Asking the right question, at the right time, to the right purpose!

Aristotele (384-322 BC) said that it is very difficult to ask the right question, at the right time and to the right purpose. Academic researchers however are required to do exactly this when writing grants for research funding. For this reason,  Sir Professor Jan Buitelaar led an insightful session on the 26th of November where he kindly put his extensive knowledge and distinguished experience at the service of the R4N ECR network to guide researchers into the challenging process of grant writing.

Sir Professor Jan Buitelaar is a member of the R4N Scientific Advisory Board. He is a professor of psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry at the Radboud University Medical Centre, and at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. He has a strong clinical and research interest in neuropsychiatric conditions as ADHD, autism and impulsivity and aggression related disorders, and is involved in pharmacological, cognitive, clinical, genetic, and neuroimaging studies in these conditions. His current active research is focused on translational studies aiming to identify new molecular targets for ADHD and autism through matching preclinical models to human imaging genetics studies. His research is supported by numerous grants from the European Union, NIH, and from the Dutch Medical Research Council. He has published more than 1000 peer-reviewed scientific papers with more than 50,000 citations and is among the top 1% of most often cited researchers worldwide

The event captured the attention of 82 early career researchers, who attended the online meeting. The attendees had the opportunity to both listen to Sir Professor Jan Buitelaar’s insights on grant writing and directly ask questions.

Prof. Buitelaar addressed the process of writing both personal and consortium grants.

In the first case, he emphasized the importance of focusing on the two key components of the process: writing the proposal and crafting a strong curriculum vitae. It is essential to consider three main questions to achieve this: WHAT you intend to do, WHY this project is important, and HOW you plan to address the question and the methods you will use. A successful grant proposal must clearly articulate the potential impact of its implementation and application within the field. Additionally, it’s important to understand what grant reviewers look for in a CV and what accomplishments to highlight in your work experience. For example, if the grant focuses on clinical research, highlight your key skills in the clinical field on your CV by clearly outlining what you did, the practices you engaged in, and the knowledge you gained that you can now apply to the new project. Since writing a grant proposal can take up to 12 months, it’s advisable to start the process early!
According to Prof. Buitelaar, when writing a consortium grant, it’s important to remember the value of collaboration towards a shared goal: working with colleagues from diverse areas of expertise, individuals with lived experience, and families. Each of the collaborators is a builder, contributing unique perspectives and resources to the project. Additionally, be sure to thoroughly analyse the key terms in the grant call and match these in your application.  Make sure to leverage the full range of your collective experiences in your consortium grant application.

Lastly Prof. Buitelaar urged all our early career researchers to remain persistent and constructive. Past success does not ensure future success. Through consistent effort, we can gain the experience necessary to ask the right questions at the right time and for the right purpose!

The attendees of the event seemed to highly appreciate Prof. Buitelaar insights and provided excellent feedback:

“Lots of interesting insights – clearly expressed. The speaker had a lot of wisdom to share”
“It was the most comprehensive coverage of grant writing I have ever attended which was, most importantly, relevant for my field.”
“The insider perspective as grant reviewer was invaluable”
Thanks to Prof. Buitelaar for his inspiring talk and to all the attendees!

The recording of the Grant writing event is available online for all the R4N members on the membership login page.