August 13, 2024 – Grant Writing Workshop

There is nothing I hate more is setting a personal goal of weekly blog posts and I’m a few days late. The world is not collapsing and there are no real consequences. Nothing much to worry about, except for maintaining a habit and commitment. Admittedly, I did start this blog on the weekend, but it turned out, it was not the right time. I think what I was planning to blog here, I wrote in my other website. There you go. Completion, and I have something to “new” to write about here.

Today, I went to the first day of two of a grant writing workshop. I’ve been to this workshop before when it was hosted online a few years ago during the pandemic. Well, I’m back. I find, much like when I attend the tenure and promotion meetings, that things just make more sense over time. Working in higher education has taken me some time to adapt to. However, when I think about who I am and how I operate, I take time to adapt, adjust, and acculturate to my circumstances.

I don’t this taking time to adapt is a bad thing, but it’s something to notice. When I think about change, it’s best to change slowly over time versus rapid change and expecting some sustainability. Anyway, I am learning (again) about grant writing but I am learning way more this time. It might be because it’s my second time or that the session is in-person. I also have some experience with grant writing as a co-investigator and co-applicant, but I think it’s time to make a move for myself.

The ideas being presented are broad, but the tools and frameworks can be applied to our personal research agendas, whether if you are a student, faculty, or staff. That’s kinda cool, when you think about it. The facilitator is leading a session for folks of varying research experience and who are either interested in NSERC, SSHRC, or CIHR (i.e., science, humanities, or health). Her anecdotes are helpful and I really appreciate that she shares that she thinks best from 8pm to midnight.

I can relate to that… but my “tiger time” is from midnight to 4am. I love her stance on that. She is very clear about her stance of not having to work at 6am in the morning and don’t expect her to comply to that expectation because that is not her best work time. I love the boundary that she has set for herself but also being clear of her ability and thus don’t expect much from her in the mornings. It does not mean that she is not productive because she works at night. It’s just different.

Not only did I need to hear about that, but I appreciated the activity at the end of the day. The frameworks provided helped me to map out my research program. Maybe not my whole program, but of a research study I wish to pursue. I got a little worried about another project that was not quite fitting, but we tried a different framework and that project mapped out reasonably well. This is exciting. I look forward to day 2 of this workshop and where I can take these projects next.