New grant-writing service

We would like to introduce you to Nele Gheldof, who recently joined the team to further develop this service. Nele has a background degree in bio-engineering and a PhD in life science and has experience with scientific writing and project management in both academic and industry settings.

1. What does this new service in grant-writing consist of?

This service is tailored to the individual needs of the EPFL scientist, spanning from assistance in proposal development and consulting, to scientific copy editing, scientific illustration and pre-award management for collaborative projects. On top of this customized service, we will also offer grant-writing courses for senior PhD students and young researchers with hands-on writing sessions and peer reviewing.

2. Who are you and how will you implement this service?

Within the team we have complementary expertise in the different funding schemes, in project management and business innovation, and in various research fields, including life science, engineering, and environmental and basic sciences. By working together within the team, as well as closely with other services at EPFL (legal, finance, DPO, VPI, library) and at national level (such as Euresearch), and having strong connections and network with funders, we believe that we are well positioned to bring added value to the EPFL research community.

3. What are the advantages of this in-house offer as compared to outsourcing this service?

The advantages of building grant-writing services in-house expand beyond knowledge of EPFL rules and community: they also include deep knowledge about different funding programmes - including reviewers’ goals within each granting scheme - and recyclable know-how. An additional advantage not to be overlooked is the lack of associated costs for the individual labs.

4. Who can benefit from this service?

The service is open to any EPFL researcher on a first-come first-served basis. Priority, however, will be given to large-sized individual grant applications, particularly by less experienced junior scientists such as assistant professors and postdoctoral researchers. In parallel, to foster the submission of collaborative proposals and reduce the administrative burden of leading collaborative projects, we also want to prioritize collaborative project proposals with EPFL as the coordinator.

Already have some ideas in the pipeline? Spread the word: the Research Office is here to support and advise you with your grant-writing! Book a slot for a first discussion with our grant officers here!