Deciding to Pursue a New Grant

Dear colleagues:

It’s hard to figure out what to order when my 3-year-old plays “chef.” When I ask, “Can I have a grilled cheese?” The answer is often, “No, I don’t make those.”

“What do you make?”

“Coffee and croissants.”

“Great, I’ll have a croissant.”

“We’re out of those today.”

Even at age 3, my little one wants choice and control in her career.

Her pretend play is a good reminder that probably we all want choice and control in our careers. Yet as scholars, many of our choices are taken away by terrible job markets and fickle funders.

One place to regain control is choosing where to spend your time. Specifically (since this is a grant writing newsletter), think carefully about whether you want to pursue a new grant. 

In my new article in Nature, I walk you through 7 questions to ask yourself before pursuing a new grant. Here’s a worksheet to guide you through these questions. If you decide to pursue a new grant opportunity, remember to talk to a program officer. 

Good luck with making these choices! Thanks for reading and believing that scholars deserve support for incredible ideas.

Betty

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P.S. Interested in learning how to support children after disasters and strengthening the science pipeline? Join me at this symposium on pediatric disaster science. Spoiler alert: I'm talking about why biases in grant funding matter for all of us. Registration is free!

P.P.S. Here’s the “kitchen” that’s usually closed. My new test order is shui jiao (i.e., dumplings).

[A play kitchen.]