What others say
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“Elaine and Dan have designed a very helpful course on how to start preparing a research proposal and how to generate ideas for proposals. The course has the right balance between taught content and more active and interactive learning. They are warm, encouraging and positive and are able to create a supportive environment for the participants. With their experience and expertise, they are the perfect people to offer such a course.”
Simone Graetzer,
Senior Research Fellow, University of Salford
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“The 'Couch to 500k' programme was absolutely fantastic, giving a good insight into the grant writing/submission process. Plenty of practical elements mean that by the end of the programme you've got a good way along preparing a first draft of a full grant submission. Dan and Elaine provide extremely detailed feedback on every bit of homework you submit and so you see where you can improve your writing. Can't recommend highly enough!”
Mark Chadwick
Research Fellow, Imperial College London
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“Dan's course has been so useful for addressing two of my biggest barriers to writing: confidence & structure. Dan's course is a supportive and encouraging environment, one that encourages you to try your hardest while also experimenting with new techniques & approaches to writing. On a practical level, I found the new frameworks & techniques that Dan introduced really helpful for structuring and adapting my writing. Having these helps me put latent worries to the back of my head, and focus on communicating what I want to say. The exercises Dan provides are a great space to practice this & the feedback is both encouraging and challenging.”
Toby Murray (part 1)
Senior Policy Researcher, The RSA
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“The Couch to £500k programme was extremely useful. Elaine and Dan are extremely knowledgeable and excellent resources. I am currently using many of their reminders, tips, and exercises for helping keep proposal writing on track. I would highly recommend this programme for any new academic and also for those looking for a jump start to getting back into proposal writing.”
Lauren Cator
Senior Lecturer, Imperial College London
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“Dan and Elaine helped us crystalize a clear brief and a realistic plan, working within our operational constraints. They engaged with our broad set of activities and team members in a patient and systematic way. The results gave a clear, accessible and consistent voice to a rich mix of technical outputs. I am delighted with the work they have done for T-B PHASE and will gladly work with them on other projects in the future.”
Arthur Richards
Professor of Robotics and Control and T-B PHASE Director
University of Bristol
(TB-PHASE was an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership. See our writing here.)
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"Research in the charity sector is fast paced and often we lack the time to spend on professional and team development. Dan's four week, one hour research writing sessions, for the Research and Data Insights Team at Good Things Foundation, gave us valuable space and resources to do this. In less than a month our seven very different team members - in terms of levels of experience, skill sets and interests - all benefited. We improved our writing and critical reflection skills, we developed close ways of working, and we built in confidence about sharing our written outputs with others. On behalf of Good Things Foundation, I would highly recommend Dan's training approach to other charities and third sector organisations looking to amplify their written impact."
Al Mathers
Head of Research, Good Things Foundation
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“Dan's course allowed me the valuable time and space to think critically about my writing practice and style and the ways they have been shaped by my work and study experience. Focusing on practice and reflection rather than rote learning writing methods, the training has given me greater confidence when writing and the self-assurance to write in my own style. On top of this, Dan is a great teacher, who was inclusive of all staff's needs and time constraints and quickly and easily built a great rapport with all those at the training.”
James Morrison
Researcher, The RSA
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“Having won a few small grants, I wondered whether this course would be useful to me. The answer is a definite yes! I have found useful information, tips, and advice at every session. I would definitely recommend this course.”
Graziella Iossa
Senior Lecturer in Zoology, University of Lincoln
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“It has been one of the best and most personally impactful courses I have ever attended.”
Anonymous feedback
Proposal Launchpad
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“Working with Dan and Elaine has been an absolute pleasure. They have been flexible in their approach to accommodate the requirements and goals of the project, provided quick and full responses to queries, from both myself and the management/early career management team and ensured a professional approach with all correspondence to our network. The initial arrangements have been delivered effectively and efficiently.”
Zoë Hunter
Network Manager, UKAN+ (EPSRC Network)
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"I think the biggest benefit has been the confidence I gained from practicing and learning alongside my colleagues - Dan facilitated conversations that I think don't often have the space to happen in the office. Knowing that I shared struggles with colleagues has helped me to break through some of my nervousness around putting my writing into the world. Also, it goes without saying that Dan is such a lovely and encouraging presence, and learning from him has been a pleasure. Thanks Dan for everything!"
Toby Murray (part 2)
Senior Policy Researcher, The RSA
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“Dan is an excellent teacher, and it was a privilege to join his course. His teaching style is conducive to a welcoming and highly engaging learning environment where students are able to learn from him as well as each other. I've become more confident about writing and am excited to apply his teachings further!”
Liv Chai
Delivery Manager, The RSA
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“During a busy academic year, Couch to £500K really helped me to ringfence time to develop a full proposal while also receiving stepwise, timely and useful feedback. The course was really engaging and motivating. Elaine and Dan are extremely competent, providing a 360° overview of grant writing and funding process from their respective experience. Starting from an average level of confidence when approaching grant writing, this course enabled me to step-up and write a full proposal, enthusiastically, efficiently and very confidently. And I have loads of notes from the sessions that will be useful for many future proposals!”
Enrico Ferrari
Senior Lecturer, University of Lincoln
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“I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. Although it focuses on ideas generation, the approaches taught and the tools provided by this course have benefited all aspects of my research. Elaine and Dan have been incredibly engaging and supportive throughout.”
Katherine Boughey
Head of Monitoring and Science
Bat Conservation Trust
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“I have always wanted to be a good writer. I used to be a decent one when writing in my mother language. However, through my PhD writing I stop believing in my skills, knowledge and in myself. Skills for Life: Academic Writing from the Ground Up has helped me to think about the writing process and myself differently. The guidance and support I received from Elaine and Dan, who approached our specific challenges with the utmost professionalism and kindness, have had a huge positive impact. As a result, I have not only gained a newfound sense of self-assurance but also developed a more realistic perspective on what I can accomplish within the given time constraints. Thank you!”
Alejandra Munoz,
PhD student, University of Bristol
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“Dan has been a fantastic caring teacher! The sessions have been very engaging and fun - I will definitely refer back to all our discussions, reflections and the resources when writing!”
Veronica Mrvcic
Evaluation Officer, The RSA
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“This course has been invaluable in demonstrating HOW to target areas for improvement rather than just the normal ‘practice writing and you’ll improve’ advice which is never really that helpful because it doesn’t teach you how to identify what you need to improve or change. This course has been amazing and invaluable for my writing, not just during my PhD but has helped me to start developing skills for life. Thank you both, it has been a truly enjoyable experience.”
Jessica Caughtrey
PhD Student, University of Southampton
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“The course helped me a lot to gain a clearer view of how to develop a high-quality proposal from an idea to a fully written proposal. What is the meaning of competitive proposal and develop myself through several self-reflection opportunities throughout the course. Feedback provided on the pieces of coursework was also a valuable part to go through an iterative process of gradual improvement in writing a clear and understandable proposal.”
Allahyar Montazeri
Lecturer, Lancaster University
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“I found the sessions really interesting, and the way the course was structured meant that I was able to build up a full proposal draft over time without getting overwhelmed by the enormity of the task. Elaine and Dan's feedback was useful and specific. I learned a lot of things ranging from seemingly small adjustments I could make, to large-scale differences in mindset and how to think about the proposal and the whole writing process. For anyone with an idea in mind that needs help crafting it into a proposal, I highly recommend the Couch to £500K programme.”
Amelia Gully
Lecturer, University of York
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“The presenters complement each other well in the process of proposal writing and provided clear and useful materials and experiences. I did particularly enjoy listening to Dan's real experiences and suggestions in proposal preparation. The tasks after each session were useful to finally get a project proposal written, which wouldn't have happened without this course. Overall, I would recommend it to other institutions and researchers.”
Heriberto Cuayahuitl
Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, University of Lincoln