Small Grants In Aid of Research

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Dear Colleagues,

In 1999, the Society for Marine Mammalogy established this program to help support marine mammal research in countries and regions where scientists have less access to research funds.  These small grants typically range in amounts from $1,500 to $2,000 USD and have enabled recipients to pursue meaningful projects supporting marine mammal conservation and research in their home countries and regions. To me, and so many others, these small grants were a life-changing opportunity to pursue a career in marine mammals.

Unfortunately, last year, the reception for proposals for the SGIAR was postponed due to the Society’s financial losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, we received a generous donation of $20K from Dolphin Quest, but we are still unable to fully run the program.

The global impact of this program is evident in the hundreds of projects it has supported. These grants generate comprehensive knowledge about the biology of marine mammals around the world and advance our common goal for an inclusive and diverse marine mammal society.

Today, I am reaching out to our members and friends to help us sustain this valuable program. Each year the SGIAR program supports 15 early career researchers and graduate students from eligible countries and regions. Please consider supporting this life-changing program.

Your donations will be matched 2:1, up to the needed additional $10K. Donation Link Below.

Sincerely, 
Laura May-Collado
Chair of the Committee of Scientific Advisors
and
Simon Goldsworthy
President of the Society

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In 1999, the Society for Marine Mammalogy established a program to help support marine mammal research in countries and regions where scientists have less access to research funds. The Society’s International Relations Committee and Committee of Scientific Advisors have defined all countries/regions except the following as eligible countries/regions*: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.

Individual awards of up to $2,000 (U.S.) may be made annually. The awards are for one year only but successful applicants may re-apply in subsequent years provided they meet all the conditions of the prior award, including the annual report. Precedence is given to those who have not received funding in prior years. Recipients who subsequently have their SMM-funded research accepted for presentation at a SMM biennial conference will receive $500 toward travel expenses to the conference.

Support marine mammal science in developing countries and regions with a donation to the Grants-in-Aid of Research Program

Eligibility

Applicants must meet all three of the following eligibility requirements: 1. Be a member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy 2. Be a national of one of the countries or regions not in the above excluded list (preference is given to early career researchers such as students and researchers with less than 5 years post-doctoral experience) 3. Be conducting research in one of the countries or regions not in the above excluded list These grants are intended to support marine mammal field research directly. For example, funds are intended for the purchase of essential equipment, travel to field sites, or other fundamental components for conducting the research. Up to 25% of the total budget may be requested as stipend. Applications for conference fees, meeting attendance, or workshop travel will not be considered. The Society does not provide funding for indirect costs. In 2020, 17 of 55 applicants received funding from $793 to the maximum of $2,000. All publications resulting from work supported in full or in part by the Society must acknowledge such support with the statement: “This research was supported in part by a Small Grant in Aid of Research from the Society for Marine Mammalogy.”

Applications are particularly welcome from scientists working in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Pacific Island states, and countries which made up the former USSR.

How to Apply

Applications are normally accepted annually during the month of June. They are reviewed by the Committee of Scientific Advisors between 1 July through 31 August and recommendations for awards are provided to the Board of Governors of the Society. Awards are announced in September. Funds will be distributed to grant recipients by the Society’s Treasurer.

Reviewing criteria: Significance, the importance of the project to the scientific understanding and conservation of marine mammals; Approach,  the appropriateness of the methods to acquire the information and the techniques to analyze the collected data; Probability, the likelihood of this project meeting its objectives; and Qualification, the ability of the applicant to conduct the project.

In preparation of your proposal, please review the application template below and view winning grant applications from previous years:

Applications for 2023-2024 are currently closed. Applications for 2024-2025 will be accepted during the month of June 2024.

Click here in June 2024 to apply for a grant in aid of research

Click here to check the status of your grant proposal

 

Former Recipients and Final Reports

Within one year of receipt of Society funds, grantees are required to provide the Society with a 250-word summary report on how the grant funds were used to support their marine mammal research and if the research findings have been or will be published. The summaries of each supported project will be published on the Society website.

View Small Grants in Aid of Research Recipients and Reports from prior years

Questions

For technical questions regarding the online application, please email admin@marinemammalscience.org

For all other questions about the grants, please contact:

Dr. Laura J. May-Collado
Chair of the Committee of Scientific Advisors
University of Vermont, Department of Biology
Room 120, Marsh Life Science, 109 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, Vermont 05405 USA
Phone: 802 6564138
Email: science@marinemammalscience.org

* The following criteria have been chosen to establish this classification: (1) Using the most recent World Bank classification (https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519-world-bank-country-and-lending-groups), all countries/regions in the categories Upper Middle Income, Lower Middle Income, and Low Income are eligible; and (2) Within the High Income countries/regions, those countries/regions that spend less than US $50 million or less than 1% of their GDP on Research and Development (http://data.uis.unesco.org/index.aspx?queryid=74) are also eligible.