Towards the end of 2025, the School of Chemistry ran three events as part of our ‘Grant Days’ initiative aimed at helping researcher group leaders to submit more and higher quality research grant applications. The initiative was the brainchild of the School’s research committee under the leadership of Director of Research Andy Lawrence, Professor of Organic Chemistry. Jenni Garden, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, took the lead on the shaping and the running of the events, aided by research support colleagues within the school.The events ran over consecutive months starting in October 2025 and following the path of a grant application from conception/pitching, through the outline phase, culminating with a mock panel review session in December.A writing retreat was also organised during the School’s break in teaching at the end of October to give researchers the space and structure to help bring their ideas to life. There was no obligation to attend all events in the series, and each event provided the opportunity for standalone benefits. Dr Jenni Garden welcoming colleagues to the School's first Ideation Grant Day in October 2025. The Ideation Day in October saw around 12 different ideas pitched to a supportive audience of colleagues spanning the whole range of career stages within the School.In order to be as inclusive as possible, there was no set format for pitches, and the variety of funding schemes, innovative ideas and levels of granularity presented were impressive. Presenters had 12 minute slots in which to convey their ideas and receive feedback, which gave a high energy, fast-paced feel to the event, and attendees left feeling inspired and engaged with the research taking place across the school.Key benefits articulated by researchers after the event included the opportunity to receive rapid feedback on ideas and actually giving them the push to prepare something for the session.The second event provided a more relaxed environment for researchers to receive feedback on an outline of a grant application from multiple colleagues in a one-to-one setting. The School's Senior Research Funding Specialist from Edinburgh Research Office, Charis Wilson, also attended to highlight key information about grant costing and run an interactive Q&A. This provided a valuable opportunity to exchange knowledge and ensure shared understanding.One key takeaway from the session was the efficiency of 'real-time' feedback. The group discovered that high-quality peer review doesn’t require an extensive time commitment; a focused, 30-minute meeting allows a reviewer to evaluate a proposal and provide verbal feedback in person, ensuring the author captures immediate, actionable insights.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The final session was a ‘fly on the wall’ panel review meeting.All attendees were given 30 minutes at the beginning of the session to read the full proposals and then took turns acting as first and second introducer for the proposals being reviewed.Authors were not allowed to give clarifying statements during the discussion of their proposals – as if they were a fly on the wall - this proved very insightful in helping frame proposals to make sure that key messages are conveyed quickly.Not only did the session provide valuable feedback on proposals, it also gave colleagues who have not yet sat on a funding panel, experience of what this would be like, and how rapidly discussions around funding decisions actually take place. The third grant day was ran as a mock funding panel meeting. It has been a joy to run these events. We have incredible colleagues in the School of Chemistry, who juggle many competing demands on their time. Leading the ‘Grant Days’ initiative has been a fantastic opportunity to create time, space and support for colleagues to focus on research proposals – a task that can sometimes feel quite daunting or isolating. We’re looking forward to continuing this initiative in 2026, and will be exploring new topics and formats – watch this space! Dr Jennifer Garden UKRI Future Leaders Fellow In the current financial climate, it is more important than ever that we find ways to help each other apply for competitive research funding. It was great to see the enthusiasm of colleagues to help each other through this new ‘Grant Days’ initiative. We are looking forward to running another series of events in 2026, and hopefully seeing these contribute to even more successful grant applications in the future. Prof. Andrew Lawrence Director of Research Planning is already underway for the 2026 Grant Days Initiative which will be kicking off in the Spring. Ideas currently under consideration are events targeted to specific funding schemes, themed research events, and tie ins with specific training wants or needs of the School community. Find out more about the research within the School of Chemistry here. Publication date 09 Jan, 2026
