Last month (April), more than 30 dedicated researchers and supporters from Kent, Surrey and Sussex came together for a transformative three-day residential Grant Writing and Development Retreat.
Organised by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS) with support from the Southeast Regional Research Delivery Network (SE RRDN), the event offered researchers dedicated time and expert guidance to strengthen their NIHR grant applications.
Now in its fourth year, the retreat builds on the success of previous gatherings by offering a focused and supportive environment where researchers can sharpen their proposals and boost their chances of securing funding.
During the 3 days, the researchers had access to specialist advisors offering practical support in key areas, including:
- Patient and Public Involvement: Resources and inclusive research practices
- Budgeting projects
- Health Economics for research proposals
- Regional Research Delivery Networks
- Knowledge Mobilisation
- Research Inclusivity
- NIHR Fellowships in a local authority setting.
Participants particularly valued the session on Patient and Public Involvement, where they explored practical resources and inclusive approaches to ensure research meaningfully reflects community voices. The sessions on Budgeting projects and Health Economics offered clear guidance in building robust, fundable applications.
Overall, the writing retreat strengthened skills, built connections, and left attendees motivated to take their proposals to the next level.
Here is some of the feedback shared by attendees after the retreat:
"Thank you for organising such a well-structured and engaging Writing Retreat. It was a genuinely valuable experience, and I found both the sessions and discussions very useful for developing my approach to bid writing.
"It was also great to meet colleagues from different backgrounds and exchange ideas in such a supportive setting."
Abdus
"I'd like to thank you once again for this experience.
"I have come back with so many new insights. Everyone was so encouraging. I'm feeling a lot more confident in applying for the pre-doctoral award and will be well prepared when the window opens at the beginning of next year."
Sofie
"I wanted to extend my sincere thanks to you for organising such an outstanding Grant Development and Writing Retreat. It was an exceptionally well-planned and thoughtfully delivered event.
"The environment you created both intellectually and practically was invaluable. Having dedicated, protected time and space to focus on writing, alongside the supportive sessions and one on one interactions made a significant difference to what we did.
"I achieved far more than I had anticipated over the three days, which is thanks again to your team. "
Veena
