Thread by @nmwangi09

What are your tips on #grantwriting? Here are some of the lessons learnt from a multi-institution grant application that we are putting together with a short deadline- a thread./1
#academicleadership
@Kmtc_official @VISION2020UK @Gatera_F_Kitema

/2. Pre-planning is helpful. If you can have the project all thought out in advance (e.g. use a generic template to think through all aspects of the project), it will be easier to manage the short deadlines between the call for application and submission.

/3. Engage all participating groups early. If your application involves multiple institutions, bring all of them on board early, so that each team has sufficient time to conceptualize the application, understand their role in it and build a team.

/4. Engage the highest level institutional leadership as early as possible. Support from the top leaders is often a crucial catalyst to progress in #grantwriting and will also make #grantmanagement easier.

/5. Embrace diversity in the #grantwriting team - multidisciplinary teams in particular are likely to bring different strengths to the process - expertise, skills, perspectives. Same to multi-institution and multicountry teams.

/6. To make the case for your grant, tell a story. The story of the change you want to see, or the partnership you want to develop, or the lessons you are building on. It is the language for communicating with the grant provider. Make the connection.

/7. #Mentorship in #grantwriting is important. A team lead can use the oportunity to provide exposure, tools (such as templates), a safe space for learning and to build the confidence of team members.

/8. For efficiency in collaborative #grantwriting, we have found tools such as Google docs to be very useful

/9. Engage technical experts - both in the project conceptualization and design, as well as in grant writing. Their input is invaluable.

/10. Grant writing is time-intensive. Block some chunks of time for it. Share tasks among teams. Do not miss deadlines. Aim to submit days ahead of the deadline.

Share with us additional tips on #grantwriting and #academicleadership.

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