Deadline: March 21, 2018
The British Ecological Society is calling for applications for the Ecologists in Africa Grants 2018. This grant provides support for ecologists in Africa to carry out innovative ecological research. The British Ecological Society recognises that ecologists in Africa face unique challenges in carrying out research; the grant is designed support you to develop your skills, experience and knowledge base as well as making connections with ecologists in the developed world.
They support excellent ecological science in Africa by funding services and equipment. The proposed work must be completed within 18 months. The grant can be used to pay for basic tools needed to conduct the research project, travel and in some cases part of the applicant’s salary. It cannot be used for tuition fees.
Grants
- The maximum value of a grant is £8,000 for research. An additional sum up to £2,000 may be requested to fund travel to help you develop connections with other ecologists outside your usual peer group;
- Travel funds are available to spend time working with ecologists in developed countries where facilities and experience will help you on return to your own institution;
- Successful applicants also receive two years of free BES membership and free online access to our journals.
Eligibility
- Applicants should be a scientist and a citizen of a country in Africa or its associated islands, that is a ‘low-income economy’ or ‘lower-middle-income economy’ according to the World Bank categorisation;
- Have at least an MSc or equivalent degree;
- Be working for a university or research institution in Africa (including field centres, NGOs, museums etc.) that provides basic research facilities;
- Carry out the research in a country in Africa or its associated islands.
Assessment Criteria
- The application will be judged by a panel of reviewers on the basis of your personal qualifications, the scientific excellence, novelty and feasibility of the proposal, and the academic and non-academic impact of the planned research;
- You should demonstrate that you have made connections with ecologists in a developed country that can provide advice during the proposed project. If international travel is part of the application, you should demonstrate close links with those they propose to visit;
- Funding is available for any area of ecological science excluding research focused solely on agriculture, forestry and bioprospecting. Please note that neither purely descriptive work nor studies that might be considered incremental will be funded;
- The proposed project could be part of an existing programme but the application should be for a clearly defined piece of research. Researchers must also show how their research will have a wider impact beyond academia.
Application
To apply, register/log in to the online grants system, complete your contact details, and navigate to ‘Your Applications’. As part of the application process two referees will be required to submit statements of support. If you are applying for travel funds, one of these must be from your host institution.
These statements should include why the project is important, what support will be given to you and a statement that any equipment bought for the project will be made available for anyone in the host institution to conduct ecological research. BES will automatically contact the referees using the email addresses provided in the application; both reference statements must be completed online before the application deadline. They cannot accept referee statements sent independently via email or by letter.
For more information, visit BES Ecologists in Africa Grants.
