INVITATION ONLY
Join us for an engaging online event focused on building confidence in grant writing. This session brings together a diverse panel of Academy awardees: Professor Ana Cavalcanti, Dr Amit Pujari, Dr Alireza Moghayedi, and Jack Oyugi, who will share their unique funding journeys, practical tips, and lessons learned from securing and managing grants across a range of UK funders.
Through candid reflections and real-world examples, the panel will explore different approaches to successful bid writing and grantsmanship. Whether you are new to funding applications or looking to refine your strategy, this session offers valuable insights to help you navigate the process with greater confidence.
The event is designed to support awardees from across the Academy’s programmes—Enterprise, Research, Education, and International—by fostering peer learning and cross-disciplinary exchange. You’ll hear how others have approached funding challenges, what’s worked for them, and how they’ve adapted their strategies over time.
What to expect
The event begins with a 30-minute panel discussion featuring awardees from across Academy programmes. Attendees will then join two 15-minute breakout sessions—one with a chosen panelist and one randomly assigned—to explore practical lessons in grant writing and funding success beyond the Academy.
About the series
The Community Networking series gives you a unique opportunity to meet and connect with other awardees from across the Awardee Excellence Community. The purpose is to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange and facilitate networking in a digital environment. Each meeting will focus on a different cross cutting theme or challenge faced by Community members, relevant across disciplines such as building successful partnerships or public engagement.
All attendees will be required to complete their entry into the Awardee Directory so you will easily be able to find and connect with the people you meet before during and after.
Dr Alireza Moghayedi
Alireza’s research focuses on developing inclusive, sustainable and smart solutions for engineering and built environment infrastructure projects using innovative cyber technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, building information modelling, digital twins, and mixed reality. He has recently established six international collaboration projects focusing on enhancing the living condition of the marginalised population in Africa through inclusive, sustainable and innovative infrastructures, and community developments. Alireza has been awarded multiple international grants through the Academy’s Sustainable Development, International and Engineering X programmes as well as notable funding from Royal Society, British Council, British Academy, National Research Fund (South Africa), EU Horizon and more.
Dr Amit Pujari
Amit is a practicing Biomedical Engineer and a Neuroscientist. who is an Associate Professor (Reader) of Biomedical Engineering) at the University of Hertfordshire and holds an honorary position (Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering) at the School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Amit's particular research interests are in the area of Neurorehabilitation (neuromuscular physiology, motor control/impairment and rehabilitation). Amit has been awarded multiple Research Fellowships through the Academy’s Research programmes as well as national and international funding by International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), Research England, UK Young Academy, EPSRC and more.
Professor Ana Cavalcanti
Ana is a Professor at the University of York, and a Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies. She is the leader of the RoboStar centre of excellence on software engineering for robotics. The RoboStar approach to model-based software engineering complements current design and verification practices for mobile and autonomous robots, covering simulation, testing, and proof. Ana has been awarded multiple research grants through the Academy’s Research programmes as well as notable funding from EU, EPSRC, Royal Society and more.
Jack Oyugi
Jack is CEO & Founder of Oviponics. Oviponics’ focus is feeding the world sustainably using climate-resilient and smart farming technology for producing clean protein from the Lake Victoria Nyanza barbs (Enteromius nyanzae), a species of cyprinid fish. As well as being an international entrepreneur, Jack was previously working as a Professor at the University of Nairobi before relocating to the UK in 2025. Jack is a multiple recipient of the Academy’s Sustainable Development, Africa-specific and LIF programmes. He can share insights from his entrepreneurial start up journey as CEO of Vertical Lake, Oviponics and Biofit Feeds as well as notable funding and awards recognition from UK Department of Trade, MbeleNaBiz Kenya, Practical Action, France Department of Trade, USAID, Tony Elumelu Foundation and more.