An easy 5-step process to get funding to join a scientific writing course or other career development opportunity.
Would you like to invest in a professional development program to advance your research career (such as my online course, the Researchers’ Writing Academy) but don’t have the cash to pay for it?
I have good news for you! It is likely that your institution has professional development allowances that may help you pay for it. In my experience, there is often a lot more “hidden” funding available than we first think.
Remember that it is in your institution’s interest that you develop your professional skills such as writing. Paying for a highly effective event, program or coach is a profitable investment for your employer!
In this blog, I will guide you through an easy 5-step process that will help you secure professional development funding from your institution.
How to ask for academic professional development funding:
- Make a list of possible sponsors
- Send the first person on your list a short email to set up a meeting
- Pitch the professional development funding opportunity in person
- Follow up by email
- Get the funding (congrats!) or repeat steps 1-3 until you get a ‘yes’!
Step 1: Possible sponsors
Many universities have professional development funds for faculty, postdocs and/or graduate students that they may not advertise. Sponsoring you to attend, for example, the Researchers’ Writing Academy, isn’t a lot of money for your institution and the pay-off for them will be high.
Possible sponsors may be your supervisor, your manager, the head of your department, faculty support, retention or recruitment office, the human resources department, the dean, the provost or a professional development office at your institution.
It may be helpful to talk to some trusted colleagues to get tips for where professional development funding is available. Your university’s intranet may also be a good source of information.
Step 2: Send a short email
Talking in person is usually more effective than making the ask via email. Emails are easily ignored and when in person, it’s easier to immediately address any objections and to convey your enthusiasm for the professional development opportunity you would like to participate in.
Keep the email short and don’t over explain what you want to talk about. Suggest some times to meet up and specify how long the meeting will be (the shorter, the better — 15-20 minutes should be enough.)
If the person can’t meet you any time soon, use the advice below to craft a convincing email!
Step 3: Craft your pitch
This is the most crucial part of the process. Your pitch needs to be convincing! Therefore, I would recommend to:
- Keep it short and concise
- Practice your pitch before the meeting
- Be in the right mindset: Having you participate in professional development (such as a writing retreat) is a win for your institution
- Know the strategic plan of the institution/organisation/department you are requesting funding from, and how their goals are in line with what you will gain from the professional development
- Know the specific benefits of the professional development opportunity you would like to participate in.
- If you have already participated in a similar professional development opportunity or if you have worked with the facilitator/coach before, be ready to share your wins from that experience
- Know how the professional development opportunity is different from what is available at your campus
- Know the exact dates and price for the professional development opportunity and all details of associated costs, such as travel expenses
- Be ready to pull up the website for the professional development opportunity during the meeting, e.g., on your phone
- Remember this is a conversation. It’s likely that the person you are talking to will have questions and may not say ‘yes’ immediately
- Think about some likely objections the person you are talking to may have (see further below)
Pitch Structure & Template
So, how should you actually make the ask? I created this template for your pitch, which will help you to keep it short and concise while convincing your sponsor!
- Thank them for taking the time to meet you and state the purpose of the meeting
“Thank you for taking the time to meet me. I’m here today to talk to you about a fantastic professional development opportunity.”
- Describe your publishing/funding goals for the next academic year and how that ties in with the goals of the institution/organisation/department you are talking to
“My plan for the upcoming academic year is to increase/double my publication output — in line with the goals of [your institution].”
- Briefly describe the benefits of the professional development opportunity
“One promising and cost-effective strategy to boost scholarly output is learning a writing process and writing techniques that help getting published in high-ranking journals.”
AND/OR
“When I worked with [the program facilitator/a similar or the same program] before, I was able to publish/submit/win… [state specific previous results].”
- Make a case for the specific professional development opportunity by highlighting how it is different from any offers at your institution, and by describing your previous experience with the facilitator/coach
“However, at [your institution/organisation/department], there aren’t any options for academic writing courses (that teach researchers both how to write high-impact papers and how to do so efficiently). I found an amazing online course that specifically teaches the process of writing papers for high-ranking journals. The course is facilitated by academic writing coach Dr Anna Clemens, who has a scientific writing blog that I have taken a lot of valuable advice from/ whom I have worked with in the past on […] ,which helped me to [publish my last-author paper in a high-impact journal/win prestigious grant/….].”
- Specify all details about the professional development opportunity, such as dates, prices, deadlines and travel expenses (if applicable). Have the website for the Researchers’ Writing Academy up on your phone or laptop and have the link ready to send them.
“The course is for 12 months and costs […].”
- Make the ask!
“Would you be willing to support my participation in the online course, considering that taking part in the course would significantly increase my scholarly output in the next academic year and beyond, which is in line with the strategic goals of [your institution/department]?”
- At the end of the conversation, agree on any next steps and thank them again for their time (even if their answer was no!)
Common objections
Most likely, the person you are talking to will have further questions about the professional development opportunity. If you know what to answer when an objection is voiced, your chances to secure the funding will increase!
Here are some common objections you may hear and what I recommend to reply:
-
“We don’t have the funds to cover the costs”
Reply: Ask them to think about what the cost would be if they wouldn’t send you. Also, explore some alternative strategies: Could they take a part of the cost? Could they write you a letter stating that they support you taking the online course that you could take to the next person you are asking? Would they be open to fund your participation some time in the future? Could you offer something in return, e.g. giving a talk about your experiences/what you learned to other colleagues?
-
“We already have [some kind of writing support] here.”
Reply: Explain how the professional development opportunity is different from those existing offers, e.g. that it is more targeted towards your needs. For the Researchers’ Writing Academy, you could argue that it goes beyond teaching you how to get better at English or just writing, teaching you a whole process to write a paper efficiently.
-
“I have never heard of [this professional development opportunity] as a way to support academic writing.”
Reply: Empathise with them. Then describe how amazed you were to find out about the great results of this particular professional development opportunity.
Step 4: Follow up
After the meeting, send the person you talked to a short email, thanking them again for their time and summarising what you agreed upon. Attach any useful documents, such as literature on the professional development opportunity, even if they won’t fund you this time. If they (may) fund you, provide all details about the event or program, such as a link to the webpage of the online course.
Step 5: repeat steps 1-4 until you get the funding!
Got a ‘yes’? Congratulations!
But don’t despair if the first person you talked to couldn’t fund the professional development you desired this time. Simply repeat steps 1-4 with the next person on your list. Sometimes it takes a little discussion among potential sponsors in your department, especially if you are asking for a larger investment.
And that’s it! Good luck!
