successfully running a university

Anton Muscatelli, Alex Zelinsky

University of Glasgow, The University of Newcastle, Australia

Donors want to see real-world impact. What does that mean for higher education in the sciences?

Amid academia’s challenges related to talent retention and fundraising, universities can use translational research programmes to enhance scientific edge and real-world impact, and strengthen donor relations

Shai Shen-Orr

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

How to help postdoctoral researchers gain experience in teaching

Early career researchers increasingly require teaching experience for job applications or promotion. How can we create opportunities that help postdocs gain educational experience while remaining on a research grant-funded pathway?

Nicola Englyst, Delphine Boche

University of Southampton

Filing cabinet with files labelled "funding" and "grants"

How exactly does research get funded?

Ever wondered how research funding works? Raghavendra U breaks down the entire process in this resource

Raghavendra U

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Advice on drafting effective proposals for interdisciplinary research projects

All together now: how to write an interdisciplinary research proposal

Advice on drafting successful research proposals to secure support and funding for interdisciplinary projects, from three academics with experience developing research partnerships and collaborations

Catherine Healy, Catherine Lyall, Isabel Fletcher

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Edinburgh

A treasure map, compass and binoculars are laid out on a table

Set sail on the choppy waters of grant proposals with the 3 Gs approach

If securing research funding is like a budding pirate king navigating choppy waters in search of untold treasures, how can we build the resilience to keep journeying on? Peter Tay shows how

Peter Tay

Singapore Institute of Technology

A illustration of a figure touching a giant lightbulb as bidding signs wave in the foreground

The four key steps to writing a successful funding bid

The art to writing successful funding bids lies in your vision – and assembling a crack team to enact it. Rob Waterson offers his tips

Rob Waterson

University of East London

Love and money: why the search for funding is like romance

Funding is a relationship of sorts. You and your research project funder will enter into a finite symbiosis. It’s a joyful, exciting, uncomfortable and occasionally scary co-dependency, writes Laura Berrisford

Laura Berrisford

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

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