A universal basic income is widely endorsed as a critical feature of effective governance. It is also growing in popularity in an era of substantial collective wealth alongside growing inequality. But how could it work? Current economic policies necessarily influence wealth distributions, but they are often sufficiently complicated that they hide their inefficiencies. Simplifications based on network science can offer plausible solutions and even offer ways to base universal basic income on merit. Here we will examine a case study based on a universal basic income for researchers. This is an important case because numerous funding agencies currently require costly proposal processes with high administrative costs. These are costly for the proposal writers, their evaluators, and the progress of science itself. Moreover, the outcomes are known to be biased and inefficiently managed. Network science can help us redesign funding allocations in a less costly and potentially more equitable way.

This chapter is for all academics, from students and faculty to professional staff at research centers and institutions. The content draws upon our experiences from when we were budding scholars, to experienced scientists, and now administrators, including time spent at federal funding agencies. Our aim is to provide information to scholars so that you can write more competitive grant proposals and secure greater resources for your research and scholarship. First, we provide a broad overview of what to consider before you embark upon writing a proposal. Then, we discuss areas for consideration in writing the proposal itself. Finally, we share steps to consider after you have received feedback about your proposal. We also provide some detail about particular funders, including support for international scholarship. As with all scholarship, persistence, collaboration, and support from colleagues are helpful for successfully securing external funding.

Communication takes many forms. This chapter offers guidance for presenting work in a poster or talk, as well as for writing a research article for publication.