What's your next big thing?
On brainstorming new projects
If you’re a writer or a researcher, sometimes it’s obvious what you want to work on next—maybe you have a list of ideas 100 long to write about, discoveries to unleash on the world, novels to bring to life. Maybe you have that list but when you get to the end of your current thing, nothing on it appeals. Maybe you have that list but you want to apply for a large grant where they need something a little ‘shinier’, a little more ambitious than your ideas so far. Maybe you have no list! What’s the best way to figure out your next big thing?
I’m trying to think up my next grant project idea, even though I feel (and am) far from done with my current project, on St. Birgitta of Sweden in medieval England, which is funded by the Norwegian Research Council. What do I want to do next? I could work on Birgitta for another 10 years, to be honest! But there’s a deadline at the end of 2024 I really don’t want to let slip by, and that project could start as late as 2026, then go to 2031 (that sounds like a science-fiction future, it’s so far away!). Also, I shouldn’t work on Birgitta forever—I’ll get bored, and so will everyone else. Leave something for someone else to do.
Regardless, I think it’s good to pivot BEFORE our work feels stale.
So I’m trying to strategise about what kind of topic builds on my expertise, grows logically out of this project, and is shiny enough to get funding. This is not the same as my list of article/book ideas: I’m looking to find the questions behind these ‘outputs’: what’s the bigger, driving force that’s behind wanting to write X article or edit Y text, that could produce a matrix of different kinds of research [i.e. outputs]? (Now, I’m grateful for the privilege that I don’t need funding for my salary, but I think it’s fantastic working on teams with external grants, so I’m eager to try again! Oh the thrill of high-risk rejection…)
Two challenges in long-term, slow-burn grant development:
How do you find time to prioritise thinking of an idea for a deadline that’s 9 months away? And even optional?
This is hard. Everything else is more urgent: that article due 3 months ago, prepping for a meeting tomorrow, planning conference travel. But it’s not all or nothing. Just a little time—even a weekly half-hour!—regularly invested in brainstorming produces great progress, because your brain is working in the downtime.
I’ve decided to try to set aside dedicated time and space for grant brainstorming: Fridays 9:30-10:30 (during IF Fellesforskningstid!), sitting in my new “Project Development Corner” in my office.
In this corner, I am keeping a couple books that are related to the seed of my idea, and a notebook for taking notes. I really like taking physical notes for brainstorming phases instead of notes on the computer, but do whatever works for you. My plan is to go and sit in that corner—away from email—and get into the zone of this topic by putting my body there as well as my brain. This will get me inspired to dedicate bigger chunks of time to project development as the months go by.
What does that brainstorming actually look like? How do you see a far-away forest, when you’re simultaneously whittling a beautiful little article from the tree right in front of you?
Here is a list of brainstorming questions to ask yourself, and subsequently a combination of three groups: trusted colleagues in your field, other scholars with lots of grant capture experience, and actual grant consultant/advisor-type people. There might be more sophisticated ways to go about this, but that’s not really necessary: start simple, just make some lists in a notebook in response to these. Set a low threshold for getting started!
Project idea questions
What are all the research topics in my queue?
What are some gaps in topics I’m interested in?
What’s new or trendy in my field, that I’m interested in – or want to counteract?
What do others in my field see as the biggest challenges in my field?
What’s something I’m interested in that everyone else neglects?
What direction do *I* want to see my field going in?
What methods am I excited about?
What are ‘urgent societal challenges’ that relate to what I’m interested in?
What is a ‘hunch’ I have about a breakthrough? What’s my dream?
“I’ve always suspected that… [something unexpected]”
“What if I could prove that… [something wild and ground-breaking]”
“Wouldn’t be amazing if we could… [do something difficult]”
What’s an argument *only I* could make, because of what I know?
What type of breakthrough do I want to be remembered for? (“the person who built this database”? OR— “the person who changed how we think about X”?)
Career strategy questions
How old am I (including qualifying leave) and what do I qualify to apply for? i.e. ERC grants, etc.
What topics would I be happy working on for 7-10 years?
What kind of researcher would I like to be in the years before I retire? (it goes fast!)
What kind of impact on the world/contributions to the field do I want to make in the time I have on this earth?
What new expertise would I have to establish, to go in a new direction?
How quickly/easily could I establish that new expertise?
Project administration questions
How much money do I have to play with—how does that affect the scale of the project idea?
What kind of idea would work better with a team, than just me?
What tasks can I farm out? What work doesn’t need my particular brain?
What kind of goal could be possible with help outside my expertise?
What kind of exciting progress requires a lot of money? Or just a little?
What kind of project requires more administration than just *I* can do alone?
The key is that this brainstorming work should be helpful for you even if you don’t end up applying for money, or getting the money in the end. If it feels overwhelming to think big and vague like this, re-frame it as mapping out your potential: you have a lot of it! You will do great things, regardless of the vagaries of grant panels.
Lots more in future newsletters about further grant development—stay tuned and stay subscribed.
Have fun and good luck!