Here’s to tenacity and one more year of funding
2021 just got a whole lot better.
I’m humbled to share that I have received two grants that together take me through another year in my Doctoral Research. I am a grateful recipient of a stipend for fieldwork costs from Hans Bang Stiftelsen and a grant for full-time studies from Liikesivistysrahasto (Foundation for Economic Education). The funding is critical support in my pursuit of knowledge about Startup Culture and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in southern Africa.
The Government of Finland is drafting its strategy regarding activities in and with African nations, commonly known as the Africa strategy. The Finnish media has been slowly waking up to talk more about Africa this year. I see my topic much aligned with the discussion around a more equal base for partnerships, mutual knowledge-exchange and sustainable cooperation for locally suitable solutions in poverty reduction.
It feels validating to see that foundations recognize the potential impact of my research, and I believe it is due to its timeliness. From the bottom of my heart, I thank both foundations for the financial support in making the world a better place.
Here’s to maybe actually making it to Cape Town, Windhoek and Lusaka next year (COVID-19 allowing).
Here’s to one more year of funding and to a runway extended.
Here’s to the lesson in tenacity.
A lesson in tenacity
Being tenacious = persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
Securing the funding for 2021 makes me reflect on the moment I received the same, encouraging news last year. I was travelling to Helsinki while visiting from London, where I had been burning my runway and gotten more and more nervous about funding. I shared this photo of me jumping on the Namib desert dunes on LinkedIN with the caption: “Sometimes it pays off to take a leap.”
”Sometimes it pays off to take the leap. I’m happy to share that I am a recipient of a one-year research grant from Liikesivistysrahasto, the Finnish Foundation for Economic Education. I’m honored that a distinguished foundation recognizes the importance of researching entrepreneurship ecosystems in Southern Africa. Thank you!
I started my Ph.D. journey less than two months ago when I moved to London without any external funding. Receiving this grant is not only a validation of the need for this research but crucial to making it happen. Many friends encouraged me to stay in Finland and only start once I had secured funding. I was, however, optimistic and so I packed all my courage and took a leap.
Here’s a photo of me taking an actual leap at the top of Soussusvlei’s Big Daddy in Namibia, one of the highest sand dunes in the world.
Considering whether or not to go for it (whatever ’it’ is)? Do it!
#resilience #courage #research #funding”
What that post does not show as authentically as it could is the worry and growing concern I had been feeling. Since I started the PhD journey, I’ve wanted to demystify this process, so here’s a sneak peek behind the scenes on how I tried to cope with uncertainty - something I know so many have had to do this year.
Do what you can
Those of you who know me know that while I, in general, have a positive undertone, I am what you’d call a worrier (and yes! I’m working on it!). The weeks leading up to the (luckily) good news last year, I’d lie in bed at night in my room in London, thinking: “What if I just made a huge mistake? Did I really just move my life to London with big plans to pursue a Doctorate only to crash and burn when I don’t get funding for it?”
Earlier this year I wrote about why doing a PhD is like running a startup. Being a startup founder and a researcher without funding requires the same kind of tenacity to go on even when you know very little about the future. A startup founder might use risk management assessment tools to predict the future. A researcher might just have their gut instinct to rely on. Their gut and grant applications. With little control on the future, what I could do was churn out grant applications. Until this date, I’ve applied for six research grants and had a 50 % success rate. I guess learning the Art of Pitching helps.
Practice gratitude
If nothing else, this year ought to go down in (peace-time) history as the year of uncertainty. When COVID-19 began to spread across the world in March 2020, I thought the right strategy was to remain thankful. At least I was lucky to be early in my research and conducting the literature review, which I could even under the tightest of lockdowns. Just think of all the peers who had to cut their fieldwork short or who had to pivot their complete research topic. Not to mention all those who’d lost their jobs - or worse.
Just do it
As I moved back home to Finland, the vastness of the pandemic started to dawn on me in April, and the uncertainties started to slowly pile up. What if I can’t travel to southern Africa for fieldwork next year? Should I pivot my topic? What if I COVID-19 affects the partners and collaborations I was hoping to secure? What if foundations cut funding this year because of this? Did all my international lifestyle just completely evaporate?
I thought my main task was to stay focused. I threw myself into smart working methods and learned a ton about it (watch this space for a compilation). I read about self-compassion and stress management techniques. I thought that regardless of how things evolve, I should continue the literature review and the partnership discussions just in case all the stars happened to align.
This was easier said than done. The worry wouldn’t let go and as time went by and the days got shorter in Helsinki, my closest family and friends would witness it grow.
Make a B plan
My next coping mechanism was to create a solid B plan and outline all the professional options I had if I needed to put my PhD on hold. I thought I’d build psychological safety if I’d come up with a brilliant and attractive B plan. I did and it really calmed down. In my heart of hearts I knew I’d be alright regardless. But when the procrastination got really bad, the B plan started to seem so attractive that it distracted me even more. I’d force myself out of it when I’d realize how much I really, really, really wanted only this A plan. I’d go back to the literature review until the cycle repeated itself.
Trust that things fall in place
The first piece of relief came in October 2020, when Hans Bang Stiftelsen gave me good news - they granted me a stipend for my fieldwork costs. At least my travel budget was covered! While a critical 30 % of my entire budget, I remained cautious to celebrate.
In order to continue with the plans, I still needed the remaining 70 %. The results would come a few weeks later, cutting it terribly close - I would learn by the end of November whether or not I had the budget to continue my work in January. If my application wasn’t approved, I’d have to make some major restructuring in my life and make them fast. I felt like Rachel Green in Friends when she’s unemployed and has zero leads. “Wow. I could so easily freak out right now.”
The second relief came a month later, when I learned that Liikesivistysrahasto had approved my application. The foundation continues to support me with a monthly stipend for 2021. Despite all the worry and uncertainty, my research topic was deemed meaningful and needed by not one but two foundations in Finland, both with the aim to support economic research.
COVID-19 and life in general can still throw me curve balls, but at least now the new year is looking mighty fine to me. After months of worry, I can take a deep breath, appreciate what I’ve learned and count my blessings. It is true what my Grandpa used to say: “Hälften av dina sorger har aldrig hänt” (Half of your worries never happened).
One thing is for sure - I would’ve been paralyzed by the uncertainty if it wasn’t for my extraordinary extended team including supervisors, partners and collaborators, or my stellar support network of family and friends.
Oddly, none of them seemed that surprised when I got the funding. Maybe I’ll trust them more when I have to do this whole thing again in a year.
But in the meantime, I’m dreaming of the fieldwork I’ll now be able to plan properly. If all stars align, I’ll get to return to the Mother city, Cape Town, as early as in Q1, to my 2nd home in Windhoek in Q2 and to the fantastic Lusaka in Q3.
I can’t stop smiling when thinking about it.
