Research support

Grant writing advice and strategy

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General Tips

Start early – earlier than you might think

  • Great grants aren’t written overnight. Start planning months in advance if possible.
  • Build in time for feedback, editing, and approvals.
  • Consider internal deadlines and processes.
  • Know what's required beyond the proposal: online forms, ethics approvals, letters of support, cash contributions etc.
  • Give yourself time to line up collaborators, budgets, letters of support etc.

Talk to those who have done it before

  • Reach out to colleagues with funded grants. Ask what worked and what didn’t.
  • Request examples of successful proposals. 
  • Join peer review workshops, grant writing sessions and Research Office information sessions if available.

Understand your grantor

  • Read the guidelines carefully. Know the scheme’s objectives and the funder’s mission.
  • Know your audience. Consider the panel’s composition, are they specialists? Generalists? End-users?
  • Tailor your pitch. Don’t assume the assessor knows too much or too little about your field of research.
  • Ask a colleague outside of your field to read your draft, if they don’t understand it a generalist assessor may not either.

Craft a compelling narrative

  • Explain why your research matters and how it is original
  • Test your ideas and story with trusted colleagues (including those in disparate fields) before submission.

Take the time to nail every section

  • Don’t neglect the unexciting but essential sections of your application - budgets, administrative components, CVs etc. All affect your final score/result.
  • Mistakes in these sections, including formatting errors can render an application ineligible.
  • The Research Office is here to help you get these compliance components right.
    • Use templates and supporting resources developed by the Research Office to make the administrative bits easier to manage.
    • Submit to Research Office early so we have time to provide iterative feedback.

Resilience is key

  • Don’t take rejection personally; it is part of the process.
  • Every grant is a chance to refine your ideas.

Start with your core message

  • What are you doing?
  • Why is it important?
  • What challenge is it addressing?
  • How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
  • Why is now the right time?
  • Why are you the right person to achieve this? (and your team)
  • How will you do it? Why here? (UQ/QLD/Aus)
  • What’s the potential impact?
  • Who benefits?

Proposal/Project Description

First Page

  • Open with a clear statement of intent.
  • Use plain language, details can follow in later sections.Include hypotheses, aims, and expected outcomes.
  • A visual abstract may help, but only if it genuinely adds clarity.

Background

  • Include only what’s necessary to understand your project, a full literature review is usually not needed. Include preliminary data if you have it.
  • If you don’t have preliminary data, include a compelling scientific rationale for the project.
  • Figures can enhance clarity but use them sparingly and strategically.

Research Plan

  • Include detailed methodology
  • Emphasise achievability within the timeline (a figure/Gant chart may be useful)
  • Address the specific risks of your project; don’t use general statements.
  • Provide alternative methods/strategies for potential pitfalls and problems.
  • Highlight what is innovative or different about your project
  • Avoid interdependencies in aims.

Team/Investigator

  • Outline the lead investigator’s leadership and experience.
  • Describe the team’s complementary expertise. Don’t just list skills - show how they fit together.
  • Be honest and well balanced, don’t oversell or undersell achievements.
  • Include relevant references and track records.

University support

Faculty/Institute Research Office

Usually your first stop. They can often help provide you guidance which can range from:

  • Guidance, tips and pointers.
  • Workshops and peer review programs.
  • Explaining the different sections of the application.
  • Helping you make connections and collaborations.

Central Research Office

UQ researchers are required by UQ policy to submit applications for any research proposal through the RO.

More information is available here.

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