CoLabs Lunch & Learn - Grant Funding with Simona John von Freyend
Learn what separates the grants applications that get funded to the ones that don’t.
Simona John von Freyend has written grants for academic and translational funding applications to major international proposals, including developing a successful Gates Foundation application for ProteinLogic that became a USD $1.3 million, two-year project involving a UK biotech and a South African academic group.
What to expect
Practical experience and advice drawn from Simona’s experience shaping applications for scientists and biotech companies, including:
What assessors look for when evaluating grants
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
A structure that you can take away when writing your next grant.
Q&A time for Simona to answer your specific questions — if you’re hung up on specifics, make sure to bring questions!
Who is it for?
Researchers, postdocs, or founders/operators in biotech, medtech, climate tech and adjacent fields gearing up to write grant applications. Useful whether you're preparing your first submission, chasing funding for a startup, or reworking something that came back unsuccessful.
About Dr Simona John von Freyend
Simona John von Freyend is a biomedical scientist, business owner and experienced grant writer who enjoys turning complex science into a clear and compelling story.
She has a PhD in biomedical research and spent many years in academic research, where grant writing was an essential part of the job. Since 2020, she has also worked as a Senior Associate with Outside Opinion, supporting scientists and biotech companies with grant strategy and development.
Her approach to grant writing draws heavily on science communication. During an editorial internship at the science desk of The Conversation, she learnt just how much a strong hook, a clear narrative and an interesting story matter — even when the underlying science is excellent.
Alongside her scientific background, Simona has experience in strategic development and project management and now runs her own businesses in the life sciences sector. She is equally comfortable zooming into the detail of an experimental plan or stepping back to ask the bigger question: What is the story, why does this project matter, and why should someone fund it?
About CoLabs
CoLabs is Australia's collaborative lab partner for bio and deep tech founders and businesses forging new frontiers. We provide the missing infrastructure, support and community that help people get from ideas to the real world, faster.
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Link for Q&A: https://app.sli.do/event/mFbo46aUUUUTz2Ra6gni14