3 must-do’s for your next grant application: building strong research collaborations

All too often, grant application planning occurs under pressure as the deadline approaches. At the same time, we juggle completing prior grants, managing research teams, and publishing our research papers to maintain funding momentum. With all this going on, it’s not surprising that the process of developing strategic research collaborations and valuable non-academic partnerships can fall by the wayside or become an activity left to the dying hours before submission.

High-quality collaborations and networks take time to build, particularly those that add genuine value to a grant application. It is therefore important to clearly determine what you need, and who you are looking for, when planning involvement in your next grant. With limited funds available, limited time to deliver research, and increasing pressure to demonstrate research impact, these relationships need careful consideration rather than last-minute decisions.

There are many steps involved in building strong collaborations for grant success. However, the following three actions can be started immediately and will help clarify your next steps in grant application planning.

1. Assess the project needs – Plan your research and grant application planning strategy.

What is the long term goal/vision of your research?

Often, research is undertaken for compelling reasons, but without sufficient big picture thinking. This is an unfortunate side effect of time constraints in conducting the research, as well as in planning future research. This has also been highlighted as a growing constraint on philanthropic funders’ willingness to invest in research.

f you need support with this step, explore our Vision and Mission mini course for guidance on developing a clear and fundable research direction.

Try to articulate a goal beyond publishing a paper or simply “determining the effect of A on B”. Consider what change you ultimately want your research to contribute to.

What staff , expertise, and infrastructure will you need to achieve this goal?

Answering this question will help you identify where external collaborations and partnerships may add value. This may include multidisciplinary research expertise as well as non-academic partners who can support translation, implementation, or engagement.

2. Determine the value of collaborators and co-investigators.

What is the value that each collaborator and co-investigator brings to the grant?

Collaborators often remain the same across projects, which can lead to relationships becoming habitual rather than strategic. Use each new grant application as an opportunity to map the specific skills, expertise, and networks required for the proposed work.

Outline the expectations.

This step is frequently overlooked in the rush to submit. Clear planning and explicit expectations are critical to ensuring productive collaborations throughout the life of the grant.

Consider how funding will be allocated, who will provide overall project management, and what responsibilities each collaborator will hold. This should include governance, meetings, stakeholder engagement, and reporting responsibilities across the project lifecycle.

3. Identify new and non-academic collaborators early

Make new connections

You may find that, once you have determined your goals and the expertise needed to achieve them, you are missing some valuable collaborators. This is usually the non-academic links, but can also be other multidisciplinary collaborations.

Think beyond traditional approaches

If your goal is to change practice, service delivery, or policy, submitting a report alone is unlikely to achieve this. Working with collaborators in computer science, education, design, or the arts may support more innovative and effective approaches to delivering research outcomes.

Before securing funding, consider what types of partnerships will best support your long-term research vision and impact goals. Doing this early helps set a clear direction for the project and strengthens the overall grant application.

So you have decided you need fresh perspectives and new collaborators. What next? Finding and building new networks takes time. You may find our blog on developing new research networks and collaborators useful as a starting point.

Final thought

Strong grant applications are rarely built at the last minute, and effective grant application planning requires time, clarity, and purposeful collaboration. Investing time in research strategy, collaborator alignment, and purposeful partnerships not only strengthens your proposal but also increases the likelihood that your research will deliver meaningful impact beyond academia. For more on grant writing, check out our blog on 3 tips to surviving the grant writing process.