making a grant application stand out from the crowd

Briefing

An assistant professor was applying for a prestigious and highly competitive grant. The first step in the selection process required a narrative CV and a brief research proposal. The application was in itself strong, but factual. The challenge was to craft a narrative that better highlighted how their unique experience and expertise made them exceptionally well-placed to execute the proposed research.

Approach

To help the candidate stand out among a competitive pool of candidates, I focused on refining their narrative CV:

  • Value-focused
    Emphasized how the candidate’s specific skills, achievements, and experience directly aligned with the funding body’s goals.
  • Strategic structure
    Reorganized the CV to present their expertise in a clear, logical, and compelling manner.
  • Editing 
    Edited and refined the proposal for clarity, conciseness, and professionalism, ensuring it left a strong impression on reviewers, all while respecting the tight word count.

“The honest and clear input and advice significantly improved my grant proposal. My application made a huge leap forward in quality.”

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Outcome

The academic successfully progressed through the highly competitive first stage of the grant selection process—where only 1 in 3 candidates moved forward.

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