Research Grants

If you have any questions or comments about ASAB Research Grants, please contact the Secretary of Grants Committee. There are usually three application rounds per year with deadlines of 1st February, 1st June and 1st October.

RESEARCH GRANTS OVERVIEW

Research Grants of up to £10,000 support (i) promising pilot research projects that are at too early a stage to attract funding from larger funding agencies such as the UK Research Councils, and (ii) small-scale projects, that, although worthwhile, are unlikely to attract funding from alternative sources. Grants may be made to allow the applicant to travel to conduct collaborative research, or to bring a collaborator to the applicant's institution for the same purpose.

The Grants & Awards Committee will consider research projects in all areas of animal behaviour, defined as the sphere of interest of papers published in Animal Behaviour.

Typically, about a third of applications will be funded at each call (closing dates: 1st February, 1st June, 1st October), depending on the current availability of funds and the intensity of competition.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be members of ASAB. Please note that membership must have been held for a minimum of 12 months from the date on which your application for membership was approved until the closing date of the round in which an application is made. If you are uncertain whether this is the case, please contact the ASAB Membership Secretary. You can check in your ASAB profile whether you have a student or full membership. If necessary, you should update your membership type before submitting your Research Grant application. You can do this by contacting the ASAB Membership Secretary.

• Applicants must have a Ph.D. There are no restrictions on the age or experience of the applicant.

• Grants will not be awarded to support work that contributes to the requirements of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree (including any inclusion in an undergraduate or graduate thesis), whether of the applicant or other person.

• ASAB does not accept applications that overlap substantially with a previously unsuccessful application for an ASAB Research Grant.

• Applicants who have previously received an ASAB Research Grant may not apply again within three years of their successful application.

• ASAB does not usually accept applications from applicants based in the Americas.

• ASAB does not fund overheads.

• ASAB regrets that it is unable to accept applications from countries where UK government sanctions would prevent payment of an award (see here for information on the countries affected).

Funding criteria

All applications are judged on the quality of the research proposed and applicants should note that attention is paid by the Grants Committee to the relevance and likely impact of the proposed work, the plan of research, whether it can be completed in the time proposed, the reason why this research is important, how it fits with previous research, and, if a pilot study, the future directions of this research. If funds are short, preference may be given to first-time applicants or early career researchers in deciding between similarly ranked proposals.

Applicants should clearly outline their procedure and how the results will be analysed to answer the research question(s). One common shortcoming of applications is that they provide insufficient information regarding the proposed methodology for the Committee to evaluate the proposal. Applicants must also give reasons for the funding requested, with a full breakdown of costs.

What do research grants fund?

Funds may be awarded for equipment, research expenses, and the salary of a research assistant or PI, provided that payment is made on an approved scale, but we do not fund overheads. Travel and subsistence expenses may also be funded if it is necessary to travel to another site to undertake the research. Grants will not exceed £10,000, although applications for smaller amounts are encouraged. The funding process is competitive and the Committee may take into account the amount of funding an applicant requests as well as how expenditure is justified in reaching a decision whether to fund a project.

Application deadlines

Applications should be submitted by 1st February, 1st June or 1st October, via email to the Secretary of Grants Committee.

Decisions will be made by the Grants Committee, a sub-committee of ASAB Council. Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application within 3 months of the closing date. Applicants should ensure that they apply early enough that they will know the outcome before they need to make financial commitments related to the project (eg equipment, travel, etc), and in any case before the proposed start of their project.

Application format

Applicants may download the application form here and the equality and diversity monitoring form here. Applications should be saved using the file name ‘SurnameRG.docx’ and submitted to the Secretary of Grants Committee as an email attachment. The equality and diversity monitoring form should be submitted with the file name changed to ‘SurnameED.docx’ as an attachment to the email in which the application form is submitted or to a separate email.

Please note that applications cannot be considered by the Committee unless accompanied by two supporting statements from referees. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the Grants & Awards Secretary receives these statements by the deadline.

Once your project is complete

Successful applicants are required to submit a report form within three months of completion of the project or one month after the ASAB conference at which the work is presented, whichever is later. The report form is available here, and should be saved as SurnameRep.docx and submitted to the Secretary of Grants Committee as an email attachment.

The PI should acknowledge the financial aid received from ASAB in publications or publicity that result from the research. A copy of all such publicity and publications should be submitted to the Secretary of Grants Committee. Successful applicants are also encouraged to submit a paper on their work to an ASAB conference.

Previous research projects