NRiPN Grant Writing Mentorship Programme 2026

Applications are open to NRiPN members for a 6-month grant writing mentorship programme, including an in-person workshop.

Key Dates

Call Open 30 April 2026

Deadline for Applications 30 June 2026

Funding Decision w/b 29 June 2026

Programme Start Date 1 August 2026

In-Person Grant Writing Workshop 15 September 2026

What is the Grant Writing Mentorship Programme?

The NRiPN Grant Writing Mentorship Programme is a new initiative designed to support practitioners, lived experience researchers, and early career researchers to turn the research ideas into competitive funding applications.

The programme is designed to support researchers with varying levels of experience with drafting competitive policing related grant applications for specific funding bodies. It will also  provide opportunities for in-depth and targeted support from senior policing researchers and for access to relevant police stakeholders who may wish to participate in or support the research. 

Benefits include:

• 1-to-1 coaching and open-door sessions: Each successful applicant will be assigned a research mentor, who they will meet with online once a month for six months from August 2026. Their mentor will provide one-on-one support in preparing their grant application for submission. .
• Virtual workshops: Covering pathways to impact, co-production, and partnership working.
• An in-person grant writing workshop: A fully funded 1-day event to develop grant writing skills and project ideas, with mentorship from academics and practitioners in the N8 PRP network. 
• Networking opportunities: A fully-funded networking dinner ahead of the workshop to make connections with your cohort and N8 PRP academics and practitioners. 

The programme is free to attend for successful applicants. N8 PRP will book reasonable UK travel and overnight accommodation for attendance at the workshop and networking dinner.

Successes

The NRiPN Grant Writing Mentorship Programme has been developed with the support of Prof Catherine Robinson, based on her experience leading the Mental Health and Social Care Stepping into Research (StiR) Programme. The programme has shown early successes and participants describe their experience with the programme as ‘invaluable’. For more information on StiR, including testimonials, please see the Stepping into Research webpage. 

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Applications are open to members of the New Researchers in Policing Network (NRiPN). The network is free to join and open to post-graduate and early career researchers affiliated with an eligible institution (i.e. a university or police force in the north of England). Please note for this mentoring programme the institution requirement will be strictly applied. 

For more information, to become a member, and check eligible institutions please see the NRiPN webpage. If you have any questions please contact the NRiPN Director, Dr Ellen Reeves. 

Successful applicants will: 

• Be pursuing research relating to the topic of policing
• Have identified a specific funder and funding stream for their project
• Be likely to benefit from the mentoring programme 
• Have an outline of a project idea likely to be competitive in the funding process with good potential for policy and academic impacts
• Be available to meet with their mentor once a month from August 2026 – January 2027 and to attend the workshop on September 15th 2026
• Be an NRiPN member affiliated with an eligible institution. You can become a member and check the eligible institutions here.

How to Apply

Send a completed application form (linked below) and a 2-page CV to ellen.reeves@liverpool.ac.uk by 5pm 26 June 2026.

If you have any questions please contact Dr Ellen Reeves.