Because it is no fun being rejected and having the reasons exposed for others a safe and trusting culture is indeed a prerequisite. But rejected applications are also very instructive. Potential applicants would do well to take note of past winning proposals. There is quite a bit of expertise in developing grant applications, successful or otherwise. Emiel Krahmer adds: 'If an evaluator ranks your societal impact as very good instead of excellent, it already considerably lowers your chance of being awarded.' That's something juries increasingly want to hear. In her case, tie in with the UN and EU policy goals. And also mention the practical component, the impact of your proposal on society. 'Take note of winning and losing proposals'Īsel Doranova gives the following tip: keep an open mind. Wim van de Donk adds, 'We need to create an environment that is stimulating.' And makes the comparison with “firms that invest in permanent contracts in order to not lose creative minds' He has also learned a lot from other proposals from colleagues. Martijn Boons, winner of an NWO Vidi grant, reports being very satisfied with the support of the School of Economics and his Finance Department. But the policy is specific to each School. Some Schools already do this with what is called an incentive scheme, and education time may be exchanged for application time. Shouldn't more writing time be freed up? A policy issue. School and/or Department support is important. 'Incentives could help with dealing with these constraints.” Asel Doranova, runner-up in 2021 of three EC H2020 proposals on energy and sustainability (TSC, this year she did succeed with an EC Horizon Europe project), notes the issue of 'competitive interests.” Do you spend your time on grant application, education, or publishing? That is where the shoe pinches.

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