Prepare and write
Our Research Funding Community continuously gathers intelligence that helps with preparing proposals efficiently and to give them the necessary competitive edge. All grant advisors are happy to share this information, and to guide you throughout the process. For quick reference, this page summarises the support, tools and tips available for each stage of preparation.
All grant advisors and support staff who help you to submit research proposals are also members of the RFC. First-line advisors are located in the faculties and second-line advisors in the Grant Development Team (SAZ). RFC community members share knowledge on the different procedures, making proposals competitive and, in case of issues, on negotiating with funders. They also identify upcoming opportunities and are closely connected to Leiden representatives lobby for research funding and agenda setting on the themes.
Research Funding Knowledge Base
The Research Funding Knowledge Base is accessible to all Leiden employees via their ULCN account. If you are a prospective Leiden employee, you can request the information you need via the first-line advisor of your prospective Institute. It is updated daily with funding-related news and events. It also contains a deadlines list for the most common upcoming opportunities and a funding-agency database. In Funding Documents you will find tools and tips related to consortium building and proposal writing, as well as the latest information on the major grants. The folder General Funding Topics contains generic tools and tips, e.g. for non-scientific sections. Specific information on a call is stored in folders organized by funder in the funding documents. You can find fact sheets, presentations given at (external) events and annotated guidelines and other information here. Example proposals are not freely accessible, but can be requested. Lastly, in Registrations you can find how to access the submission systems of certain funders, and how to obtain statements and other documents that may be required.
We are always updating our information. If you can’t find what you are looking for, or you find old information, please ask your first-line contact person.
Our quick guide focuses on two major funding types: individual grants and collaborative grants.
Checklist - to apply or not apply?
Decision tool that helps you to decide whether or not to apply including important Do's and Dont's.
Individual grants: orientation and writing
Your first-line grant advisor is the key source of information. They will tell you about briefings, training sessions and events organized for individual grants. Please contact your first-line advisor as soon as you start thinking about writing a proposal. They will be happy to discuss your outline at an early stage, guide you quickly through the writing process and administrative requirements. Some first and second-line advisors are available as a sounding board and for critical review. The second-line advisors work with an online agenda that is announced via the Events section of the Knowledge Base. At the faculty level, there may be additional internal checks for eligibility and review procedures, where you will get advice on how to strengthen your proposal. Sometimes, you can also make use of professional writers and editors. Please ask your local grant advisor about the options for professional editing services provided by the university. Keep in mind that the costs need to be covered by your institute.
Direct access to:
- Getting started on applying for funding- with tips on cv building, writing a one-page proposal, selecting the right grant, basics of grant writing, booklet how to write an excellent proposal
- NWO Talent scheme (Rubicon, Veni, Vidi, Vici)
- European Research Council (ERC StG, CoG, AdG, SyG, PoC)
- Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Fellowships
- Course: writing an excellent proposal
Collaborative grants: orientation and consortium building
Usually a collaboration starts long before funding comes into the picture. You build up a network of people with similar interests, for example at conferences and other events. We have tips and tools for building a network for collaboration and research agenda setting, based on the collective experiences of Leiden researchers. If you want to discuss your research collaboration ideas further, book a consultation hour with an collaborative funding expert in the second line (Grant Development Team) and/or business developer at Luris.
Once you identify a call that requires collaboration, contact your first-line grant advisor first. They can tell you about briefings, trainings and development and writing support organized for this call. For all NWO NWA and KIC calls and Horizon Europe, it is especially important to learn all about the process and expectations of the funder. Please contact your first line advisor as soon as you start thinking about writing a proposal. The timeline for writing a proposal may require substantial effort and it works best when you plan this together with the support.
Direct access to:
Collaborative grants: writing tools and tips
Organising the writing process for a collaborative grant is a project in itself. The key to information on the support is your first-line grant advisor. If you want to coordinate, they will team up with the second-line grant advisors. First there will be an idea phase to assess the fit with the call and viability of the project, and to further brainstorm on the core consortium. They will help you set up a writing team and to organise the orientation and writing phase. You cannot start too soon. It requires a lot of coordination, but using our good practices and tools makes it easier.
Direct access to:
