Early-Career Researchers Benefit from Health Sciences’ Grants Writing Workshop
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) College of Health Sciences (CHS) Dean of Research, Professor Bongani Nkambule, collaborated with the University’s Central Research Office to deliver a bespoke Grant Writing Workshop, strategically designed to strengthen the College’s research capacity and advance the University’s world-class research agenda.
The two-day workshop which targeted early-career and postdoctoral researchers, equipped multidisciplinary researchers from across the College with practical strategies for developing competitive funding proposals.
Nkambule said grant funding was essential for the advancement of academic research and postgraduate training programmes. He said despite its critical role in both advancing research and career development, grant writing is often underemphasised in academic training, and therefore the workshop was designed to bridge this gap, offering comprehensive guidance on planning, developing, and structuring grant proposals and fellowship programmes.
“With changes in the funding landscape, it is very important that we offer the skillset and training for emerging researchers to compete; funding is shrinking, and the competitive edge of our own early-career academics is something that the College has strategically positioned as a key priority area. We are grateful for the support we have received from the College Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the UKZN’s Vice-Chancellor.”
He further explained that grant writing was a skill that needs to be honed and nurtured because it is otherwise eroded over time.
Ms Karen Reinertsen from the Research Office said, “It is absolutely vital that all researchers, especially early-career researchers, know how to submit grant applications, understand what is expected of them, and the great extent of support that they are going to get from the Research Office, College Finance and HR. They have not been told from those that have the knowledge – just been left in a vacuum.”
Attendees gained knowledge on how to transform their ideas into well-crafted, persuasive proposals and navigate the UKZN grant submission process.
One of the esteemed presenters, UKZN’s Distinguished Teacher of Human Physiology, Professor Andile Khathi said it was a privilege to contribute to the workshop, “Grant writing is a critical skill for transforming innovative ideas into impactful research, and I hope this workshop has strengthened grantsmanship while inspiring a culture of research independence and sustainable scholarly leadership among the next generation of researchers.”
School of Medicine post-doctoral research fellow in the Ramsuran Lab at Howard College campus, Dr Anmol Gokul said, “The workshop was extremely informative and well structured. I think it’s an excellent initiative that has now been implemented for early-career researchers. I only wish a programme like this had been available during my PhD, as it would have provided a valuable head start in developing my research career and grant writing skills.”
“Attending the two-day workshop was incredibly valuable and left me feeling better prepared for our upcoming grant application. The sessions were thoughtfully designed in detail around exactly what funders are looking for in a strong proposal. What stood out most was the strong focus on building solid research foundations, not just for us as individuals, but within the Institution and in our research fields,” said PhD candidate, Ms Chantel Jughoo who also rated all the presenters as having been excellent!
Participants lauded the presenters for sharing their real-world experience, equipping them with clear, practical guidance on shaping a persuasive research vision and turning it into a competitive proposal.
“We received valuable advice on writing strong proposals, formulating good research questions, and even got direct budget guidance from the finance team. Their style was rigorous but very approachable. They helped us move from theoretical ideas to concrete, measurable steps that we can use in our own applications. We also benefited greatly from the insights of established researchers such as Dr Omolara Baiyengunh, Professor Veron Ramsuran, and Professor Khathi,” participants said.
Attendees said they felt fortunate to be part of an ambitious, driven team that genuinely cares about advancing our research. “Having supportive and forward-thinking leadership makes such a difference.”
Words and photograph: Lunga Memela
