Doing science involves more than just exploring the depths of your understanding of all the aspects of your research. Even before getting to the actual research, you need to apply for funding. A long, extensive, and sometimes frustrating process. Cut-throat competitiveness means there the chance of success is often low. With Research Life Cycle Support, the university wants to support its researchers throughout the entire process, from idea to impact. From young researchers to well-established full professors.
Science is a way of life for Yali Tang, an assistant professor in Professor Niels Deen’s Power and Flow group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She breathes science and never stops thinking about her fundamental research into transport phenomena in multiphase flows which especially involves particles, bubbles or droplets. She uses different computer models for this.
Her biggest challenge is that she cannot devote her full attention to her scientific research; on that at which she is good. “My ambition to build my own group, and applying for research project funding is crucial for that. I can set up a line of research, but if I don’t have projects, the group can’t grow,” Tang says. “Applying for funding is time-consuming and complicated. Something with which I, and other researchers at our university, could use some help.”
Complicated processes
“When you just become an assistant professor, you don’t have the foggiest idea how to apply for funding. You just do something. I wrote and submitted the first two proposals completely on my own, spending many days nights on them. It was a long, painful learning process, yet with a low success rate. Nowadays, funding schemes are so complicated and the funders’ rules change frequently. I don’t have the time to keep up. Researchers need someone to filter this information for us,” says Tang.
I don’t want other young researchers to drown in the quagmire of funding
Yali Tang, assistant professor
For that, Tang simply had to walk a few doors down the second-floor hallway in Gemini. Project officer Roy Hermanns, her lifeline for all things concerning European funding, has an office there. Though, at first, she didn’t know Research Life Cycle Support offered assistance at her department. She thinks it’s vital that other researchers know what kind of help they can get, and where they can get it. “I don’t want them to drown in the quagmire of funding, like I did before. When you get support, the process goes more smoothly, and it hopefully increases your chance of success. Most importantly, it gives me the space to do what I’m really good at: research.”
Needs
At this early stage of her career, Tang mainly needs help writing proposals and networking to form a consortium which she can use to submit her research idea. “Roy and the other project officers (Mechanical Engineering has four of them, ed.) have lots of contacts in companies and other research institutions. They often know how to quickly build a bridge between us, as researchers and companies. Him being on top of this and arranging everything saves me so much time and energy.”
Hermanns graduated from the department where he now works as a project officer. After a 12-year break, during which he did project research on liquid fuels at a research institute in Aachen, he returned to Eindhoven. So, he knows his stuff as a project officer. “I’m no deep fundamental researcher. What motivates me is making researchers’ ideas accessible to industry. Valorization satisfies me the most.”
Many young researchers find it hard to translate what their work brings to society
Project officer Roy Hermanns
And that is exactly what is crucial when submitting project proposals: showing how the research will benefit society. Its impact. “Researchers often only look at their little piece of research. Some of them have difficulties to translate what their research could mean for society in the long run. Think about the CO2 savings that something can generate or how many jobs it can create. For example, we do a lot of work around fuel prices. How much is a new fuel going to cost in the end? For some calls, you have to provide a picture of that. That carries a lot of weight in, particularly, European projects’ assessments. Young scientists, especially, find it difficult to explain their work. We try to coach them in this.”
Tang admits to that. “I do very fundamental research; it fascinates me. I want to know why things happen the way they do and how to solve that puzzle. But getting people interested and involved in my research is something at which I’m less good. At first, I didn’t understand why I had to structure my proposals in a certain way. That, in turn, is people like Roy’s field of expertise. The great thing is that we do it together. Doing science is teamwork.”
“Getting the wording right is key,” Hermanns points out. “I wouldn’t label it a lottery, but you have to understand the behind-the-scenes processes when calls are being created. Who are the players, how do they think, why did they opt for that call? That’s how you can distinguish yourself and stay ahead of the competition,” Hermanns says. “It’s about the little differences in how you phrase a sentence.”
Finding partners
Hermanns’ substantive background is a huge advantage: “I know the group’s expertise but also that of companies in the same field. If I see a call coming up at the European level that could bring in money for our researchers, I can point out the opportunities to them beforehand.” That is also the idea behind Research Life Cycle Support. “The ideal scenario is when researchers say to me, ‘I see potential in this topic, can you find funding opportunities?'” says Hermanns. “Also, working in a more planned manner, instead of jumping on a tender willy-nilly, gives you peace of mind. Anticipating potential calls gives scientists more time to prepare their proposal.”
“It takes a tremendous amount of time to get a strong consortium together. First, you have to identify your desired project partner among companies and other universities. Then you have to figure out who the right contact person is within that institution. That puzzling out work takes a lot of time, but I enjoy bringing together the most capable people in the field,” he continues. For her part, Tang is happy to leave the consortium forming in Hermanns’s capable hands.
Focus on writing
Tang enjoys writing scientific papers and working out ideas. “I dream about how far my research project can reach and think about what kind of experiments and simulations to perform.”
But, writing funding proposals is a horse of an entirely different color, in her experience. “I wrote a proposal for an ERC Starting Grant, which I thought was good. But it was not funded, which frustrated me immensely. Roy discouraged me from giving up. He said it was a good proposal and that we would submit it to another call. The fact that he knows our research lines so well helps. It’s easy to spar with him.”
It feels like you’re embarking on an adventure together. I no longer feel like a lone wolf
Assistant professor Yali Tang
And Tang appreciates the support: “Chances of success are, and remain, low. But the fact that there’s someone to help you, that’s embarking on this adventure with you, feels great. I no longer feel like a lone wolf.”
Hermanns considers this social coaching essential: “You sign up for personal funding because you want to show how good you are. If the reviewers say ‘that’s not quite it’, it affects you personally. I then try to offer perspective by proposing a different call. I try to boost the scientists’ moods after a rejected proposal.”
Hermanns and his colleague, Jan-Paul Krugers, work with two groups in the department: Power and Flow and Energy Technology, Dean Philip de Goey’s group. “My position is directly linked to Philip. I take as much of the process writing task off his hands as possible. He comes up with the ideas, I write most of the project proposals, and from its content, guide it further.”
Hermanns focuses mainly on calls on the European level, such as Horizon programs and ERC grants. Jan-Paul Krugers, on the other hand, looks out for national research programs like Dutch Research Council (NWO) calls. “We do it that way to gain expertise and to be able to complement each other.”
The entire chain
Before Tang began writing project proposals, she thought Research Life Cycle Support revolved mainly around help when applying for funding. “But, it’s about the whole chain. Not just sparring about your idea and helping you write your proposal, but also financial and project management, and help on scientific and societal impact. Support on data management is particularly important for us. In our group, we run numerical models and have to manage an unbelievable amount of data, such as storage and backups. I get professional support for that as well.”
“Each department, group, or even person has different needs,” Tang has come to realize. “I’m terrible at many non-scientific parts and am delighted to have that taken off my hands. For example, our finance officer proactively contacts me when I haven’t spent all the project money yet.”
“We’re a great example of how a researcher and supporter work closely and openly together, fully trusting each other. A lot of time, effort, and money are being put into shaping the future of support for scientists. I hope this inspires others to do the same. It’s well worth the investment.”
