Become a Grant Reviewer for the Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant Program is inviting ISTAART members to express an interest in peer reviewing grant applications. If becoming a grant reviewer has been sat on your ‘one day’ list, this is about as low-friction an entry point as you’ll find.

There’s no deadline on this one, and no competitive process to worry about. You fill in a short form telling the grants team who you are and what you know, your details go on file, and they get in touch when a review round comes up that matches your expertise. You say yes when it suits you, and no when it doesn’t.

Why become a grant reviewer?

If you’ve ever had an application rejected and wondered what on earth the panel were actually looking for, this is how you find out. Reading other people’s applications – the strong ones, the ones that fall apart in the case for support, the ones with a brilliant idea and a hopeless workplan – will teach you more about writing a fundable proposal than most workshops ever will. You start spotting the patterns in other people’s writing, and then you start spotting them in your own drafts. That is much the same point made in our blog on getting a grant funded, seen from the panel side of the table, and it’s the single most common piece of feedback we hear from people who’ve done it.

It demystifies the process too. Funding decisions can feel like something that happens behind a closed door, and the reality – as this piece on what actually happens at funding committees sets out – is a good deal more human and a good deal more procedural than most applicants imagine. Once you’ve seen how reviewer comments feed into a panel discussion, our top tips for writing a grant application stop reading like generic advice and start reading like instructions.

Beyond the learning, it puts you on the radar of a major international funder, and it gives you something concrete to point at under ‘service to the field’ when a promotion panel asks what you’ve contributed beyond your own outputs. It also gives you a genuine say in what gets funded, which matters more than people tend to admit. Review panels shape the direction of the field, and they can only ever reflect the range of people who agree to sit on them.

Before you sign up

Reviewing is unpaid, and doing it properly takes time – set aside a decent chunk of a day per application if you want to write something genuinely useful to the applicant and the panel. Be straight with the grants team about your capacity and about any conflicts of interest, and don’t take on more than you can turn around. Saying yes to everything is how good opportunities turn into resentment, and we’ve written before about when to say no to new opportunities.

Who can put their name forward?

You need to be an ISTAART member. If you’re not already, membership is free for students and free for researchers based in low- and middle-income countries, and discounted for postdocs – so it’s worth sorting out if you’ve been putting it off.

The call doesn’t set out a minimum track record, so if you’re unsure whether your experience is the right fit, put your name down anyway and let the grants team make that call. They’re matching expertise to applications, not ranking CVs.

How to register your interest

Complete the expression of interest form, and the grants team will be in touch as opportunities arise. Any questions, email grantsapp@alz.org.

New to reviewing? Start here

Dr Yvonne Couch’s guide on how to be a peer reviewer is the best starting point on the site – it covers how to give criticism that’s actually useful rather than merely correct. Dr Clíona Farrell’s account of her first time as a peer reviewer is a good antidote if the imposter syndrome kicks in before you’ve even opened the file. And if you’d rather listen than read, our podcast on how to be a great peer reviewer and the panel discussion on grant writing tips from awardees and reviewers both cover the practicalities.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to have held a grant myself to review one?

No. Reviewers are matched to applications on subject expertise, and a strong methodological or technical background is just as relevant as a funding track record. If you’re early in your career and unsure, register anyway and say so on the form.

How much work is involved?

It varies by scheme and by how many applications you’re sent, but a thorough review of a full application typically takes several hours. You are asked, not assigned – you can decline a round if your workload won’t take it.

Is there a deadline to apply?

No. This is a rolling expression of interest rather than a call with a closing date. Your details stay on file and the grants team contact you when a suitable review round comes up.