Hi all, my dept have chosen me to go forward for an ESRC 1+3 award, so now I have all the forms to fill in. I was just wondering if anyone has any advice, things I should focus on etc?? Thanks!

congratulations!
is it for a quota place or for the open competition?

if the former, read the guidelines carefully and make sure you have satisfactorily answered all the required stuff.

if the latter, do talk to your prospective supervisor, they should help you. also, look up the ESRC's current focus areas. Is there any way you can weave them into your project? do also consider how your research might generate "useful" stuff for a wider audience, that could get you all-important extra points.

Thanks

It is for the Open competition. Thanks for the tips, I am going to look at the forms properly tomorrow. I know it is uber competitive, so your help is very gratefully received!

for the open competition, i would also strongly advise that you get your hands on previous applicants' successful applications, to get an idea of what is required.

be as precise as you can in formulating your aims, research questions, and methods. don't worry - you can always change/adapt this later.

and definitely discuss it with your supervisor.

good luck!

Thanks Shani, that really is helpful. I am going through the different sections of the form now, and scouring the ESRC website. My supervisor is brilliant and we are working on the form together