GUIDELINES
Please read these guidelines carefully.
They contain important information relating to your application for funding and not following these guidelines may jeopardise your application.
The next round of applications are for awards made in March 2012 for projects commencing or wholly running between 01 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. Applications for projects taking place outside this period will not be considered. Deadline for applications 30 November 2011.
Application is by email only. Application forms are available here or from the BOU Office.
Please email your completed application form to the BOU Office by 30 November 2011.
When completing your application, please note the following carefully:
1. Size of BOU grants
BOU Small Ornithological Research Grants are aimed at funding small projects in their entirety or part-funding small-to-medium sized projects. Such projects will be prioritised ahead of larger projects and expeditions.
The BOU has limited funds at its disposal and grants are normally awarded to a maximum of £1000. The BOU may occasionally award a grant of up to £2000 for an exceptional application.
The BOU receives more applications than we can afford to support. Competition is strong, but this should not deter applicants with good projects. See here for details of past awards.
2. Research areas
The BOU tries to support as wide a range of research projects as possible, and welcomes applications from both amateurs and professionals.
Applications may be on any aspect of ornithology but the BOU will look especially favourably on areas where there are particular difficulties in funding research from national or local sources.
The BOU will look favorably on projects following up previous BOU-funded projects.
Funding will not be provided for salaries (of the applicant – salaries for local participants can form part of the request) or to cover course fees.
3. Expeditions
It is essential that you make clear what specific aspects of the expedition the BOU funds are requested for. If the application is from a multi-disciplinary expedition, the application must be made by the ornithologist(s) and must describe the ornithological research that will be undertaken.
4. Species
As part of your application, you are required to provide details of the key species your project aims to study, including the conservation status of each species (globally and regionally/nationally if applicable). You must provide references for the conservation status you are quoting. Up to date global conservation status (IUCN Red List category) for all species, and regional conservation status (SPEC category) for European species, can be found on the BirdLife International website here.
5. Project costs/budgets
As part of the application form you will be asked to details of the total projects costs, the amount requested from the BOU, any funds already obtained and any other funds applied for. Please be as transparent as possible, cost your project as carefully as possible, and cost the items for which funding is being sought as carefully as possible. The Committee has knowledge of project costs and can often easily calculate if a project, or an individual component for which funds are being sought, is not accurately costed.
Total project costs must include all costs of running the entire project/expedition and not just the total for the items for which funding is being sought from the BOU. The BOU needs to be able to accurately assess the size of any contribution it may wish make to a project.
Some past applications have been jeopardised by a lack of transparency and accurate costing of project costs and/or for the amount being requested from the BOU.
Applications are welcome from anyone in any country, but UK-based applicants seeking funding for overseas projects should note that the funds being sought should only be used towards defined project requirements outside the UK.
7. Graduate and undergraduate studies
Undergraduate and graduate research will be considered, but only if the research meet the following three criteria –
(a) the research is self- or part-funded;
(b) the funds being sought are for expenses incurred outside the UK;
(c) the funds are being sought for a well defined or specific aspect of your research.
The BOU may also consider applications for funding exceptional requirement(s)/opportunities which were unforeseen at the planning/start of a project, but which arise during the work.
Students should check the BOU’s other funding scheme, Career Development Bursaries, which aim to support short-term research positions for young (or early career) ornithologists, between a first and higher degree programme or immediately after completion of a higher degree. Successful proposals will combine the applicant’s development of skills that will be useful for their future career in ornithology with sound science.
8. Conferences and meetings
Funding will not be given for attending conferences or meetings.
9. Publications
Funding will not be given to publish work from an existing project, for books (if you want to submit a book proposal to the BOU please contact the BOU Office) or for work on a title to be published commercially.
10. BOU Mission Statement
Applicants should note the BOU’s objectives and mission statement.
The British Ornithologists’ Union will promote understanding and conservation of the world’s birds, advance ornithology within the scientific community and promote scientific ornithology to the wider birdwatching public.
- The BOU’s mission will be achieved by the following objectives:
- To maintain the publication of the Ibis as a leading international journal of ornithological science.
- To continue the publication of the BOU Checklist series, together with other publications.
- To organise and/or hold an active programme of meetings and conferences.
- To make available grants for ornithological research.
- To facilitate liaison between those actively engaged in ornithological research.
- To provide, as a representative of the scientific community, ornithological information and advice to government and other policy makers.
- To maintain and publish the official British List of birds.
11. BOU Ethical Policy
You should note the Union's ethical policy which is set out below:
“The Union expects all authors of papers submitted to Ibis and recipients of BOU research grants to act within the law of the land in which the work is conducted. They must ensure therefore that they have the necessary licences for whatever they are doing. Investigators should abide by the spirit as well as the letter of relevant legislation. Where work is carried out in places lacking relevant legislation, or where this is not adequately administered, the work should conform to the ethical standards expected in the UK.
“The Union expects researchers to have proper regard for conservation considerations and humane practice. Attention is drawn to the guidelines for the use of animals in research published most recently in Animal Behaviour 2003, 65: 249-282.
“The Union is not opposed in principle to the taking of birds for valid scientific purposes. However, studies should not involve unnecessary risks or stress to individual animals nor impact significantly upon populations of plants or animals. Research workers should be aware that even field observations of free‑living birds can cause significant disturbance. The impact of any particular study should be evaluated in terms of possible gain in knowledge against possible adverse consequences for individuals or the population.
“Papers may be rejected and research grants may be refused solely on ethical grounds.”
Your application should indicate that the work conforms to this policy.
Also, please make clear whether your work will include the collection of specimens (for which copies of any appropriate licenses are required).
12. Fulfilling BOU policy
In order to fulfil the above, the following factors will be considered in judging applications, but it is recognised that any one project should not be expected to fit all of these:
Scientific quality of the research
Feasibility in terms of resources and time allocated
Involvement of local people, where appropriate
Support of local organisation/insititute, where appropriate (e.g. see www.birdlife.org for contact details of BirdLife International Partners in each country)
Likelihood and means of dissemination of results
Utility, interest and significance of results to pure and applied aspects of ornithology
13. Timing of applications
Applications are for awards made in March 2012 for projects commencing or wholly running between 01 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. Applications for projects commencing or wholly running outside this period will not be considered.
The deadline for grant applications to be awarded in 2012 is 30 November 2011. Applicants are informed of their success in March 2012 and awards are paid to successful applicants in March/April 2012.
Applications for projects which start in the early part of the year (January-March) can be applied for the year before the project is due to start, i.e. for projects starting January to March 2012 can be applied for award in 2011 (deadline 31 December 2010).
We will not support projects which run or are completed during January-March 2011 or are completed by 30 April 2011 in this round of applications.
14. Submitting your application
‘BOU grant application -
Your application must be accompanied by two references (see below).
All applications must be supported by two referees who must send letters of support (by email) direct to the BOU Office.
Please ask your referee to include the following in the subject header of the email –
‘BOU grant application – reference for (e.g. BOU grant application – reference for John Smith).
Please note that it is up to the applicant to arrange for references to be submitted by the above deadline. The BOU will not normally write to referees except in exceptional circumstances.
IMPORTANT NOTE - acceptance of an award is acceptance of the condition to adequately report back to the BOU. The BOU is a charity and in order to comply with charity regulations we need to illustrate where our funds have been spent. Failure to adequately report back to the BOU within six months of the conclusion of the work will render yourself, and any other person from your institute, ineligible to apply for future funding from the BOU.
If the BOU is not satisfied that the funds it has awarded have been spent as per the application for which funding was sought, then the BOU reserves the right to request for the award to be returned.
If your application has been unsuccessful, then you will receive notification of this by email. We will normally provide brief feedback as to why your application was unsuccessful. No correspondence will be entered into with regards an unsuccessful application and/or the feedback offered to the applicant.
The BOU look forward to receiving your proposal.
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