Guidance for pitching research grant applications at an early stage for each research institute. Institute of Cell Biology 1 Pitching is strongly recommended for all externally funded research grant applications of more than £50,000 submitted. 2 The Institute will setup half-day pitching sessions (one every three months approximately) to provide early feedback on intended grant applications. The purpose of these meetings will be to provide constructive advice to applicants about submission strategies. 3 PIs should sign up for a session as soon as they are ready to present the logic and supporting evidence for their proposal. Slots will be allocated on a first-come, firstserved basis to fill a session lasting up to three hours. In the event that more intentions to submit applications are received than can be fitted into the time available, an additional ad hoc meeting will be arranged. 4 It is hoped that all members of academic staff, who hold a Principal Investigator (PI) position, will attend these meetings to support their colleagues. 5 At the meeting (or prior to it) two members of staff (PIs) will be identified who are willing to act as readers of subsequent drafts of the application prior to its submission. 6 The views of the staff (PIs) attending the meeting will be considered advisory (not mandatory). 7 Each presentation should last for a maximum of 10 minutes for a one-post (or less) grant application, 15 minutes for a two-post grant application and 20 minutes for a three-post (or more) grant application. An average of 10 minutes will be timetabled for discussion of the strategy. 8 It is recommended that the presentation include the following sections (but PIs may choose to emphasise areas where they feel input would be most helpful): Intended funding scheme/deadline/priorities The aims - What is the question? - Why is it important and urgent? - Why are you best placed to do the work? Preliminary data Objectives and outcomes Pathway to Impact 9 It is anticipated that most grant applications will be pitched between 3 and 6 months ahead of the relevant deadlines. However, in exceptional circumstances pitching can take place within a shorter time frame if a meeting is available. Institute of Cell Biology Institute of Evolutionary Biology In the Institute of Evolutionary Biology a senior institute member organises pitching meetings to coincide with NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) responsive mode deadlines, but applicants to any funding source may pitch at these events. It is expected that grants are pitched a few months ahead of deadlines to ensure sufficient time to make full use of feedback given. Additional pitching sessions can be organised at request of a PI at other times when required. There are usually 3-4 pitches, with a 15 minute powerpoint presentation given, identifying: the major issue(s) not yet adequately answered that the grant addresses, the specific objectives, why the study system is the best to address them, and an extremely brief overview of methods. This is followed by around 15 minutes of questions. A supportive and constructive approach to questions in encouraged. Following the pitching session readers are assigned for each grant to provide detailed feedback. Institute of Evolutionary Biology Institute of Immunology and Infection Research Grant pitching in IIIR (Institute of Immunology and Infection Research) is currently arranged on an ad-hoc basis, where the PI who will be applying for the grant sends an email and doodle pool to IIIR PIs to arrange a presentation time and books a room based on the poll. In some cases two PIs will coordinate their timing to combine into one session. The PI(s) then give a presentation which outlines the grant application and there is extensive discussion and feedback during the presentation. These pitches usually involve ~ 4-8 PIs in the audience and last 1-2 hours. The presenting PI is encouraged to seek further support afterward by sending drafts to PIs or through further 1:1 discussions. Institute of Immunology & Infection Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences The Grant Pitching Process To facilitate the delivery of grant pitches the following guidelines are provided for both applicants and assessors: 1 Timing Grant pitches will be attached to the monthly staff meeting but require at least ~50% staff attendance to be effective. Applicants should notify Andrew Hudson and Louise Bishop to place their grant pitch on the staff meeting agenda. It is recommended that grant pitches are delivered well in advance of the call deadline to allow peer-feedback to be provided and incorporated. 2 Applicants give a ~15min pitch The grant pitch should briefly introduce the topic, its relevance to the call, and cover the objectives of the Case of Support or equivalent, specifically focussing on the following: Rationale and timeliness (why are you best placed to study this and why now?) Overall aims and specific objectives Describe the work programme with milestones Risks and mitigation strategies (how are risks balanced with established approaches?) Project management (very brief) Where appropriate (e.g. GCRF, etc.) the impact or details of the pathways to impact may also be presented. This is followed by questions and discussion with the audience (~20 minutes). Typical discussion points will include the timeliness of the proposal, novelty of the work programme, and fit to funding source. Collegiate atmosphere will be vital to provide constructive feedback to applicants. 3 Establish internal peer reviewers The grant pitch provides a great opportunity to select the internal peer reviewers that are best placed to comment on the proposal. This will also fine-tune communication between applicants and reviewers to allow appropriate time for feedback on the written proposal. Reviewers are encouraged to provide constructive but extensive criticism. Final notes The above process is not intended to provide an additional layer of complexity to the already intense grant application process. Rather it should be viewed as an opportunity for the applicant to discuss their ideas freely with colleagues and encourage a team mentality within IMPS. Each successful grant makes the institute stronger and increases the likelihood of favourable judgement on future grants. Moreover, the pitching process may reveal previously unidentified collaborations that could lead to joint funding applications. Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences Institute of Stem Cell Research In recent years, grant applications have become extremely competitive. Grant pitching will allow PIs to test their ideas and obtain comments and advice from colleagues in order to make their applications more robust. The PIs are strongly encouraged to take this opportunity. We will normally have two full working days away during one year separated by approximately 6 months intervals. The dates for pitching meetings are established by the Head of Institute. Each of these two days, 3-4 PIs can discuss their prospective grant applications. If needed, papers and publishing strategies can also be included in the agenda. Discussions at length in a relaxing atmosphere without rush proved to be very productive, but these can be also short to address smaller issues. If required, it may take up to 2.5 hours to discuss the data and plans of individual PIs. It is expected that some problems that have no obvious solution can be solved via brainstorming. The dates for grant pitching are established by the Head of Institute. Apart from regular two days, additional, shorter meetings can be convened on request of individual PIs if there is a matter of urgency. However, it is advised that PIs inform the Head of Institute well in advance about their intention to be included in the agenda. There are no particular rules on the length and format of presentation and discussion. However, it would be useful if PIs would present: Intended funding scheme/deadline/priorities The aims - What is the question? - Why is it important and urgent? - Why are you best placed to do the work? Preliminary data Objectives and outcomes Pathway to Impact Centre for Regenerative Medicine Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology 1 Pitching is strongly recommended for all externally funded research grant applications of more than £50,000 submitted. 2 The Institute will setup half-day pitching sessions (one every three months approximately) to provide early feedback on intended grant applications. The purpose of these meetings will be to provide constructive advice to applicants about submission strategies. 3 PIs should sign up for a session as soon as they are ready to present the logic and supporting evidence for their proposal. Slots will be allocated on a first-come, firstserved basis to fill a session lasting up to three hours. In the event that more intentions to submit applications are received than can be fitted into the time available, an additional ad hoc meeting will be arranged. 4 It is hoped that all members of academic staff, who hold a Principal Investigator (PI) position, will attend these meetings to support their colleagues. 5 At the meeting (or prior to it) two members of staff (PIs) will be identified who are willing to act as readers of subsequent drafts of the application prior to its submission. 6 The views of the staff (PIs) attending the meeting will be considered advisory (not mandatory). 7 Each presentation should last for a maximum of 10 minutes for a one-post (or less) grant application, 15 minutes for a two-post grant application and 20 minutes for a three-post (or more) grant application. An average of 10 minutes will be timetabled for discussion of the strategy. 8 It is recommended that the presentation include the following sections (but PIs may choose to emphasise areas where they feel input would be most helpful): Intended funding scheme/deadline/priorities The aims - What is the question? - Why is it important and urgent? - Why are you best placed to do the work? Preliminary data Objectives and outcomes Pathway to Impact 9 It is anticipated that most grant applications will be pitched between 3 and 6 months ahead of the relevant deadlines. However, in exceptional circumstances pitching can take place within a shorter time frame if a meeting is available. Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology This article was published on 2024-06-17
