Give better feedback

How to support colleagues in improving their grant applications

Last week, I wrote about how to get better feedback on your grant application. This week, I’m thinking about how to give more effective feedback, whether you’re a peer, a more experienced researcher or a research development manager.

My first point is obvious but important. Your aim is the same as the applicant’s: you want the final version of the application to be as strong as possible. To do this, you need to give the right guidance and suggestions. But you need to give that guidance and those suggestions in a way that maximises the chances that the applicant acts upon them. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time.