ERC Starting, Consolidator and Advanced  Grant writing skills enhancement & concept development course

'We offer a personal, individually tailored and educationally focussed journey of excellence.'

At Whitehorne, as part of our ERC services, we share our many years of experience and expertise by coaching and mentoring potential ERC applicants on enhancing their grant writing skills and developing up a proposal concept in readiness for writing a future ERC grant.

This course has been designed for ERC Starting and ERC Consolidator applicants, with a modified version for more senior ERC Advanced applicants.

The course includes:

• Explaining the ERC process

• How to work towards developing up a strong concept for an ERC proposal, and the steps involved for this

• How to refine and strengthen an ERC project concept

• What is the expected content within an ERC grant (both B1 and B2) and coaching/mentoring on aspects within different sub-sections of a proposal

• What is needed to be presented in a CV (and how to present this in a strong and effective way)

• Coaching on the writing style needed for an ERC proposal, including clarity and consistency in messages

• Mentoring and advice on what to avoid, and common mistakes made when writing an ERC proposal

• How to work towards developing up a strong concept for an ERC proposal, and the steps involved for this

• How to refine and strengthen an ERC project concept

• What are the strong aspects within the concept

• Development up of the proposal concept: Why is this research now needed; Why is it now relevant; Why can the research now be done; How can this concept overcome the bottle neck in the current State of the Art; What are the underpinning recent results that support the feasibility; What is the aim; What are the objectives; What is the skeleton for the workplan; What elements of the workplan need collaborators.

• Applicants will develop up their own ERC proposal concept and have this personally reviewed by us with a focus on: Where is there lack of focus, depth and definition; What is unclear in the proposed concept and how can this be remedied; Where are the inconsistencies; including what are the areas that could be strengthened and suggestions as to how to achieve this, with further refining then to be undertaken by the applicant.

The course has been designed to be taken by individuals who are thinking of writing an ERC grant in the next 12-16 months and have have yet to develop up a strong concept.

We also offer ERC grant writing individual support and ERC interview support.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF OUR SUPPORT

• When any of our clients interact with us, they will find us to be down to earth and approachable professionals, who have a real passion for what we do, and we understand and appreciate how busy the life of an academic can be.

• All of our work is based on a strong process-driven foundation.

• We believe in honesty and transparency, and in building strong and healthy relationships with our clients.
  

WHO WILL APPLICANTS BE WORKING WITH
Your course facilitators are Fire Sanders or Willem Bouma, both qualified and experienced senior trainers. Both Willem and Fire have experience working with all panels and areas of research, and have worked with numerous applicants and institutions throughout around Europe and beyond. 

We have over 15 years (specifically) working on European, Dutch and international research grant proposals - and over 25 years experience with scientific promotion cases, research grants, interview training, review and editing of high impact research journal articles and writing nominations for prestigious prizes and awards. We specialise in what we do and offer – and ERC grant writing is no exception.