Bootcamp

The MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship Bootcamp:
full course details

The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme is a career-changing opportunity,
allowing you to establish yourself as a future research leader.

But the scheme is highly competitive and researchers often
spend years of their career applying and re-applying before succeeding.

Why is this the case?

Information about the scheme is generic to all subject areas – from astrophysics to anthropology.
→ Researchers struggle to understand how official guidance relates to their specific proposal.

There is very limited guidance about approaching proposal writing with the right strategy.
→ Researchers don’t know how to craft their proposals in a way that perfectly matches their chosen evaluation panel and list of subject areas (‘descriptors’).

Supervisors and Host research offices only have capacity to offer limited feedback and know-how.
→ Researchers are usually left having to figure things out for themselves.

These barriers consistently lead to grants being rejected.
The MSCA PF scheme demands an almost perfect score for success (90% +), leaving little room for misunderstandings about what each and every section is asking for.

In the social sciences and humanities, there are no specialist courses available that walk you through the strategic decisions necessary to effectively write every single aspect of the MSCA PF proposal.

This is where the MSCA PF Bootcamp can help.

It’s the only course on the scheme that’s been specifically designed for researchers submitting proposals in the social sciences and humanities.

Last year’s course results had a success rate that was double compared to the
average for the Social Sciences & Humanities panel.

For each and every sub-section of the proposal, the Bootcamp walks you through exactly what you’re being asked to write, and gives you clear advice on how to frame and communicate your writing.

It does so by translating the unwritten rules of the MSCA PF scheme into clear and transparent language. And it shows you how to put these principles into practice by offering plenty of practical examples from ideal proposals in the social sciences and humanities for each sub-section of the proposal.

What are the course resources?

#1. Video lessons.

These on-demand video lessons have been designed by Dr. Natalie Papanastasiou and cover every sub-section of the MSCA PF proposal (Part B1). Videos combine detailed advice on how to write each sub-section of the proposal with practical examples from ideal proposals in the social sciences and humanities.

List of the video lesson topics:

Introduction to the course (sample lesson available to view here).
Lesson 1: Understanding your MSCA PF reviewers
Lesson 2: The formula for grabbing reviewers’ attention (Section 1.1)
Lesson 3: Writing outstanding research questions & research objectives (Section 1.1)
Lesson 4: Presenting a bullet-proof methodology (Section 1.2)
Lesson 5: Showing that you, your project & supervisor are a perfect match (Section 1.3)
Lesson 6: Presenting yourself as the best possible person for the project (Section 1.4)
Lesson 7: Communicating how the fellowship will skyrocket your career (Section 2.1)
Lesson 8: Writing a great dissemination, exploitation & communication plan (Section 2.2)
Lesson 9: Describing the far-reaching impact of your research (Section 2.3)
Lesson 10: Designing your workplan (Section 3.1)
Lesson 11: Being honest about your project risks (Section 3.1)
Lesson 12: Showing your project will be well-supported by your host (Section 3.2)

#2. Live group coaching sessions

The Bootcamp offers three one-hour sessions which are open to all course participants and are an opportunity for you to get direct support from Dr. Natalie Papanastasiou, a grant writing expert, at strategic points of your proposal preparation. They also offer a valuable insight by allowing you to learn from the questions and dilemmas being faced by other researchers in your position. Participants can send in their questions in advance and all the sessions are recorded in case you can’t make it to the live event.

#3. Individual coaching session

All course participants are invited to arrange an individual 45-minute coaching session with Dr. Natalie Papanastasiou. This is a valuable opportunity for you to have an in-depth discussion with a grant writing expert about any aspect of your proposal, including finding solutions to specific concerns or dilemmas you may be having during the writing process.

About the course intructor

Hi, I’m Dr. Natalie Papanastasiou, the course creator and instructor of the MSCA PF Bootcamp. I work as a professional research grant consultant and my job is to help researchers craft their fantastic research ideas into a proposal that will be compelling and memorable to their reviewers.

Having spent over a decade as an academic myself, during which I won several prestigious research grants, I approach my work with a clear understanding of what is involved in developing intellectual ideas into high quality academic writing. This is in contrast to generic grant writing advice which is so often disconnected from the reality of developing intellectual ideas.

I chose to design the MSCA PF Bootcamp because I identified a specific gap in training for this scheme. Having read dozens of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship proposals over the years, I have seen researchers consistently make the same mistakes due to misunderstanding the very specific expectations of this grant scheme. To me, this points to a real lack of specialist training resources that are specific to MSCA PF proposals in the social sciences and humanities.

I designed the Bootcamp to finally offer social sciences and humanities researchers a training resource with clear, actionable advice that they can use to shape their writing into an outstanding MSCA PF proposal.

Previous Bootcamp Stats & Experiences…

This is the second year of the MSCA PF Bootcamp. The success rate for last year’s cohort was 33% – which is double the success rate for the Social Sciences and Humanities evaluation panel.

Last year’s highest scoring Bootcamp participant scored an amazing 98%
(it was their first time applying).

Some comments from last year’s participants:

“The Bootcamp is designed specifically for researchers in the social sciences and humanities–a focus I wasn’t able to find anywhere else. Most of the other resources out there seem to speak very little to the specific challenges of writing an MSCA application in these fields. By contrast, the Bootcamp gave detailed insight into the sections and mechanics of the MSCA proposal, with plenty of examples. It helped me to understand which elements belonged in each section of the proposal, which is crucial to the way evaluators assess project applications.”

— Postdoctoral Researcher, English Literature, University of Bergen

“I found the coaching calls very useful and stimulating. Even though I have colleagues and supervisors around me, it is difficult to arrange regular talks and get feedback. It is also helpful to get ideas from a grant expert who is not specifically working in your area.”

— Postdoctoral researcher, Sociology, University of Cologne

“The Bootcamp contained very specific elements related to my research field. The examples were clear and adapted, and also innovative compared with other MSCA classes I’ve taken. The course was central to helping me to identify what elements of my proposal I needed to modify.”

— Postdoctoral researcher, Education, University of Bologna

Course Timeline & Enrollment Fees

The 2023 course runs from 07 June until 13 September (the MSCA PF deadline).

The Early Bird registration period has now expired.

Full enrollment fee (13 June onwards): 700 Euros

Ready to enroll for the course?

Joining the Bootcamp involves a simple payment and registration process.

The fastest way to pay is via credit card by clicking the link below:

You can also request to pay via bank transfer. If you wish to pay this way please contact Natalie directly via email (natalie[at]outstandingresearchgrants.com).

If you are a university administrator making the payment please state the name and email of the researcher that is being enrolled in the course.

As soon as you have made the payment you will receive an email that outlines how to log into the course homepage and all the course resources will be immediately available to you.

A link to the full course terms and conditions is available at the payment checkout, or at this link.

Unsure if the Bootcamp is for you?

The Bootcamp has been designed for you if:

You’re a researcher in the social sciences and humanities.

You’re applying to this year’s MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme.

You’re a first-time grant writer or you’ve written other grant proposals before.

If you’re not sure whether the Bootcamp is for you, feel free to email Natalie (natalie[at]outstandingresearchgrants[dot]com) with any questions you might have.