A free to attend, online, three-day masterclass, funded and hosted by NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) South Central, on how to write a grant application that is strong from a methodological point of view, reads well and presents a convincing case for funding.

The online masterclass will focus on how to sell your research idea by:

• writing a convincing application with a good structure, flow and argument;
• presenting a strong methods section, including statistical, qualitative, health economics and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) elements;
• having a good project plan;
• engaging with sources of external support for your research.

The course will cover important tips on writing, along with guidance on what reviewers will be looking for in an application.

Through a series of presentations with accompanying homework, attendees will learn how to make their research idea clear and compelling to reviewers, how to write a good methods section and how to demonstrate credible support.

One-to-one sessions with RDS advisers will also allow attendees to work through aspects of their own research ideas with experienced methodologists and facilitators.

This online event is open to UK-based health care professionals, social care and public health practitioners, health researchers and SMEs who are intending to apply to any NIHR or other open, competitive, peer reviewed funding programme in the 12 months following the masterclass.

EGGA provides a great chance to get expert support and advice from those who know what makes a successful application – register for our free event to increase your chances of winning research funding!

Presentations and practical sessions will cover the following topics and more:

• Getting your message across to reviewers quickly and clearly
  • Sales pitch and writing style
  • Communicating the importance of your work: what’s the story?
  • What do funding panels love and hate to see in applications?
  • The importance of the research question, title, aims and objectives
  • The importance of Plain English and scientific summaries
• Showing reviewers you can deliver: the importance of a good case for support
  • Expectations and common mistakes in the case for support
  • How to present statistics sections
  • How to present health economics sections
  • How to present qualitative sections
  • Reassuring reviewers
• Showing reviewers you can deliver: demonstrating credible support
  • The importance of good Patient and Public Involvement
  • The importance of good project management
  • Demonstrating the potential for tangible outputs
  • The importance of a good pre-submission review

• One-to-one clinic sessions with our expert advisers

EGGA takes place annually, usually in the Spring Term (often in February/March). The date of the next course can be found at the top of this page.

The event will run across three consecutive days from 9am-3pm on each day. Delegates will be expected to attend all three days.

Places on the EGGA course are usually booked via an EventBrite page. Registration tends to open two or three months ahead of the next event.

The masterclass is held online.