Integrating Grant Writing and Proposal Coordination into Doctoral Education: A Practice-Based Case Study

In today’s competitive academic environment, the ability to secure external funding has become essential to research careers. This paper presents a case study of a doctoral-level course at Mälardalen University, Sweden, designed to integrate grant writing and proposal coordination skills through real-world engagement with Horizon Europe funding calls. The study includes results from a structured survey of participating doctoral students, evaluating the course’s contribution to both technical competencies (e.g., work package design, SMART objectives) and soft skills such as collaboration and leadership. Findings indicate that structured training, anchored in institutional support and led by experienced project managers, increases students’ confidence and readiness to contribute to research proposals. The proposals developed during the course were led to submission. The course has since been adopted within the university’s doctoral curriculum, and its format has been documented to support future adaptation in similar academic contexts. Challenges included PI engagement and workload distribution, highlighting the need for continued structural alignment in course delivery.