I felt compelled to write this blog about dealing with unsuccessful funding applications in academia. I was in a space where I could provide some morale support to my fellow PhD students and colleagues who have received some unfortunate news about their application outcomes.
It is not the first time.
A great reminder in the scheme of everything about your research.
Your research is not just a thesis; it is a contribution to the tapestry of human knowledge.
I reflected on this.
In fact, expect to be unsuccessful on first attempt. Let’s repeat that again – rejections are normal! They are part of the building into the project planning and research strategy to keeping the wheels turning.
The email or letter in the mailbox about a funding outcome will always be a thrill! Just the thought of it. Then the anxiety or excitement levels rise through the roof as we open these letters. We expect two outcomes – a yes, congratulations or a no, regretful note.
It is not an easy space to be in when a letter outcome has a regretful note – for all the amount of time and energy invested into submitting an application. Frustrations. Anger. Defeat. Bruised. Tears. Sadness. All these emotions. We must allow a space to grief and feel sad about the outcome. It is critical we do this for self reflections and gratitude. It is a disheartening and painful experience to go through, and requires a lot of self-care and support from our support systems. In professional spaces like academia, this decision is viewed as a professional set-back. It triggers a lot of negative emotions but it is very important to see rejection in a different light.
Rejection is not failure.
A ‘no’ from a potential funder is not the end of the world. No matter how many times we beat ourselves over it. If there are valuable lessons to learn from this, it is these:
- Don’t take it personally. They rejected the application or proposal – not you.
- The average success rate for most funders is between 10% to 20% – this is tiny.
- Every academic will have more rejections than successes in their career – that’s true.
Personally, I have had many unsuccessful applications and proposals! I have had many rejections from potential publishers about my professional goals of wanting to become a children’s book writer for Vanuatu and Oceania. Rejections from Foreign High Commissions and Embassies in Vanuatu to tap into their discretionary funding, and Private Organisations, of which my children’s books were aligned to their values. Even unsuccessful applications from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade without any feedback!
How have I dealt with all of these?
I have learnt to give myself time to recover. I would allow a week to recover from all of these. There are many emotions at play – especially ‘that I am not good enough.’ That is the most persistent thought. When people are turned down, they are angry and upset. Let that play out. It is important to put that application to the side for a few days to reconsider the next steps.
I have always found sharing the setback with trusted friends was worth it’s weight in gold. Even my parents have shared my setbacks because they have always taken it to the next level – to pray for me! Spirituality plays a huge role into this. Discussing the funding application rejections with colleagues, mentors and the supervisory team can provide emotional support and insight in the short term. This team provides valuable feedback about the next steps to take. Then it is all about critically looking at the application feedback if available and embracing that learning opportunity.
On (re)gaining perspective with support from our diverse networks is equally important. The influence of others is not to be underestimated in how our decisions and careers paths pan out, both positive and negative ways. Supervisors, mentors, colleagues, line managers and critical friends are vital conversation partners (and at times regain) with perspective on what matters and how to proceed. I have always believed in this – to gain perspective from a wider network of friends for a diversity and variety in feedback. One person telling you ‘you’re not ready for that grant’ might be countered by another telling you ‘go for it!’ Then write these feedback down. Journal about this. Enter the space of gratitude – it reminds us of what little we have, turning it into abundance and changes our perspective of the world.
A critical lesson I have also learnt was the value of adding and sharing these unsuccessful stories on our academic CVs. Our conversations are a great source of highlighting the importance of transparency about unsuccessful funding applications as indicators of our ambitions, efforts, resilience and vision. Our academic CVs are positioned well to do the storytelling especially when they are at least 5 pages long (compared to the industry CV of 2 pages long). Indicating on your academic CV that you have been unsuccessful or placed on reserve or rejigged a bigger grant proposal into a pilot study indicates that you learn from your experiences and believe in your project ideas. I believe it brings a lot of weight and power to your academic CV and shows the diversity of grant applications you have experienced.
Looking forward – timing and clarity is everything!
If anything, there is the power of underestimating the timing. Don’t do that! Don’t underestimate timing. There is an element of luck and serendipity. We can have a fundable and cutting-edge idea, but it arrives at the wrong time. You can have a half-baked idea, but it arrives at the right time.
We can only control the controllables. To increase your chances, you can put your finger on the pulse and understand how the funding landscapes operate, how funding schemes connect with wider social and political agendas. If there is anything I have learnt, it is that certain things are beyond our control such as: who sits on the reviewing panel. But we can control our personal narratives. How we tell our story for why our ideas matter and why it matters now. In addition, you can purposefully play the timing card when your idea aligns with an anniversary, event or commemoration.
In our PhD journey, we put so much emphasis on the ideas our research is all about. Creating that visibility for our original and innovative ideas. Ideas that include standing on the shoulders of giants. Our reflections from our conversations have always been about the cutting-edge research and challenging the dominant voice or the status quo. This might mean that there is, among the scholarly community, a certain reluctance to lean into new methodologies or explore the application of new concepts. And that’s ok. Here is an opportunity to prepare the groundwork. To lay the foundations. That means getting back on that horse and creating more visibility around your work and ideas through targeted publications.
In conclusion, your project idea may not be funded but the intellectual work is still there because you have laid the foundations. Any funding application means you have developed your idea and gradually built on it. You will have reached out to potential partners and collaborators. Many an unsuccessful application leads to review or position papers and other publications, new collaborations, reworked projects……and funding success!
Sometimes God holds you back until the road is safe and clear to continue. Be thankful for what is meant for you won’t pass you by.
The girl who is building a museum 