Title of Book: Winning Research Funding.

Author(s) or Editor(s): Abby Day Peters.

Publisher: Gower Books

Year published: 2003

Price: £26.00

ISBN number: ISBN: 978-0-566-08459-1

Reviewer: Tony Acland, Aimhigher Hampshire and Isle of Wight, April 2007

This book does exactly what it says on the cover – and if the reader assiduously follows the key principles, practical examples and guidance provided – successful bidding for research funding is almost assured.

The 215 pages and 21 chapters are appropriately organised into four parts:

1. Your Research Focus
2. Identifying Your Research Partner
3. Building the Research Partnership
4. Maintaining the Research Partnership

A short – but useful - index is provided at the end to ease access to sections of particular interest to the reader.

It may be tempting to dismiss a book like this as ‘stating the obvious’.   But a range of practical points – well illustrated - is exactly what bidders for research funds need.  The author comprehensively covers all the key points required - from identifying a source of funding; researching what is needed; building a research team and partnerships – to writing a successful bid, preparing effective presentations, negotiating with the funder and finally securing funding. 

Researchers are reminded that bidding is conducted by clear formal rules and it is essential to read carefully and follow the bidding guidelines.  If, for example, key ‘qualification’ criteria are missed or the bid is handed-in after the deadline – your project proposal definitely will be rejected. 

Technical matters are properly addressed throughout the book.  In particular, there is a helpful chapter which explains the importance of building clear research ‘outputs’.  Examples given are ‘a confidential report to the funder’ or even ‘a TV series’.  This helpful chapter emphasises that outputs should not be confused with the equally important ‘research outcomes’.  The author argues that all successful bids for funding are able to identify the ‘significant value’ of the research outcomes.  As always – clear examples are given to demonstrate the wide range of ways in which the value of outcomes can be demonstrated.

This book does much more than focusing on the practical and technical skills of preparing effective bids for funding.  The author encourages the bidder to consider what is in the mind of the funders – who are not seen as faceless bureaucrats – but real people with a passion for what they hope the research will achieve and who care about value for money and the way in which the research outcomes will be of practical use to the community.  Understanding the motivation and thinking of the funders is seen as essential to developing an effective bid.  In fact, the importance of working with others and establishing effective relationships is emphasised in many of the chapters – whether that is developing research team partnerships or wisely treating the researcher-funder relationship as important to obtaining funding and successfully completing a project.

At times the books seems to stray into more general philosophical background issues which seem of less direct practical use for a busy researcher wanting to prepare a bid. Some might feel slightly patronised by the re-opening of well-trodden issues – such as ‘what is good research?’  However, the discussion is succinct and relevant and seems designed to lead the reader into considering the way in which others – particularly funders who may not be current researchers – view the value of research.

This book will be of most use to university researchers who have little or no experience of bidding for public funding.  The guidance is most relevant for developing research bids from large national funding organisations - such as the ESRC or the Rowntree Foundation.  Although there is a short chapter specifically designed for considering bidding for research funding from private corporations – this chapter is rather general and sweeping in its considerations compared with the detailed and helpful guidance and rich examples provided in the rest of the book.

Overall, Abby Day Peters’ Winning Research Funding is a well thought-out guide – particularly for social science researchers – to improve their bidding skills to secure public sector funding.