What we focus on, grows.

This is true in all aspects of life. Dietitians have clients track food intake, making them aware of what they are eating and enabling healthier choices. People who check their bank balance daily make more informed spending decisions by thinking about the actual cost of buying something before absent-mindedly just doing so.

If winning research funding is important to you, then it is something you should be thinking about and taking action on every working day. However, this does not mean you need to be writing proposals every day.

How can you do this without burning out? When you are actively writing a proposal, you will be working on it every day, so those periods take care of themselves. But what about after the proposal has been submitted or when funding isn’t the main thing you are focused on? It is still important to move the ball forward.

Ideas about how you can work to ensure you are making progress each day are presented below. Not only will these move things forward, but you will also more firmly internalize the importance of funding and your eyes and ears will be more open to opportunities you might otherwise not notice. My suggestion is to choose one from each of these five categories and execute it every day. Done consistently, these can have a dramatic impact.

Scouting and Awareness

Run a search for funding opportunities related to your keywords. Use the available software like Pivot or Grant Forward, or try something different – like entering terms into Google or ChatGPT just to see what comes up. These take only a few minutes. Or go to NSF’s “recently funded” page and navigate to the programs you apply to, to see recently funded projects. This will increase your general awareness. Usually, there is no action to take immediately but it is still valuable knowledge that you should keep up on. You will probably recognize colleagues’ names and be informed on what they are doing professionally. Also, check what is available in your institution. Are there new internal funding opportunities you should be aware of? Deadlines approaching? These should be quick checks that will take very little time.

By increased general awareness you will pay more attention to things you are already exposed to. When I was learning Spanish, I noticed Spanish writing in public far more than I had before. The amount of Spanish-language material in my environment had not changed; it was that I was now paying attention to it. Similarly, when you are paying attention to funding every day, you will see more opportunities to engage in the activities that lead to winning that funding.

Outreach and Relationship Building

No surprise here. Send an email to a funder or point of contact. When you do this, create a record so you can follow up if you do not get a reply. Use a spreadsheet or any note-taking app that works for you. Also consider following up on correspondence related to funding -- with either a funder or past or potential collaborator. If you have discussed joint submissions in the past, send emails asking to reconnect. If you learned about a colleague who was recently funded (Scouting) send congratulations and ask for advice. You will learn with whom they spoke, how it went, and any recommendations they might have.

Scientific Communication

Commit to writing just a few sentences of a future white paper, or even just the title. Write out the impact or potential payoff of your research; align it to a sponsor’s mission by composing the actual text. Transform ideas from mental concepts into concrete, sharable verbiage. Spend time gathering photos or other documentation from recent outreach you have done. Compose brief summaries of the concepts, hypotheses or questions you already (but only) spend time thinking about now.

Boilerplate and Administration

Spend time updating your CV or bio-sketch. Revisit ancillary documents like your Facilities and Equipment description and make any necessary updates. Contact a vendor to check on availability or to source quotes. Ask them about current trends in demand or types of equipment and supplies you currently or might in the future need for your research. Successful suppliers can be an excellent technical resource.

Your Professional Development

Scan offerings from your Research Office and see if there is anything on the horizon you should register for. Take the opportunity to learn about a different sponsor – one you have not really considered or previously felt would not be a good fit. Whether recorded material or a live webinar, give it a shot. If it is not relevant for you, just turn it off. The idea is to push yourself to learn about opportunities outside your comfort zone. You can also enter target dates in a calendar, block time, and think realistically about when you will do your proposal-related writing.

In sum: if winning support for your research is an important part of your career, it is something you should be thinking about and taking action on every single workday. On most days this will take less time and mental effort than the other things you do. But even five or ten minutes looking at recent awards or other tactics endorsed here is something you can do even on days when you are otherwise short on time or cognitive capacity.

3 Mistakes that stop PIs from getting funded

Are you making mistakes that could be holding you back from getting funded? In this video, I break down three common pitfalls PIs face—from waiting for funders to tell you what to do, to relying only on your close network, to over-focusing on proposal writing—and share practical solutions to overcome them. Check it out!

When you are ready, here’s how we can help

Need to get your research funded, this year? Check out our 12-week program to get you there.

Check out our storefront where you can access our free Unlocking DOD Funding for University Researchers course and other resources, including for faculty applicants.

Ready to book a call to discuss how our program can support faculty at your institution? Let’s chat!