Show notes
Better Grant Proposals – Impact, Training & Research CommunicationCheck out the episode websiteIn this episode I’m joined by Elaine Massung, founder of Academic Smartcuts, to talk about how researchers can write better grant proposals and communicate their ideas more effectively. Elaine has worked as a researcher, postdoc, funding agency professional at EPSRC and now as an independent trainer. That gives her a very practical view of where proposals go wrong: researchers often do not give themselves enough time, do not read the guidance carefully enough, start with a solution before defining the problem, or fail to explain their work in language reviewers can actually use. We also dig into impact — one of the most repeated but still weakest parts of many proposals. Elaine and I talk about why “publish in high-impact journals, attend conferences and host a workshop” is not enough, and how researchers can think more creatively about visibility and use: trade magazines, teaching materials, podcasts, blogs, stakeholder meetings, existing networks and other channels that actually fit the project. We also discuss proposal audits, training, time pressure, networking challenges and why getting help early is not weakness — it is often what makes the proposal stronger.Time codes:01:47 Guest introduction and fly in 06:20 The Core Insight: Everyone Makes the Same Mistakes14:51 Teaching Researchers to Think Differently 24:57 The Impact Problem 44:27 New Ways of Creating Visibility 53:24 Reflections and advice 56:42 The toughest challenge
