“Writing short is hard,” notes Dr. Letitia Henville, a freelance editor with a PhD in English from the University of Toronto.

Recognizing this common challenge, Lakehead University launched its inaugural grant writing retreats in the spring and fall of 2025. These retreats were designed to help researchers master the art of "writing short" to produce more concise, impactful, and ultimately successful grant applications.

With funding from the Research Support Fund, the two-day retreats were held in Orillia and Thunder Bay and were open to all active Lakehead researchers, including faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and staff.

“The grant writing workshop was incredibly valuable for my research and writing,” says Dr. Alison Thompson, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. “Having dedicated, uninterrupted time and expert support to focus on an active draft is rare, and this day provided the perfect launching point.”

The Orillia Writing Retreat took place in May 2025 at Creative Nomad Studio. Facilitator Dr. Henville led interactive sessions covering the written and unwritten rules for federal research grants, peer reviews, objectives and methodology, and training and knowledge mobilization.

The Thunder Bay session, held in September 2025 at the Delta Hotel, was facilitated by Dr. Lorelei Lingard, a Professor and Senior Scientist at Western University’s Centre for Education Research & Innovation. Dr. Lingard delivered presentations on crafting compelling problem statements using the "Problem/Gap/Hook" method, improving clarity through grammar, enhancing coherence in arguments, and using generative AI as a grant-writing resource.

Day two of the retreats gave the 25 participants dedicated space to put their learning into practice through focused writing time and one-on-one consultations with Lakehead’s research facilitators and the workshop leaders. 

Participants also gained inside perspectives through panel discussions with experienced Lakehead researchers who have served on merit review committees.

“The retreats were meant to provide time and space, away from campus, for researchers - both early-career and established - to focus exclusively on their grant writing,” says Dr. Nicole Westlund Stewart, Research and Knowledge Mobilization Facilitator (SSHRC). “It was great to see researchers across all disciplines participate. They really seemed to appreciate the insights provided by our workshop facilitators, as well as the opportunity to network with peers and discuss their projects with Office of Research Services staff.”

Building on the success of these inaugural events, continued funding from the Research Support Fund will enable Lakehead to host additional grant writing retreats in summer 2026 to further support researchers.