ESRC Society Today

How do you write a grant proposal? What do you include or emphasise, and what happens to the proposal once it has been submitted? Our online guide including slides and audio comment takes you step by step through the whole proposal process:

• Writing the proposal
• ESRC office checks
• Peer review
• Assessor review
• The Research Grants Board

These presentations also look at the funding opportunities open to researchers at different career stages.

The presentations

• Applying to the ESRC: writing a Standard Grant proposal - part 1
• Applying to the ESRC: writing a Standard Grant proposal - part 2
• Applying to the ESRC: early career researchers
• Applying to the ESRC: mid-career researchers
• Applying to the ESRC: advanced career opportunities  

Please note that these presentations are in Flash format, and you will need a Flash-capable browser in order to view them. It is also advisable to have a fast Internet connection (ie ADSL/cable broadband or faster) for best results.

Update

Please note that all proposals submitted on or after 17 February 2009 have been made on a revised application form, in which greater prominence is given to capturing information about the potential impacts of research, pathways to achieving those impacts, and the adoption of interdisciplinary and innovative approaches.

The online guides provided here were constructed before this development. Revisions include distinguishing societal and economic impacts from academic impacts through new sections entitled 'Academic Beneficiaries' and 'Impact Summary'. Applicants are also required to submit a 'Pathways to Impact' attachment (formerly the 'Impact Plan') in research grant applications. These changes are in line with the common position on Excellence with Impact adopted by RCUK. Applicants are not expected to predict the impacts of their research but to explore potential pathways towards maximising the likelihood of impacts occurring.

Further guidance on Pathways to Impact and the impact agenda more broadly can be found on the RCUK website. the Je-S website and the ESRC expectations on Impact, Innovation and Interdisciplinarity.