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Research costings and what to consider when looking for grants (Feb 2023) - slides covering how research funding works in the UK and how we cost research
Use the Worktribe Support Wiki if you're not sure how to do costings on Worktribe
Match the Worktribe cost headings to the funder guidance. For instance, UKRI don't use the 'Consumables' heading and consumables are classed as 'Other Directly Incurred' costs. Putting costs in the right place makes them easier to input into the funder portal and the project finances easier to manage if the grant is awarded
Choose feasible project dates. Sometimes funders will say when they want projects to start, but if you have flexibility allow time for both the review period and any recruitment for the project. It's not unusual for outcomes from UKRI research applications to take 6 months, and recruitment usually takes at least 2 months
Consider costing for impact activities and Communications Officer time. It's easier to budget for them now rather than try to find funding retrospectively.
When sending costs to collaborators, make clear whether or not your costs have been approved by the University. Download the budget from Worktribe rather than typing it into an email.

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title	Read the funder guidance:

Ensure you and your project fit their requirements, and tailor your proposal to what they are looking for
Ask 'Why?' Why should you be funded by this funder, for this research, at this time?
Check what documents the funder expects you to submit
Note any formatting requirements; sometimes funders can be specific about the type and size of fonts you must use
Look at the funder's assessment criteria/peer reviewer guidance, and critically assess your proposal against them.

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title	Make it easy for reviewers:

Create a compelling narrative; make sure that the story of your research has a 'start', 'middle' and an 'end'
Break up the text using bullet points, subheadings and 'white spaces'
Use consistent terminology. Make sure that activities and objectives have the same name across all your application documents
- People often forget this when last minute changes are made to their application
Include a Gantt chart if you can. This may include:
- Objectives and sub-objectives
- Visits to collaborators
- Key milestones
- Anticipated publication dates
- Key conference dates
- Key impact activities.

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title	Writing your Lay Summary:lay summary

Some funders require a lay summary so that non-experts can understand what the project is about.

Use websites like Hemingway to assess how hard your text is to read
Look at project Abstracts on Gateway to Research for inspiration (some are better than others!)
Consider attending training courses on writing for non-expert audiences.

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title	Writing a narrative 'R4RI' CV

Submitting your Application

Log onto the funder submission portal at an early stage. Sometimes there are additional questions that aren't mentioned in the call guidance and you may need to get the HoD or reviewers to complete sections before you can submit
Allow time to complete your application on the funder submission portal. It always takes longer than you think!
Research Support can input costs onto some funder portals to you - add environment-research@york.ac.uk to the proposal. Costs should match Worktribe
Do a final check to ensure your Justification of Resources matches the costs that have been put onto the portal; this is especially important if you have made last minute changes to your costs
Aim to submit your application on the funder submission portal 3-5 working days before the funder deadline. This allows time for it to go through institutional approval. Note, you need internal approval before submitting.

A Beginner's Guide to the UKRI Funding Service - Using The Funding Service (TFS) guidance created by Chemistry Research Support. Aimed at EPSRC applicants but also useful for other UKRI funders. - Presentation given at Departmental staff meeting (March 2024)