This grant provides support for Ecologists in Africa to carry out innovative ecological research. They recognize that ecologists in Africa face unique challenges in carrying out research; the grant is designed to support you in developing your skills, experience, and knowledge base as well as making connections with ecologists internationally. British Ecological Society supports excellent ecological science in Africa by funding services and equipment.
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. British Ecological Society will automatically contact the referees using the email addresses provided in the application; both reference statements must be completed online before the application deadline. British Ecological Society cannot accept referee statements sent independently via email or by letter.
Eligibility and Conditions
You 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 centers, NGOs, museums, etc.) that provides basic research facilities
carry out the research in a country in Africa or its associated islands
** This currently excludes – Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Namibia and South Africa.
The proposed work must be completed within 18 months.
It is a condition of all of the grant schemes that applicants submit a report within three months of the end date of your award. Reports will be submitted via our online grants system.
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.
This grant cannot be used to support research degrees; however, researchers who have already been registered at a research institute or university for at least six months by the application deadline for the grant, can apply for funding for research that goes towards a degree. Applicants in these circumstances need to indicate that they have already gone some way to starting their research and that the money will not go towards course fees or personal salary.
Some funding may be provided to cover your expenses during research where it is shown that you will not be able to afford the time off from other paid employment. In these cases, you must state if the research work will be possible without our funding to cover this lost income.
All costs must be clearly justified within the budget section. Any costs that are not justified will not be considered. Please ensure all costs are clearly calculated in GBP (British Sterling).
It is a condition of all grants that this contribution is acknowledged in any publications or publicity that may arise from this study. Please notify the British Ecological Society of any publications supported by this funding.
If you were previously awarded an Ecologists in Africa grant, you are unable to apply for this grant again. Failure to submit a satisfactory report at the end of a grant will mean you are ineligible to apply for further grants.
Benefits
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. This must be requested at the application stage.
Travel funds are available to spend time working with ecologists in the Global North where facilities and experience will help you return to your own institution.
Successful applicants also receive two years of free BES membership and free online access to our journals.
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 the Global North who can provide advice during the proposed project. If international travel is part of the application, you should demonstrate close links with those you 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 program 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.
