To Come, to See, to Conquer: Practical Pointers in Applying for Funding and Securing Your Initial Grants

Obtaining your doctorate degree not only implies that you are able to design and conduct rigorous scientific research independently but also that you are expected to be able to get your projects funded. Your ability to acquire research funds can have large implications for the type of research questions you can pursue, the articles you can publish, the societal impact you can have with your work, and whether or not you will get a permanent position. Therefore, applying for funding can be one of the most daunting aspects of being an early career researcher. In this chapter, we reflect on our attempts at acquiring funding as early career researchers for the past five years of our careers. We share some lessons we have learned during this bumpy road, which was filled with (many) rejected and (some) successful grant applications. We hope that these will help early career scholars to feel more prepared for their own funding endeavors.keywordsfundinggrantseffective writingpeer-reviewfunding bodies.