Research Policy and Grant Proposal Writing

The course will take place in winter semester 2025-6..

• Lecture 1. Introduction to the course and to economics of science.
• Lecture 2. Science, politics and society.
• Lecture 3. Introduction to the case study and time for groupwork.
• Lecture 4. How public money is distributed.
• Lecture 5. Interacting with funding agencies and designing good proposals.
• Lecture 6. Proposals as argumentative texts (I).
• Lecture 7. Proposals as argumentative texts (II).
• Lecture 8. Intermediary discussion of case studies and time for groupwork.
• Lecture 9.Final workshop: presentation of the case studies.

The aim of the course is to introduce PhD students to the research policy and funding landscape in a comparative perspective, in order to provide them with the information and competences needed for academic careers, particularly for what concern the acquisition of funding.

More specifically, the course will deal with the following topics:

• Introducing PhD students to the socio-political and economic dynamics behind the allocation of public funds for research, to allow them understanding the rationale behind funding allocation and to cope with changes in the funding landscape.
• Presenting the research funding landscape in terms of types of allocation mode (project vs. institutional), allocation mechanism (grants vs. formula vs. negotiation) and understanding their implications for funding acquisition.
• Focusing on the main types of project funds available and their allocation procedures and criteria. The issue of supporting academic careers through specific grant scheme will receive due attention.
• Understanding grant proposal writing as a communicative and argumentative process and learning how to manage this process in the most effective way to acquire funds.
• The course will be organized in face-to-face lectures and presentations of relevant texts on the subject by students. Additionally, the course will include a group work where PhD students will have the opportunity to analyse a set of grant proposals and to share their experience in a final course workshop.

In presence

The course will be organized in face-to-face lectures and presentations of relevant texts on the subject by students. Additionally, the course will include a group work where PhD students will have the opportunity to analyse a set of grant proposals and to share their experience in a final course workshop.

Paper presentation and analyzes of a project proposal.