British Ecological Society

Summary: 

Organizational profile:

The British Ecological Society (BES) is a learned society in the field of ecology that was founded in 1913 and has been fostering the science of ecology ever since. It has 6,000 members around the world and brings people together across regional, national and global scales to advance ecological science. BES’ vision is for nature and people to thrive in a world inspired by ecology. BES actively values the diversity and wide range of perspectives that people from different backgrounds bring to their work, to ecology and to our Society. 

BES provides grants to promote excellent ecological research, supports early-career ecologists, helps fund training and travel, and communicates ecological science as widely as possible. In recent years, they have awarded over £350,000 (c. €400,000, $447,000).

  • Large Research Grants: To support exceptional early-career ecologists in establishing an independent research career
  • Small Research Grants: To support original research projects where there are no alternative sources of funding
  • Ecologists in Africa: BES recognizes that ecologists in Africa face unique challenges in carrying out ecological research, so BES provides support to African citizens working in Africa to carry out innovative research
  • Outreach: Highlighting the importance of promoting ecological science to a wider audience, BES supports the public engagement of ecology and/or to improve skills in science communication
  • Training and Travel: Supports the development of PhD students and postgraduate research assistants through training and attendance at events where they will be presenting their work
  • Honours, Awards and Prizes: BES takes great pleasure in recognizing exceptional contributions in various fields of ecology

 

Financing Instrument: Grants

 

Project scale:

  • Large Research Grants: over £5,000 up to a limit of £20,000
  • Small Research Grants: up to £5,000
  • Ecologists in Africa: up to £8,000
  • Outreach Grants: up to £2,000
  • Training & Travel Grants: up to £1,000

 

Recipient countries regions/country groups: Global

 

Recipient categories: Individuals, organizations that organize ecological public engagement events

 

Eligibility Criteria:
Large Research Grants:

  • These grants are given to individuals. Only current BES members may apply (register on BES website to become a member).
  • From January 2020, all applicants who apply for a Large Research Grant are required to have been a member of the BES for at least two years (January 2018) when they submit their application.
  • Grants are limited to ecologists at an early stage in their careers. ‘Early career’ is defined as less than 5 years full-time equivalent research position post- PhD or -D.Phil. experience according to the date of the ecologist's graduation certificate.
  • It is the responsibility of the applicant to make their eligibility clear on the application form, with any relevant employment details and career breaks clearly outlined. This should be added to the ‘Additional Information’ at the end of the CV section of the ecologist's application form.
  • The investigator must have a PhD or D.Phil., or have submitted a thesis that will have been examined by the time the application is submitted.
  • The investigator must demonstrate that the project is distinct from other current research activities, or if there is any overlap, that it would substantially extend their existing research into new and distinct areas.
  • The investigator should undertake at least part of the research him/herself.
  • Funding is not given to individuals who already have full time permanent academic positions in universities or equivalent positions in research institutes.
  • Those who have received a Large Research Grant previously, are ineligible from applying again.
  • Applicants cannot use a Research Grant to fund a component of a larger study – we understand that there may be additional contributors to the project, however, BES' contribution must make up the majority of the project funding, or form a recognizable and distinct component that would otherwise not take place.
  • Applicants are responsible for obtaining all relevant permits and permissions required to undertake the proposed work.
  • Projects can take place anywhere in the world. Applications for projects based outside the UK should demonstrate liaison with collaborating organizations, local environmental agencies, NGOs and/or communities within the country the project is taking place.
  • BES accepts career breaks taken due to family commitments, ill health and caring reasons. Please see BES Career Break Statement below.
  • Costs for travel funds to attend a conference and present work relevant to the project will be considered. The name of the conference and a justification for attendance should be highlighted within the application (this does not include attendance at a BES meeting).
  • Requests to cover publication costs will NOT be considered.
  • On accepting a Large Research Grant, applicants agree to join BES Review College for a minimum of 3 years.

 

Small Research Grants:

  • These grants are given to individuals. Only current BES members may apply (register on the BES website to become a member).
  • Applicants cannot use a Research Grant to fund a component of a larger, already funded study. 
  • Funding is not available for work that will form part of a degree/master/PhD/fellowship. Those with fellowships and PhDs that only cover their salary, are eligible to apply.
  • Applications to take part in an expedition will not be considered (e.g. Operation Wallacea). 
  • Applicants are responsible for obtaining all relevant permits and permissions required to undertake the proposed work.
  • Projects can take place anywhere in the world. Applications for projects based outside the UK should demonstrate liaison with collaborating organisations, local environmental agencies, NGOs and/or communities within the country the project is taking place.
  • This grant will not fund attendance to a conference.
  • This grant will not fund publication costs.
  • BES will not award more than one grant to any one applicant in any one year, and no more than three grants in any five year period.
  • Failure to submit a satisfactory report at the end of a grant will mean the grantee is ineligible to apply for further grants.

 

Ecologists in Africa:

  • The applicant should:

o   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 categorization which currently excludes – Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Namibia and South Africa.
o   have at least an MSc or equivalent degree
o   be working for a university or research institution in Africa (including field centres, NGOs, museums etc.) that provides basic research facilities
o   carry out the research in a country in Africa or its associated islands

  • The proposed work must be completed within 18 months.
  • It is a condition of all of BES grant schemes that applicants submit a report within three months of the end date of the applicant's award. Reports will be submitted via BES' 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 start their research and that the money will not go towards course fees or personal salary.
  • Some funding may be provided to cover applicants’ expenses during research where it is shown that applicants will not be able to afford the time off from other paid employment. In these cases, applicants must state if the research work will be possible without BES 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).
  • BES encourages applicants to discuss their applications with a respected colleague and to view BES' example applications on BES’ website.
  • It is a condition of all grants that BES’ contribution is acknowledged in any publications or publicity that may arise from this study. Please notify BES of any publications supported by this funding.
  • BES will not award more than one grant to any one applicant. Failure to submit a satisfactory report at the end of a grant will mean applicants are ineligible to apply for further grants.

 

Outreach Grants:

  • Awards are open to individuals and organisations to organise ecological public engagement events. This includes, but is not limited to, BES members, researchers, schools, museums, libraries and community groups.
  • Applicants' proposal must be aimed at a non-academic audience and all projects must provide a clear demonstration of direct interaction with them. They should also show evidence of links to the research community at UK, regional and international levels, where appropriate.
  • Applications will NOT be considered for:

o   Staff salaries (one-off costs that are relevant to completing the event e.g. sub-contracting for logo design, will be considered as long as these are justified in the application)
o   Purchase of apparatus, e.g. computers, cameras, unless integral to the application
o   Training courses not associated with developing skills in communicating the science of ecology for a public-facing audience e.g. specific skills training courses for academics are not eligible for funding
o   Academic meetings
o   Closed meetings
o   Projects aimed solely at delivering curriculum to school children
o   Applications from museums and schools are welcome, but projects must involve significant outreach beyond schools.

  • BES will not award more than one grant to any one applicant in any one year, and no more than three grants in any five year period. Failure to submit a satisfactory report at the end of a grant will mean applicants are ineligible to apply for further grants.
  • For repeat, annual events that request funding more than once – Grants Committee would only consider this if the project showed new novel ideas and development on the previous application.

 

Training & Travel Grants:

  • All applicants are required to:

o   be a BES member.
o   have at least a B.Sc. or equivalent degree.
o   use an institutional email address in order to apply. Any exceptions must be discussed in advance of submission with Grants & Events Officer, Siri McDonnell for approval.
o   be a PhD student, postgraduate research assistant (within 3 years of completing relevant degree) or equivalent (Postdoc researchers are therefore not eligible to apply).
o   work or study at a university or research institution (including field centres, NGOs, museums, etc.) that provide research facilities.
o   work in scientific areas within BES remit (the science of ecology) and of relevance to the training course or meeting they are applying to attend.
o   give a presentation if attending a meeting.

  • No retrospective claims for funding will be considered.
  • Applications for travel to informal training or masters/degrees/fellowships etc. will not be considered.
  • No applicant may receive more than two Training & Travel Grants in any five year period. There must be at least three years between grants.
  • A maximum of two places per training course may be funded on a first come first serve basis. No more than two applicants from the same institution may attend the same meeting/conference.
  • Applications to attend training courses will only be considered for formal short-term courses with a strong ecological focus.
  • The applicant is responsible for booking to attend the course/event/workshop and as the grants are paid in retrospect, must pay the relevant institution/organiser the required fee at the time of booking as well as all monies additional to the award amount i.e. single supplements.
  • Successful applicants are bound by the booking conditions of the organisation running the event, course or workshop and non-attendance on a booked course or event will result in the applicant being personally liable for the cancellation fee.

 

Application guidelines:

All BES Grants open twice per year, in Jan and Jul.

When applications open, register/log into BES online grants system, complete the applicant’s contact details, and navigate to ‘Your Applications’.

Applicants are only able to submit one grant application per round, across all grant schemes.

It is a condition of all of BES grant schemes that applicants submit a report within three months of the end date of the applicant’s award. Reports will be submitted via BES online grants system.
 
Research Grants: 

  • BES aims to notify all applicants within two months of the grant deadline. Shortlisted Large Research Grants applicants will be notified via email with details of how to apply to Part B.
  • All projects should start within 6 months of the grant award date. Small Research Grants should run for a maximum of 12 months and Large Research may run for a maximum of 24 months. Any projects running for longer than this should be clearly outlined and justified in the submitted application.

 
Ecologists in Africa:

  • BES would recommend reading example applications available on BES website in advance of applying, in order to assist the applicant with writing their own application.
  • As part of the application process two referees will be required to submit statements of support. If the applicant is applying for travel funds, one of these must be from the applicant’s host institution.
  • These statements should include why the project is important, what support will be given to the applicant 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. BES cannot accept referee statements sent independently via email or by letter.

 
Outreach Grants:

  • BES aims to notify all applicants within two months of the grant deadline.

 
Training & Travel Grants:

  • There is no application deadline; instead, there are two opening dates within a 12-month period (January and July). Once funding for one round has been allocated, the round will close until the next opening date. If the meeting the applicant wishes to attend is between January and the end of June, the applicant must apply to the first round. If the meeting is after June, the applicant should apply to the second round. (Please note that awards may take up to 2 weeks to be processed, therefore events taking place in the first three weeks of July are eligible for the first round).
  • If applicants want to attend an event/training that falls within BES remit, please email BES Grants & Events Officer, Siri McDonnell.
     
Publication Date
Thursday, 31 March 2022
Applicable location
Africa
Americas
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Topic/Theme
Forest management certification
Biodiversity conservation
Forest landscape restoration
Climate change
Database
Financing opportunities