C5895 Independent Research Project Preparation

Faculty of Science
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 2 credit(s) (plus extra credits for completion). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Synchronous online teaching
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Tomáš Fiala, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Tomáš Fiala, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Supplier department: Department of Chemistry – Chemistry Section – Faculty of Science
Prerequisites
Completed BS. studies in chemistry or a related discipline.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 6 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/6, only registered: 0/6, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/6
Course objectives
This is the first pilot run of a new practical course aimed at stimulating out-of-the-box scientific thinking and project development. The students will be guided through the preparation of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA)-style research project on a topic of each student’s choice (cannot be closely related to the topic of the student’s diploma or doctoral thesis). The goal of this course is to prepare the students as future innovators in chemistry and related disciplines able to acquire funding for original projects from governmental and private funding sources. Important: as this course is new, the students will be asked to provide constructive feedback throughout the semester. The feedback will help develop and improve the course in the future.
Learning outcomes
After successfully finishing this course, the students will: 1) understand the principles of research funding, especially in academia 2) be able to identify a so-far-elusive scientific problem in their field and formulate a research strategy to solve the problem 3) be able to prepare a research project proposal to secure funding for the above research 4) know how to critically evaluate a research project proposal
Syllabus
  • The points below and their order of coverage will evolve during this pilot run.
  • Introduction to project preparation and research financing.
  • How to identify the right scientific problem and a solution to it?
  • Applying for academic funding – research project proposals and beyond.
  • Structure of a typical research project proposal.
  • Scientific communication – finding the right strategy to present your project.
  • Supporting documents of a research project proposal.
  • Proposal evaluation – how it works and how to use an “evaluator’s view” to prepare a successful proposal. In between theoretical preparation, homework will be assigned that will guide the students through the preparation of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA)-style research proposal.
Literature
  • Alon, U., How To Choose a Good Scientific Problem. Molecular Cell 2009, 35 (6), 726-728.
  • Yanai, I.; Lercher, M. J., It takes two to think. Nat. Biotechnol. 2024, 42 (1), 18-19.
  • Araj, H.; Worth, L.; Yeung, D. T., Elements of successful NIH grant applications. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 2024, 121 (15).
Teaching methods
online lectures, homework, discussions
Assessment methods
The grade is based on a weighted average of the marks for homework, the final project proposal, and presentation of the project.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught every week.
Teacher's information
Study materials (presentation slides, articles, example grant proposals) will be made available to all participants.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/spring2025/C5895