My winning proposal: Turn to your team when breaking new ground

Advice from a former grantee as Breast Cancer Now’s Project Grants return

Top tips

• When applying to a specialist funder in a field you are not expert in, assembling the right team is paramount.
• Listen carefully to the team’s advice, especially any insights they can give regarding the funder in question.
• With basic or preclinical research bids to medical research charities make sure you lay out a clear, direct narrative line to patient impact.
• Patient involvement is highly beneficial on non-clinical bids.
• Start assembling your team and speaking to the funder early, even if you plan to write the proposal close to deadline.

When Funding Insight spoke to Simon Vincent, Breast Cancer Now’s director of research, about the charity’s fellowships earlier this year, he said that while its Project Grants had been put on hold due to the pandemic, they were likely to return “within the next 12 to 18 months” and that potential applicants should keep an eye out.