Large Grant Application Support

First Steps

For all grant applications your first point of contact should be your Departmental research support staff.

For a contact list of departmental support teams within the Schools of Physical Sciences and Technology click here.

You or your department must also notify the Research Operations Office of your intention to submit. The Research Operations Office (ROO) is the University’s official signatory for research grants and contracts, with formally delegated authority to submit applications, accept research grants and negotiate appropriate terms and conditions.  This central support is organised into School-facing teams, with each departmental administrator having a named research grants advisor as a single point of contact in ROO for queries relating to their department’s research grant applications and awards. Make sure you check the ROO deadlines regarding submission dates as these may be well in advance of the funder submission deadline.

There is a lot of additional support available in the university, particularly for larger and more complex grants. There is no strict definition of large grant, and support needed will vary according to individual circumstances. Support is available for all types of application including individual grants, collaborative grants, programme grants, centre/hub grants and infrastructure grants. 

Speaking to your Head of Department at an early stage is essential for large grant bids which can impact Departmental resourcing and research strategy.

Research Relations team support

The Research Relations Team operates at the level of the SPS/SoT School Office and can support you as you develop your large grant application by:

  • Advising on proposal writing
  • Reviewing drafts – providing comments, suggesting edits
  • Assisting the bid writers in understanding different sections of the application (and in some cases helping to draft or gather content for sections)
  • Helping to make connections and collaborations that will strengthen the applicant team
  • Arranging / participating in mock interviews

The team focusses on supporting strategic grant applications, which are typically large, and where additional support is beneficial. 

Please see our detailed menu of support services and get in touch to discuss your needs.

Other teams across the University

Other teams across the University also support bid preparation including particular topic areas (see Cambridge IRCs), policy and engagement activities, commercialisation and tech transfer, and business engagement. We recognise that this can be confusing, but we all work closely together and we will refer you to the right colleagues where relevant.

For more information on relevant teams see here.

Grant writing companies

Some large, complex proposals may benefit from specialist external grant writing support. Some examples of companies that offer services can be found here.

Funding for bid preparation

The University’s Bid Preparation Fund supports large collaborative research applications by providing funding for bid development activity. This funding is managed by the Research Strategy Office (RSO).