Pop Quiz: What is your experience with grants?

Hey there everybody and happy Monday!

I just got hired by a couple of senior faculty members to do some writing and editing on a large grant proposal we are submitting this fall. This already the second round and chances look pretty good that we will ultimately get the funding, which will be super exciting!

The process got me thinking about how fortunate I have been over the course of my PhD to participate in (and receive substantial funding from) grants sponsored by the truly awesome Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC: ironically pronounced “shirk” as in “shirking one’s duties”). Even with recent cutbacks due the financial crisis (and the Harper government generally), Canada’s real dedication to research in these (frequently undervalued) fields is one of the major factors in my desire to stay in the country, vagaries of the job market aside.

What about you? What kinds of experiences have you had with grants? What kinds of cool projects have you tried to fund?

The Pop Quiz is a question posed to you, the Scholars of Doubt. Look for it to appear Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 3pm ET.

Featured image: Matthew Bowden