This week, blogger Ivy shares her experiences of applying for and receiving a funding grant for organising a conference.
As well as having core funding for our PhD research activities, we may come across other funding opportunities as part of our time at Warwick. These grants come in carious shapes and sizes and can be used for a number of different things, such as smaller research projects, training opportunities, or activities like conferences. Grants could be from internal sponsors, like our department or university and external sponsors, like some professional organizations or research agencies. The activities or projects that we could use the grant for could also be all kinds. But one thing is for sure, how the grant could be used for is usually specified in the grant description. Therefore, there are typically two ways that we may act. The first one is that we come across a grant advertisement and think of an activity/ a research project that meets the requirement and in our own area. The second one is that we already have an idea in mind. Then the next step is looking for any available grant which may support us. My story falls into the first category. I was noticed of such a grant opportunity when I attended some commercialising social sciences events on campus and then I had the idea for the conference I would like to host.
How did I apply for the grant?
Personally, I have always been interested in well-being related topics. When the grant call for workplace related well-being projects by Productivity & the Futures of Work at Warwick came out, I immediately made the decision to apply for it. Considering my own identity as an international PhD student in applied linguistics and the fact that we always talk about productivity, I came up with the idea of holding a conference on language, well-being and productivity. When the idea was taking shape, I realized that the grant specifically welcomed projects proposed by a team instead of just an individual and especially a team with some external collaborators. Since the project was to be about international students’ well-being, I assumed that it would strengthen the application if I invited one or two experts in well-being on board. This was how my friend who studied International PhD students’ well-being as her PhD area in a university based in Manchester joined the team. With the same logic, I invited the other three friends to join the team. Each of us were expected to contribute to the project from a different aspect. Once the team was built, we sat down together to brainstorm ideas for the conference and plan for the writing.
How did we write up the grant application?
When all the ideas were pulled together, I also assigned my teammates to oversee different activities of the conference. They were then also responsible for writing the application about that that activity. When all these elements were finished, I put them together and compile our final application document. This includes a cover design, proofreading, extra materials like budget, safety precautions, project outputs as well as contingency plan if the weather did not go on as planned, since we had an outdoor activity. For the application, I also added a content log page, making it easier for the reviewers to navigate our application material. Our efforts paid off, and we received our grant.
How did we spend the grant?
Honestly, I experienced a sort of culture shock when it came to using the grant. Back in China, if the grant was awarded, either we would receive the money directly in our bank account for our disposal or we could spend our money first and then get the reimbursement. This is not the case in the UK. It was not until our team got down to purchasing necessary materials for the conference activities did I find out that the grant was only a code, which was generated to spend within the university. In other words, we didn’t see any money but a code. To some extent, this policy limited our choices and disrupted our original budget plan, since we needed to reconsider what to buy from the limited options, which also seemed to cost more than those from other platforms we had considered to purchase from.
The grant was finally spent 1) on conference materials, which we purchased from the university approved website, Banner; 2) on catering, goods from Rootes Grocery Store, 3) on conference programmes from Warwick Print and 4) on a welcome dinner and accommodation for our speakers, which were rooms from Warwick Conferences. All these were paid through the code.
Tips on the grant application
As mentioned before, if the grant is within Warwick, high chances are that it would come as a code and would be expected to be spent within the university. Therefore, it would make more sense for us the check the prices of our needed services first when we draft our budget for the grant. Usually, the financial officer in each department is clear about this information. It would be advisable if we approach them to ask for information when we are writing our application.
The second tip is that we need to check the criteria for grant application and work towards what the grant awarding body prefers. Like in my case, I built a team with external collaborators, who were also experts in the project I proposed. Undoubtedly, this means would also increase the chance of your project being awarded with the grant. Regarding the conference that my team and I used the grant to host, it was highly praised by our participants from around 10 universities in the UK, with even one comment stating that this was the best conference ever. Undoubtedly, we felt really proud of this but also undeniably we were also very happy when it was over! Preparing and hosting an event could be really time and energy consuming. However, I do hope this point does not scare you away. If you are considering apply for a grant to host an activity and have confidence in time management as a busy PGR, then definitely go for that!
Have you applied for any internal grant at our university? Do you think the above tips (would) help? Tweet us @researchex, message us on Instagram @warwicklibrary, or email us at libraryblogs@warwick.ac.uk
If you’d like to read about other activities you might want to do during your PhD, take a look at Ellie’s blog on the benefits of internships or Ivy’s blog on how to present at conferences.
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