Grant Proposals
A funding proposal is one of the most important documents you will ever write—and it competes on the quality of its English as much as on the strength of its science. Evaluators read dozens of proposals under time pressure. When the English is clear, precise and confident, your ideas land; when it isn't, excellent research can lose points for reasons that have nothing to do with the science itself. I edit research proposals in English so that language is never the weak link.
European & National Funding Calls
What I do
I work on the English of proposals written in or translated into English: clarity, structure, register, flow and consistency across the whole document. I sharpen how your proposal reads without touching the science—your ideas, your data and your argument, expressed in the clear, direct English that funding panels expect. I always work within the page and character limits of your call. I also cross-check internal coherence across sections, work packages, tables, and budget figures, as well as bibliographic references.
Programmes I work with
Horizon Europe, the European Research Council (ERC Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grants), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and other European and national funding calls.
The same standard as peer review
I bring 35 years of academic editing to your proposal—the same rigour I apply to manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals published by Brill, Routledge and other leading academic presses. I'm a native English speaker based in Spain, and I've spent my career helping researchers make their work read as though it had been written in English from the start.
Funding panels are not looking for decorative language. They want a proposal they can read quickly and assess fairly: objectives that are easy to follow, a rationale that builds without repetition, and prose that never makes a reviewer stop to work out what you meant. That is what I edit for—clarity, precision and a confident academic register—while leaving your science, your data and your argument entirely your own.
Every proposal is treated in strict confidence, and I'm happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement on request. Because funding calls are unforgiving about deadlines, the earlier you get in touch, the more I can do—but I'll always tell you honestly what is achievable in the time available.
Ready to strengthen your proposal?
Send your Word draft to mark@markbyrnecopyeditor.com stating the funding call and deadline. Your quote covers complete submission preparation: native British translation or copy editing, coherence checks across text, tables, and budget figures, and strict adherence to page and character limits.