Research Project Information Form, School of English
Guidance for applicants to all Research Funding schemes (from small grants and Fellowships to large
collaborative bids)
This form is designed to be a first step in helping you to develop your research ideas into an
application for funding. It provides us with as much information as possible so that meaningful
guidance and advice can follow. The form should be submitted to the Humanities Research
Development Officer, Amelia Wakeford (a.c.wakeford@sussex.ac.uk), and the School of English
Director of Research, Margaret Healy (m.j.healy@sussex.ac.uk), as soon as you have a project and
possible grant schemes in mind and prior to your first meeting with Amelia. This should be more
than 8 working weeks before the grant deadline.
Section 1: Basic Information
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Your name and subject area:
Is this an individual or a collaborative project?
Description of the project (aims, plus objectives, research questions, methods and projected output
if known):
Which funding bodies and grant schemes do you have in mind (please ensure that you have read the
scheme notes)?
What is the maximum funding limit of this scheme? How much will you apply for (if known)?
Have you applied for any grants before? If ‘yes’, which schemes (and outcome)?
Does this project involve any areas that are new to you? For example, using the on-line application
system (Je-S, EGap); designing ‘impact’ statements; setting up a website (most collaborative project
schemes now demand this); other digital and technical issues; estimating staff costs (do you know
what full economic costing means?); ethical issues; working on a large or collaborative grant
application. List the areas you think you will need help with:
Section 2: Project Information
Please complete this section, as applicable, and as far as you are able at this stage.
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Project Title:
Principal applicant and institution:
Co-applicants (and institutions):
Other project partners (non-higher education institutions):
Deadline for the grant scheme and web link:
Project start and end date dd/mm/yy:
Project duration (months):
Do you have a peer mentor (or mentors) in mind?
Section 3: Budget
You will almost certainly need help with the following but please think about these crucial
questions prior to your meeting with the Research Development Officer.
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Personnel Costs
Principal investigator envisaged hours per week:
Co- investigator(s) envisaged hours per week:
Please list the number of PhD students, post-docs, other employees (e.g. administrative and/or
technical support), and anyone else you propose to involve on the project (project partners,
consultants, advisors envisaged at this early stage):
Other Project costs
Please list any activities or outputs that may incur a cost (for example, travel, project meetings,
advisory boards, research trips, archive work, interviews, focus groups, conference attendance,
event organisation, website, publication costs):
Here are some prompts to be thinking about when formulating your project. The purpose
is to stimulate ideas about how you might present your research to a prospective funder.
Don’t feel you have to respond to all the questions – although often those which initially
appear least relevant can bring up useful things to consider. We encourage you to share
your responses (which can be very brief and rough) with Amelia before your meeting, so
that they can form the basis for a really considered discussion.
What are you trying to do (using no jargon)?
Why does this research need to be done now?
What’s new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
Why are you the best person to undertake this project?
Who cares?
If you’re successful what difference will it make?
What are the risks and pay offs?
How will you know if you’ve succeeded?
Why do you think this particular funder will want to fund this particular project?