Retiring the 'someone please fund my phd' label

Got two years funding for my phd :) from my department at Sussex. 

The news came totally out of the blue, just as I was preparing to start the round of funding applications again. Wonderful news!

FundingApplications = HowToDescribeYourResearchInAMillionDifferentWays() + BeggingForMoney()

Just finished the last of the funding applications I'm going to make for now.

Lets get the pessimistic moaning out of the way - already had one rejected (the Sir Richard Stapley trust: mine wasn't one of the first 350 applications received so they don't consider it). Plus AHRC funding is looking highly unlikely, given that my degree is in Music Informatics, and that neither Music nor Informatics get a mention on the list of departments being funded by AHRC...

Grumbling over. I've still made some good (I hope) applications to the British Federation of Women Graduates, Funds for Women Graduates, Hilda Martindale Trust, Reid Trust and the Google scholarship. Plus I will now be considered again by the department for their EPSRC funding.

The whole process has made me write up my research project in so many different ways, from a variety of perspectives, which has really helped me firm up what I'm doing and why its good. One form has even resulted in me drawing up a tentative abstract for my thesis, which could be very useful preparation.

I've had some amazing support, not just from the four academics who ended up giving me references but also from some friends who offered some great advice. By the way, thanks Leon for the offer of help with reading my funding applications - as it turns out, I turn into a right grumpy thing when I'm writing these proposals, so didn't want to inflict that on you - maybe its something to do with the fact that I'm compensating for having to be so positive about my work and myself in the proposals!

So lets leave all these funding problems behind for a short while - I can now throw myself into the good stuff (the research, believe it or not!) without the guilty feelings that I should be sorting out money worries instead.

tidy up of funding applications

Since I last listed all my funding options, lots have been eliminated or done, so lets update my list and get it into a date order so its easier to see what deadlines I'm about to miss...

Listed as: Name of award/funder, Deadline, How much I can ask for, What they're after

Current

• AHRC: DEADLINE: 10/3/09? I'm sort of eligible to apply (more so if I wasn't in informatics) Full funding, fees and living. Need to submit a 500 word max research proposal, three references and transcripts.
• British Federation of Women's Graduates - BFWG Scholarships DEADLINE 27/3/09. 2,500-6000 pounds. For final year female PG students.
• FFWG Charitable Foundation Grants DEADLINE 31/3/09. ??? pounds. For final year female PG students.
  
• Richard Stapley Trust: DEADLINE: 31/03/09. 300-1000 pounds per year. Mature PG students.
• Microsoft European PhD Scholarship Programme - very interesting that the first page on their main research site is for their Songsmith project... a good omen maybe? They are looking to fund people who work at the 'intersection of computing and the sciences including biology, chemistry and physics'. Closing date april according to Grants register but according to the microsoft site, applications don't even open till march - I'll keep checking..
• Reid trust for the higher education of women - Deadline 31/5/09 Up to 1000 pounds grant. To promote the education of women in the UK. Open to women educated in the UK with appropriate qualifications who wish to undertake further training or research. - 1 in 5 chance of success. Administered by a small voluntary committee. No online presence except this PDF.
• Lindbergh Grants - Deadline: 2nd Thursday in June. Maximum of $10580. Intended for research projects that imporve the quality of life through balance between nature and technology. Aimed at research and education rather than tuition

Tenuous/non-existent

• ESRC (the open competition) DEADLINE: Internal deadline - March. Full funding. The only research council I've looked at that is actively encouraging interdisciplinary work but as luck would have it, I'm really not sure whether I'm eligible for this, given that Informatics isn't mentioned on the ESRC page at Sussex.
• SEMPRE: Arnold Bentley New Initiatives fund deadline 1st May (max about £500) for interdisciplinary music psychology projects
  
• SEMPRE: Conference awards for attending one of SEMPRE's supported conferences - it has to be said that the online list of conferences supported by Sempre is not the most extensive at present... :(
• Intellectual Property Office Bursary scheme - for women who have had previous arts experience and who then go on to do a science/engineering course - THIS PAGE SEEMS TO HAVE VANISHED??
• The Hinrichsen Foundation (L E Adamson: hinrichsen.foundation@editionpeters.com. The Hinrichsen Foundation Awards, The Hinrichsen Foundation, PO Box 309, KT22 2AT) To promote the written areas of music - contemporary music composition, performance and research. UK applicants given preference. Not taking applications till at least June due to financial problems. NB: "The Trustees are not as a general rule prepared to finance degree courses. Their aim is to encourage composition and research, but not to finance the acquisition of basic skills in these subjects."
• Leverhulme Trust - can I apply as a person pursuing a research project? Prob not...

Done

• Departmental Funding: Full funding. ~Need to hand in form.~
  
• Google Anita Borg Scholarship: 5000EUR/1000EUR
• Hilda Martindale Educational Trust - Up to 1000 pounds. They are interested in supporting women who aren't eligible for grants from research councils (which I can definitely put a case for, seeing how my research really doesn't neatly fit into research council boundaries).
  

To do list for the rest of this week

PhD related:

• Read through the sections on algorithmic composition again in the Roads book, to follow up on the work I've been doing
• Go back to the Graeme Ritchie paper on evaluating creativity using quantitative methods (+ related papers such as the one by Pease et al from an earlier conference)
  
• Do a search on papers discussing evaluation in creativity
• Do a brain storm on what the boundaries of my PhD are
• Read relevant sections in the following books, then RETURN them: Computers and Creativity, Tree of Knowledge
• Go through Nick's chapter(s) again and actually make some notes this time
  
• Do a brain storm on the story-telling project and what has come out of it
• Read one cheeky little sound synthesis article, just to keep this fresh in my mind as I seem to be making progress here :)
  

Funding related:

• Fill out and send off Hilda Martindale fund form
• Print out forms for Richard Stapley Fund and FfWG
• Get BFWG form and any other app forms I still need to get
  
• Update blog with current applications list
  

Non-PhD related:

• MARKING :( logic programming, advanced tech communications, careers development courses
  
• Fill out presentation marks for program design
  
• RC work
• Arrange flute lesson for potential new pupil - DONE while I'm writing this! :)

A tiny glimmer of funding hope... (TINY TINY TINY)

My second supervisor, Chris Thornton, is putting together a bid for funding for a project into the abstract nature of creativity, looking at the cognitive aspects - what happens (at a high-level, mechanically) when we are creative. If it's successful, I get employed on that - hence some funding! We've just heard that the bid he submitted has been accepted onto a next stage, meaning that we get to 'officially' apply (as opposed to just registering interest, I think, which was the previous stage).

It's so demoralising not having funding, it makes you feel like the whole process of your PhD is just not recognised as a worthwhile thing to do. I think it's worthwhile, or I wouldn't be investing my time and money into it. But I spend so much time seeking out recognition and investment for this work (and doing other work like teaching to get money to live on) when I could just be concentrating on the PhD itself.

In a way I'm very jealous of those who do have funding, but I guess this way I really seek out the value of what I'm doing, which can only be helpful in the long term. Plus I have now got so much experience in tutoring and lecturing, and have become a lot more efficient in managing my time. So there are benefits to everything, I suppose it's just a case of looking for the 'silver lining' around the cloud.

Talking of becoming more efficient with my time, BACK TO THE WORK...>!?!?

How real life invades the best laid plans...

Of course I didn't do everything on my list of things-to-do (from my previous posts). That is what such overly ambitious lists are designed for.

Perhaps this is why I constantly feel like I'm falling behind with my work, because I plan to do too much and then never accomplish it? Or, maybe that's not the case - I just wrote that last sentence and disagreed with it in my head almost straightaway. I know that I plan ridiculous amounts of work, but I guess I see that as more of a way to prompt myself to do more with my time - there is never an end to the to-do list (if there was then how boring would life become!)

What I need to focus on is less procrastination time, more actual work. I really hope this blog isn't linked to procrastination time - currently it isn't but I guess it's another potential distraction.

The most effective thing for me is to plan my time hour by hour, I find - that way I don't drift into no-man's land timewise.

This week is a bit crazy (as always - I love my life!) I'm doing a musical all week. So we're meeting at 5pm in town. With my bus going once an hour, that means I need to leave campus at 4pm. so between 11.40 and 3.40, that gives me 4 hours of work. And I need to:

• sort out funding deadlines.
• read Nick's chapters (got really into one of them then forgot it all)
• read Seda's chapter for her English - this is my housemate who is doing a PhD in theatre studies, she wants a native speaker to look over her language use. I can't possibly imagine doing a PhD in another language other than my native language, I'm in awe of her for this.
• Have a skim read of a linguistics book, to get a bit of background on some topics there.
• Work out a basic application text for the seminar series in interdisciplinary music research that we want to set up in Brighton

I'll print this out, and assign times for it. Then stick to it!!! (possibly)

funding applications old and new - part 2

Back to my friend the Grants Register...

• Hilda Martindale Educational Trust - To help women of the British Isles with the cost of vocational training for any profession or career likely to be of use or value to the community. Contact Miss J L Hurn, Secretary to the Trustees, or email francesca.chiarelli@rhul.ac.uk. Can apply for up to 1000 pounds. They are interested in supporting women who aren't eligible for grants from research councils (which I can definitely put a case for, seeing how my research really doesn't neatly fit into research council boundaries). March 1st deadline. Have asked for an application form
  
• Intellectual Property Office Bursary scheme - for women who have had previous arts experience and who then go on to do a science/engineering course - THIS PAGE SEEMS TO HAVE VANISHED??
  
• Carnegie Scholarships - to support PG research for anyone possessing a 1st Class Hons degree from a Scottish university - does my masters count? Full scholarship. March 15 deadline. + other trusts as well - NOT ELIGIBLE :(
  
• Lindbergh Grants - Intended for research projects that imporve the quality of life through balance between nature and technology. Maximum of $10580. Aimed at research and education rather than tuition, Deadline: 2nd Thursday in June
• To add to the BFWG links: FFWG / Crosby Hall Association (British Federation Crosby Hall fellowship) / IFUW - BOTH CHECKED (SEE PART 1 POST)
  
• The Hinrichsen Foundation (L E Adamson: hinrichsen.foundation@editionpeters.com. The Hinrichsen Foundation Awards, The Hinrichsen Foundation, PO Box 309, KT22 2AT) To promote the written areas of music - contemporary music composition, performance and research. UK applicants given preference. Not sure of Deadline - have enquired. NB: "The Trustees are not as a general rule prepared to finance degree courses. Their aim is to encourage composition and research, but not to finance the acquisition of basic skills in these subjects."
• Microsoft European PhD Scholarship Programme - very interesting that the first page on their main research site is for their Songsmith project... a good omen maybe? They are looking to fund people who work at the 'intersection of computing and the sciences including biology, chemistry and physics'. Closing date april according to Grants register but according to the microsoft site, applications don't even open till march - I'll keep checking..
  

Got some nice links from another site as well: www.ukcosa.org.uk/ or www.guidestar.org.uk or www.dsc.org.uk or www.scholarship-search.org.uk or www.funderfinder.org.uk or www.trustfunding.org.uk

(Some of these sites I think I've seen already)

Well I think I've completely exhausted the Grants Register now - and myself! Time to start updating this blog entry with deadline dates and narrowing down who it is worth applying to - lets be brave this year and just really go for it. I've got some great stuff that I'm doing, it's worth funding, lets just see who's lucky enough to be the organisation funding my work.. :)

Application 1. - done!

So today I finished my application for the Google Anita Borg memorial scholarship, and have submitted it. Fingers crossed... if selected then I get to see Google HQ and possibly have the chance for a 5000 euro scholarship grant.
Two things I've noticed:

1. It's amazing how people will go out of their way to help another person, even when there seems to be no benefit for themselves (apart from feeling good about helping other people or maybe having the favour repaid at a future time). With my application, four other people have read draft copies of the application text and commented on it, with no expectation of any return for themselves. I'm so grateful to them - Katy, Unaizah, Nick and Geraldine - thank you!
2. I'm finding that writing applications for grants, scholarships etc, where you really have to sell yourself, is very hard when you are writing to some faceless application panel. However, if I imagine I'm writing to a colleague, or supervisor of some kind, suddenly the process gets a lot easier. I still need to work more on really putting into words what I have to offer in these applications - I guess this is a personal thing (and partly a British cultural thing), not wanting to show off, etc. But doing these types of applications are turning out to be very good for me!

funding applications old and new

Starting the ole "let's try to get funding" process again, for the second time. It's just struck me that a blog would be a great place to store a whole list of potential places to apply to, especially so that I can access it from home etc. So here we go. I have the 'Grants Register' bible and an internet browser in front of me and am ready to go...

Last year's applications

• Richard Stapley Trust: Charity offering 300-1000 pounds per year for mature postgrad students - they seem to take a genuine interest in the students they sponsor, judging from the correspondence I had from them last year when I successfully got a grant from them. Definitely going to apply again. DEADLINE: 31/03/09. Application form requested
  
• AHRC: Really not sure about how to apply to this, this year, it seems to have changed again but the university pages on this are out of date. Depending on whether Sussex is a 'BGP' partner of AHRC, I think I either get considered by the university for AHRC funding, or have to apply directly to AHRC. I really need to talk to someone in the know about this - wonder if my supervisor is up to date with the changes? Or Phil Husbands seems to know what's going on with funding usually. (In fact he'd probably be worth chatting to anyway) UPDATE: Sussex has got a BGP grant, but I'm not sure if I'm eligible to apply - frustratingly, perhaps I might be inbetween research council remits yet again. (With all this focus on interdisciplinary research, you'd think the research councils would be more interested in arts/science crossings?!?) I'm chasing this up. Deadline 20/03/09. Need to submit a 500 word max research proposal, three references and transcripts.
  
• Wingate Scholarship: I really like the ethos of this charity - encouraging interdisciplinary research. I got through to the final round last year. Must look at the application to see what I could improve on. UPDATE: Damn I missed the deadline. Very careless of me.
  
• Departmental Funding: Well, all I can really do with this is make sure the department know I'm applying and maybe go see Phil Husbands about how I can improve my chances. Depends on what money they've got available but after two failed chances I'm really not hopeful the department is willing to support my research; disappointing given that I particularly liked Sussex's approach to interdisciplinary research when I was deciding to come here and thought I'd have more of a chance. Well musn't grumble, that won't get me anywhere! Actually on further looking, there is a GTA application form - I'll fill that in and get that off ASAP. Note to self... I'll go through and double check the other links advertised on the departmental funding page when I'm done with the Grants Register - lets concentrate on the big book for now. No deadline it seems - I'll fill this in now and check with Richard Chambers as to exactly what to do
  
• Google Anita Borg Scholarship: deadline 26th January - work in progress!
  

New potential options:

• Open University: Now that I'm a tutor for the OU (or will be) I know they have some money for staff to develop their academic knowledge (the Development fund): "Associate lecturers can apply to the Development Fund that may provide financial support for attendance at events such as external conferences and to help support associate lecturers in PhD and masters studies." I'll contact Sue Truby about this for the best person to approach, and in the meantime will find my login information for the OU site, see if there's anything online that isn't on the main site. UPDATE - this has fallen through as the OU for SE england unfortunately didn't get enough applications to run the course I was supposed to be tutoring :(
  
• EPSRC and ESRC: I guess the benefits of such an interdisciplinary research is that I should try all the research councils that might be relevant... they can only say no. I think the EPSRC is through the department only but there is something in ESRC that might be worth pursuing (the open competition) (again the site is out of date currently though...) UPDATE: EPSRC - scholarships distributed through universities (as I thought). ESRC is the only research council I've looked at that is actively encouraging interdisciplinary work but as luck would have it, I'm really not sure whether I'm eligible for this, given that Informatics isn't mentioned on the ESRC page at Sussex. Internal deadlines appear to be in March
  
• SEMPRE: Arnold Bentley New Initiatives fund for interdisciplinary music psychology projects (max about £500) deadline 1st May, Conference awards for attending one of SEMPRE's supported conferences - it has to be said that the online list of conferences supported by Sempre is not the most extensive at present... :( and the Aubrey Hickman award for graduate students - which is biennal and linked to Sempre's own conference which happened last year, so I doubt this is available this year.
• British Federation of Women's Graduates - a lot of opportunities for final year postgrad research. Particularly Kathleen Hall fellowship (but I might be from the wrong country..) **BFWG Scholarships** (2,500-6000 pounds), DEADLINE 27/3/09 IFUW international fellowships (promotion of women in scientific and technological careers - I have to be a member of BFWG) Deadlines: late march/early april. UPDATE: This is biannual and doesn't open again till March 2010. Also FFWG Charitable Foundation (DEADLINE 31/3/09) and Emergency (deadline Feb 21st - missed it) grants. The IFUW website is well worth a look as well - there is a Crosby Hall Fellowship which I might have missed the deadline for (september deadline) CFUW/A Vibert Douglas fellowship (stretching the point on evolutionary aspects of my work somewhat!) and the Dorothy Leet grants and Ida Smedly MacLean fellowships - need to find more out about these (again might have missed the september deadline but to know about just in case for next year) UPDATE - looks like just the BFWG scholarship and the FfWG foundation grants here. Need to pay 20 pounds for the BFWG so checking eligibility, plus have requested a FfWG form.
  
• Carnegie Grants and Scholarships - as I have got a good degree from a Scottish university. UPDATE- should only apply for this if work is in a Scottish university or will benefit a Scottish university. Hmm... that might be stretching things for me!
  
• Gilchrist Educational Trusts - up to 1000 pounds. closing date feb 28th. Need to show that my need for money is unexpected - this would be due to the recent family circumstances so I could consider applying to this. Also they have group grants which may be interesting for the research group in general perhaps?
• Leverhulme Trust - can I apply as a person pursuing a research project? Prob not...
  
• Reid trust for the higher education of women - a grant to promote the education of women in the UK. Open to women educated in the UK with appropriate qualifications who wish to undertake further training or research. Up to 1000 pounds grant. Deadline 31/5/09 - 1 in 5 chance of success. Need to send a SAE for requesting an application form to: Mrs H M Harvey, Honorary treasurer, Reid Trust (f.t.h.e.o.w) 53 Thornton Hill, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4NR. Founded in connection with Bedford College for women. Administered by a small voluntary committee. No online presence except this PDF. Have requested application form.
  

So that's me half way through the Grants register. A few new leads when I've searched for general funding options, next time I'll look at the more subject specific leads. Also, when searching through the 'Any student, any subject' options, I could only face doing A-L - there are so many options here! So next time I'll also finish that off. Not a terrible way to spend an hour, especially if it leads to some funding (wish me luck). To be continued...