The ‘Research Funding and Grants including Faculty Research Vertical (Vertical-III), team, Institute of Eminence (IOE) Pillar II – ‘Exemplary Research and Innovation’ of Manipal College of Nursing (MCON), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal organized a session on ‘Writing a winning grant proposal’ on 27th March 2025 between 10.30 am-12.30 pm.

The resource person for the session was Dr. Shama Prasada Kabekkodu, Professor and Head, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Manipal School of Life Sciences, MAHE, Manipal. He was introduced to the audience by Dr. Sonia R B D’Souza, senior advisor of vertical-III, IOE Pillar II, MCON.

It was a very enriching session, where the resource person spoke from his experience of applying for various grants and tips for securing them. He also spoke about the various opportunities available for applying for grants/fellowships/research awards and explained the intricate process of grant writing in a very simplistic form, highlighting that applying for grants should be an enjoyable skill. He emphasized the three Ps: Proposal, Person, and Place, which are the core components of a successful grant application. The resource person also shared the possibilities of undertaking collaborative grant applications and the various AI tools available for making the grant proposal writing an exciting one, which can draw the attention of the reviewers for the possibility of getting them accepted.

The session also enlightened the skills of putting scientific ideas into a simplistic form without misleading the scientific understanding. The various benefits of grants for the individual as a researcher and an academic, for the institution, and also for the nation were discussed with a note that the ethical practices for the grant management process should not be violated at any level. The session at large focused on igniting the potential of researchers/academics to explore unique ideas for grant writing with far-reaching social implications. A total of 50 participants, including the research scholars and the faculty members of MCON and MSON, Manipal, have attended and benefited from the session. The outcomes of the session were aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, i.e. Quality education. The overall coordination was done by Dr. Melita Sheilini, Associate Professor and Chairperson Vertical-III under the guidance of Dr. Tessy Treesa Jose, Associate Dean and Chairperson - IOE Pillar II, MCON, Manipal.