Author: Neeltje Peters

Co-founder and Research Funding Professional at Fundament.

Preparing for your personal grant interview

Hooray, you are selected for an interview on your research proposal! This is a huge step, as it means that the evaluating committee likes your ideas and you’re still in the running to obtain funding. At the same time, you’re not quite there yet, and a lot will depend on how you perform during the interview. We understand this is very – very – stressful.

[FUNDED] WHAT-IF: The information environment and its effects on democracy

An international consortium led by Prof. Wouter van Atteveldt from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam received Horizon Europe funding to develop and assess a simulation of the digital political information environment. This digital twin, or ‘what-if machine’, can be used to test the effects of policy and regulatory interventions in the realm of (social) media quality and regulation on democratic citizenship. Besides the likely societal impact, the project will also contribute to novel computational social science methodology. Fundament supported the consortium in translating their innovative ideas into a competitive proposal.

Writing your grant proposal for multiple audiences at once

Know your audience! This is a key rule in any writing, and grant writing is no exception. Writing your grant proposal tailored to your audience becomes especially challenging when there are different types of readers that will evaluate your work. How to make sure all types of readers understand and, more importantly, value your plans?

[FUNDED] KeepCaring: Improving the wellbeing of healthcare professionals in EU hospitals

Led by Prof. dr. Marlies Schijven from Amsterdam UMC, an international consortium acquired funding to develop innovative solutions to prevent burnout and improve wellbeing and resilience among (aspirant) healthcare professionals delivering surgical care in European hospitals. Solutions will be developed and tested at the individual, team, and organizational levels, and include digital and non-digital interventions. Fundament supported the consortium in translating their research and innovation ideas into an attractive and convincing proposal.

How to benefit from proposal evaluations (even if they are unfair…)

Receiving evaluation reports for proposals that didn’t make the cut to get funded can be quite frustrating. Like with reviewer comments, evaluations from the grant committee can come across as unfair, uninformed, or just (too) harsh. Still, there often are important clues in these reports to be able to improve your next grant proposal.

[FUNDED] SPRINGS: Reducing the impact of climate change on diarrheal diseases

An international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral consortium led by Dr. Vannessa Harris from the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development and Amsterdam UMC acquired funding to addresses the escalating risks of waterborne diarrheal diseases due to global warming and climate extremes by informing crucial climate, environmental, and health adaptation policies. The SPRINGS project includes case studies in Europe and Africa, with the aim to learn from each other and understand risks and potential interventions in different contexts. Fundament supported the consortium in developing an attractive proposal with clear pathways towards real-world impact.

[FUNDED] Bootstrap: Reducing the harmful effects of digitalisation on mental health in youth

Led by Prof. Naomi Fineberg from the University of Hertfordshire, an international and multidisciplinary consortium acquired funding to develop tools to reduce the harmful effects of digitalisation on young people’s mental health. At the level of the individual, the project aims to promote self-management of healthy internet behaviour. At the level of policy makers and private companies, the project will focus on improved regulation and protection of vulnerable groups. Fundament supported the consortium throughout the process of idea generation, developing a project outline for the first stage application, and co-writing the successful full proposal.

[FUNDED] YoPAAPE: Co-creation of activating environments with youth

An international consortium led by Prof. Mai Chin A Paw from Amsterdam UMC received funding to tailor, implement, and evaluate environmental interventions to improve the lifestyle of teenagers in vulnerable life situations. YoPAAPE will use a teen-centred co-creation approach to ensure activating interventions are designed that meet the needs and preferences of teenagers and their local communities. Fundament supported the consortium in drafting a convincing and attractive proposal with an elaborate strategy to achieving real-world impact.