One of my academic new year’s resolutions is to devote more time to trying to find external funding for my research projects. We don’t have a sabbatical system at my university, so consequently if I want to take time off teaching in order to complete the research on my next book, then I have to find the money myself. This is easier said than done of course…
Even though funding for science projects is more lucrative, for humanities scholars like me there is quite a bit of money out there including five or six pots of money that I hope to bid for this year. However, demand considerably outstrips supply and the statistics do not make easy reading: less than 20% of funding applications in the arts and humanities are successful. This means that you have to be a genius, or very persistent, in order to get an award: I am trying for the latter route!
It is a very time consuming process, and it mirrors that of applying for jobs. Each application requires slightly different materials and you have to tailor your CV, covering letter and research proposal to each funding body’s requirements. You then wait weeks and weeks before even hearing a decision, which, statistically, in most cases will be a ‘no’. The process is extremely long: I am currently putting in an preliminary application to the Wellcome Trust after which they will decide whether my project is good enough to put in a formal ‘proper’ application! And I am not given extra time to do this by my employer, I do this on top of my teaching, research and administration functions.
The good thing about the whole arduous process is that it makes you focus on your goals for the coming years. It makes you prioritise and work out time scales and costs of completing your project. In some cases putting in funding proposals can also lead you to link up with colleagues to work on projects together. And if you are successful in your bid, not only do you get time to dedicate solely to your research but you also receive a huge boost to your career: you will be eminently more employable having received a major funding award. So, go for it…what have you got to lose?!
