From Idea to Grant: Project Planning and Writing a Successful Research Grant Proposal

The course provides PhD students with comprehensive training in project planning, preparation, and management. The course begins with a focus on identifying the project funding sources, emphasizing the fundamental procedures, methodologies, and techniques for preparing and managing research and innovation projects. Participants will learn to navigate the structure and requirements of projects in both internal university contexts and external national and international grant schemes, with particular attention to financial management, project documentation, and standard practices used in the EU and the US. The practical component includes working with project templates, case studies, and best practices to develop essential skills in project design, budgeting, and documentation.
Following the planning phase, the course shifts to practical instruction in grant proposal writing in English. Students will acquire key vocabulary, cultural considerations, and stylistic practices tailored to grant writing. They will learn about the differences between academic and grant texts, the structure of successful proposals, and how to effectively address project instructions and review criteria. Students will develop the ability to draft, revise, and pitch grant proposals, enhancing their communication skills and understanding of the evaluative process.

Upon completion of the course, PhD students will be able to:

• Master the basic terminology and standards of project and grant management
relevant to EU and US practices.
• Understand basic management principles, methods, and techniques of
preparing and planning projects, as well as the financial aspects of funded
projects.
• Understand the content of the essential documents for preparing and planning
co-financed and publicly funded projects.
• Develop proficiency in writing, evaluating, and revising grant proposals in
English tailored to target audiences and review criteria.
• Gain practical skills in pitching research ideas.

Entry requirements for the course: English B2 +

Requirements for course completion:
• 80% in-class attendance
• 100% completion of assignments (Logical Framework Matrix, Work Breakdown
Structure - project planning templates), first draft of a mini-grant proposal,
revised draft of a mini-grant proposal, grant proposal presentation).

Applications: http://czv.vsb.cz/kurzy

1. Theoretical minimum of project and grant management.
2. Grant resources and grant opportunities for PhD students.
3. Grant sources and project financing from national and European public sources
in the Czech Republic.
4. Grant sources and financing of international projects and grants in the Czech
Republic.
5. The most used methodologies, techniques, and tools in project preparation and
planning.
6. Identifying the project (initialisation, launch, examples of good practice).
7. Project planning (planning processes, cultural influences and impact on
planning, time planning, resource planning, and financial aspects of the project,
and examples of good practice).
8. Work with project documentation templates (Project Proposal/Grant Application,
Statement of Work, Project Charter, Project Logframe, WBS, RAM/RACI matrix,
Gantt Chart, Communication Plan, Project Budget, Project Financial Plan, Risk
Assessment Matrix).
9. Opportunities to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into project preparation and
planning.
10. Academic versus project writing, clear and concise style.
11. Grant proposal structure: Abstract, Excellence, Impact, and the Quality and
efficiency of the implementation (draft of a grant proposal narrative).
12. Evaluation criteria.
13. Grant proposal presentation.