water@leeds Early Career Researcher Grant Development Group
Initiative Lead: Dr Susannah Hopson, water@leeds Research and Innovation Development Manager
This annual programme is designed to support Early Career Researchers (ECRs) working in any area of water research from across the University of Leeds to transition to career independence by providing them with the skills and knowledge to apply for their first independent research fellowship or to gain more experience of leading/co-leading large-scale collaborative grants.
The group is also an excellent opportunity to meet, and learn from, other ECRs from a variety of water-based disciplines, enabling ECRs to grow their network of interdisciplinary collaborators.
If you would like more information on the group or would like to join please contact Susannah Hopson (s.hopson1@leeds.ac.uk)
Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshops, attendees should be able to achieve the following:
- Identify suitable funding opportunities for their research area and for interdisciplinary collaborations
- Interpret funding call guidance and understand what funders are looking for
- Prepare the multiple elements of a grant proposal
- Understand internal and external processes for submitting grant applications
- Prepare a budget for a grant application with assistance from their Faculty Research and Innovation Office
- Write a Research Vision
- Engage with other ECRs outside of their disciplines, and understand how to collaborate across disciplines for grant writing
- Lead and co-produce grant applications with external, non-academic, collaborators
The sessions are flexible and are altered depending on the needs of the cohort. There are also opportunities to hear from external speakers, including successful fellowship awardees, members of peer review colleges and industry partners.
Dates and Duration
This programme is annual and usually starts at the beginning of each year with 6-8 sessions conducted over a period of 6 months. Dates of upcoming cohorts will be advertised in the water@leeds Newsletter.
Target Audience
The programme is intended for ECRs who want to transition to research independence. This can include colleagues who have previously submitted fellowship applications but have been unsuccessful, those currently employed as a postdoc on an internal or externally funded research project, or PhD students nearing the end of their study who want to learn more about how to apply for grants. The definition of ECR is broad so please contact Susannah for more advice on whether the sessions would be suitable for you.
International Early Career Grant Development
Susannah has also supported international early career development through a collaboration between the University of Leeds and Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. To find out more about this programme please contact Susannah. You can also access presentations from the UK/Mexico collaboration here:
UK-Mexico Water Collaborative: Facilitating Global Grant Partnerships
Guidelines and best practice for international collaboration