Securing funding for an educational or research initiative in ophthalmology can often feel like a competitive, confusing and time-intensive task. Whether you’re an early-career researcher looking to get your first project off the ground or an experienced educator aiming to scale up a successful local intervention, understanding how to build a compelling case is key.
Below are my top five tips to maximise your chances of a successful grant application, especially for educational projects within ophthalmology and related patient care.
1. The right research question at the right time
The first step in any successful grant application is identifying a pressing issue that resonates with both the current landscape and the objectives of your funding organisation. This means including evidence of how you identified this problem and its implications, such as patient feedback, audit data or literature reviews on recent evidence. This also involves framing your project around a gap that is timely and relevant. For example, if your focus is patient care, consider the growing emphasis on patient and public involvement (PPI) [1,2].
For instance, during 2022, I applied for a grant to tackle misinformation on social media by creating short, peer-reviewed videos that disseminate accurate medical information in an accessible format. To optimise patient outcomes, I integrated PPI by co-creating and reviewing the scripts with both healthcare professionals and people with lived experiences of the condition I was creating the videos for. Pitching this as part of the grant application made it stronger as it demonstrated a robust method of integrating an evidence-based approach to address the project objectives.
Another idea, when applying for grants to fund educational projects, is to align your pitch with recent changes in medical education. With the UK Medical Licensing Assessment in mind, proposing a project that caters to it could be deemed very relevant and hence more likely to receive funding. The key is the right research question at the right time!
Once you’ve identified your focus, how you frame the problem matters [3]. You must pitch your problem in a way that highlights its significance and aligns with the funding organisation’s priorities. Make sure your project outlines clear, measurable outcomes that demonstrate how it will benefit the target audience and address your aims directly. Funders want to see traceable impacts, so your project should emphasise these outcomes, ensuring that your goals are not only important but achievable. And if your work involves human participants or sensitive data, always check if ethical approval is required early on using the Health Research Authority (HRA) decision tool: www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/ethics
2. Involve the right stakeholders early
One of the most common pitfalls in grant applications is failing to show a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach [4]. Bringing in the right stakeholders from the outset strengthens both the project plan and your proposal. Engaging relevant stakeholders is crucial for both the planning and successful delivery of your project. This could include:
- Reputable researchers or senior clinicians with a strong publication record
- Patient charities or support groups, especially for PPI input and dissemination
- Medical students or junior doctors who may benefit from or help co-deliver the project.
The more credible and engaged your collaborators, the stronger your proposal will appear to funders. Make sure to demonstrate the involvement of stakeholders in your project’s development. For example, when running a virtual patient education session on dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), I co-designed materials with consultants, ensuring medical accuracy and up-to-date information, and patients, ensuring accessibility, sensitivity and an appropriate level of communication.
The right team will not only strengthen your project’s chances of success but also ensure that you have the resources, expertise and networks necessary for a smooth delivery. Stakeholder involvement also provides valuable letters of support for your application, and if you’re applying for a grant that requires PPI (as many do now), this isn’t optional. As part of my project in 2022, I involved two national organisations linked to the conditions I was creating the video series about. This made my project proposal more robust as it appeared well-supported by groups that would benefit, hence emphasising its benefit. Moreover, given the organisations’ national scale and reputable outcomes, the grant assessor’s trust in the project team increased, as did the likelihood to fulfil proposed aims.
3. Cater to your funder’s priorities
No matter how brilliant your idea is, it needs to align with what your chosen funder is looking to support. Every funder has specific priorities and it’s critical to ensure your proposal aligns with them. Spend time reviewing the funder’s aims, previous awardees and eligibility criteria. An easy way to do this is by considering the nature of your funder’s organisation. A big portion of funds can come from regional, national or international committees that focus on your area of interest. Another common source of funding comes from patient support groups and advocates, particularly for projects aligned with their mission. For each potential funder, consider their priorities and objectives and tailor your project’s aims, methodology, materials and intended outcomes to align with their focus.
Another useful approach is to consider breaking down your application into clear sections that explain how your project will benefit different audiences. When writing this section, I usually split it into three main areas:
- Benefit to applicants and stakeholders: How will my project impact those directly involved in its delivery or learning (e.g. medical students, patients, educators)?
- Benefit to the project’s audience: What impact will my project have on the project’s target audience and the funder’s intended community (e.g. patients, healthcare professionals or the general public)?
- Benefit to the wider community (including underserved groups or long-term policy influence): How does my project have the potential to create wider societal change?
For example, when applying to a charity aiming to educate patients on AMD, outlining how my teaching intervention will support patients, improve clinician communication and raise awareness of lifestyle modifications shows a holistic and wide audience benefit. Demonstrating how you’ll measure this impact (a common one I use is pre / post feedback forms or follow-up interviews) makes your proposal even stronger. By breaking down the potential benefits for all involved and clearly articulating them, your application will show that you understand the funder’s goals and that your project is a good fit for their priorities.
4. Make it action-focused and realistic
The strongest proposals are not only well-written, they’re well-planned. Your proposal should not only outline a solution to the problem but also demonstrate an actionable, step-by-step plan for implementation [5,6]. Funders want to see that you’ve mapped out your timeline in detail, built in contingencies and structured the work in a way that is achievable within your timeframe and resources. One of the best tools for planning and tracking project progress is a Gantt chart [7], which I highly recommend submitting alongside your application. It allowed me to break down tasks, assign them to specific team members and establish realistic deadlines. I make sure I personalise the timelines to my team’s availability to ensure deadlines are both achievable and agreed upon, tailoring for the diversity in my team.
As a general rule, when using a Gantt chart I usually outline:
- Major deliverables (e.g. session delivery, resource creation, evaluation)
- Individual tasks within each deliverable
- Assigned leads for each task
- Realistic start and end dates, tailored to each contributor’s availability.
Include well-established models in your plan to show that your approach is evidence-based (the practice, present, produce model is one of my personal favourites that I think is applicable to multiple initiatives). Showing how your project is underpinned by evidence-based frameworks and a clear delivery model gives it added credibility. Additionally, always include contingency plans to manage potential challenges demonstrating forward-thinking and adaptability [8].
This step-by-step mapping will not only make your proposal more credible but also help you track progress once the project begins. Having this roadmap also makes it easier to report back to the funder during or after the project, which is usually a key requirement by funders to ensure the project is being delivered during the proposed time period.
5. Showcase a track record of success
Funders are more likely to invest in applicants (and teams) that have demonstrated they can deliver. Showcasing a history of successful project delivery is a key element in any grant application. Even if your proposed project is a pilot or first-time initiative, draw on any related past experiences that prove your leadership, organisational or teaching skills. Have you previously delivered a local teaching series? Organised a student research network? Published educational content or collaborated with charities? All of this counts.
Funders are more likely to invest in you if you can demonstrate that you have consistently delivered projects with measurable outcomes. Ensure that the track record of your collaborators is included, as their previous successes can lend credibility to your proposal. For each stakeholder / collaborator/team member, I like to briefly include:
- Relevant projects they’ve led or contributed to
- Any awards, publications or prior grants
- Specific skills or experience they bring to this proposal.
Previous grants, successful project outcomes and any recognition you or your team have received will show funders that you are not only capable of executing the project but are also likely to achieve the desired results.
In conclusion…
Applying for educational grants in ophthalmology can be daunting, especially with so many brilliant ideas out there and limited pots of funding. But with a strong rationale, stakeholder buy-in, realistic planning and a track record of delivery, your application will stand out for all the right reasons. By ensuring your project is timely, relevant and aligned with the funder’s priorities, you will increase your chances of securing the funding needed to bring your project to life.
References
1. Biddle MS, Gibson A, Evans D. Attitudes and approaches to patient and public involvement across Europe: a systematic review. Health Soc Care Community 2021;29(1):18–27.
2. Brett JO, Staniszewska S, Mockford C, et al. A systematic review of the impact of patient and public involvement on service users, researchers and communities. Patient 2014;7:387–95.
3. Zhao Y, Wehmeyer M, Basham J, Hansen D. Tackling the wicked problem of measuring what matters: Framing the questions. ECNU Review of Education 2019;2(3):262–78.
4. Gardner JK, Rall LC, Peterson CA. Lack of multidisciplinary collaboration is a barrier to outcomes research. J Am Diet Assoc 2002;102(1):65–71.
5. Peters DH, Tran NT, Adam T. Implementation research in health: a practical guide. World Health Organization; 2013.
6. Rosenau MD, Githens GD. Successful project management: a step-by-step approach with practical examples. John Wiley & Sons; 2011.
7. Kumar PP. Effective use of Gantt chart for managing large scale projects. Cost engineering 2005;47(7):14.
8. Paul J. Resilient Leadership Strategies: Leveraging Innovation for Future-Ready Organizations 2024:
www.researchgate.net/publication/
388415194_Resilient_Leadership_Strategies_Leveraging
_Innovation_for_Future-Ready_Organizations
[Links last accessed January 2026]
