The Association offers multiple awards each year, in honour of four donors, to fund palaeontological research, travel and fieldwork; these are integrated together under the Small Grants Scheme. These grants are open to any member of the Association, although preference is given to students, early career researchers, and members of the Association who are retired.
- Sylvester-Bradley Awards: Multiple awards up to £1500 GBP each, for palaeontological research.
- Callomon Award: An award up to £1500 GBP for a project which is normally field-based.
- Whittington Award: An award up to £1500 GBP for a project which is normally based on museum collections.
- Stan Wood Award: A maximum of two awards of up to £1500 GBP for projects in vertebrate palaeontology, and ideally involving fieldwork and fossil collecting.
There is one online application form with a deadline of 1st November. The successful applications will be reported at the December Council meeting, and at this meeting Council will decide on the allocation of the awards based upon the nature of the project made in the application. The awards will be announced at the AGM, and funds will normally be available from 1st January.
Successful applicants will be required to produce a final project report that will be published in the Palaeontological Association Newsletter, and are asked to consider the Association’s meetings and publications as media for conveying the research results.
Further details and a full list of terms and conditions for the Small Grants Scheme can be found below. Enquiries may be made to the Secretary (secretary@palass.org).
Before applying, applicants must first read the Terms and Conditions for Small Grants Awards (below):
Terms and Conditions
Terms and conditions for Small Grants Scheme applications (comprising the Sylvester Bradley Awards, the Callomon Award, the Whittington Award, and the Stan Wood Award). Applicants need not specify which award they are applying for; this will be decided by the Association, as appropriate.
Awards are made to assist palaeontological research (travel, visits to museums, fieldwork, analytical costs, etc.), with each award having a maximum value of £1500 GBP.
Proposals will be ranked on the following criteria:
- Quality, novelty and timeliness, likely outputs.
- Fit to the charitable aims of the Association.
- Feasibility, value for money and cost effectiveness.
- The track record of the applicant.
- Grants are not made to attend meetings.
The total project must be achievable within the sum requested, and if applications to other bodies for funding the same project are successful, then payments will not be granted, or will be withheld.
Applicants must be members of the Association.
If an application is made for funding that relates to a PhD or a Master's degree, then a case must be made as to why funding is required above that available for the normal degree programme.
Funding will not be made retrospectively.
Applications must be made through online submission via the appropriate page on the Association’s website (see below), and will comprise:
- An account of project aims and objectives and expected outcomes
- A breakdown and justification of the proposed expenditure
- A curriculum vitae (CV)
- Two references: one reviewing the project, and one personal reference for the applicant
- A summary suitable for the non-specialist, which will be published in the Palaeontological Association Newsletter when the award is made.
Each application must be accompanied by two references: one on the project and one on the candidate, to be e-mailed to executive@palass.org with the same deadline as the project application itself. Applicants are reminded that it is their responsibility to approach suitable referees, and to make sure that this happens.
In normal circumstances awards are made to single individuals, and a case must be made for funding of people other than the applicant.
Successful applicants must produce a final report for the Palaeontology Newsletter and are asked to consider the Association's meetings and publications as media for conveying the research results.
Failure to produce a final report within 12 months of receipt of the award could result in the awardee being invoiced for the full value of the award.
Receipt of the award must be acknowledged in all published work. Feedback on unsuccessful applications will be provided upon request by the Secretary.
Deadline
1st November 23:59 GMT
Online Application
Applications must be submitted electronically, and should comprise:
Required Information During Online Application
A CV of the applicant, up to TWO A4 pages in length. Including financial details of any currently held awards, grants, and fellowships. This must be in the formatted as a single PDF file that can be uploaded during the application process. Maximum 2 MB file size. The document must be single-spaced with a minimum font size of 11 points, and a minimum margin size of 1.5cm.
Details of any previous Small Grant Scheme award applications.
A section detailing the proposed project consisting of:
Detailed description of the project (max. 5000 characters including punctuation/spaces/line spacing/new paragraph headings).
A summary of the project for inclusion into the Palaeontology Newsletter (max. 1500 characters including punctuation/spaces/line spacing/new paragraph headings).
Total of funding sought for project in GBP (£).
Detailed costings for the project. A breakdown of the proposed expenditure, up to ONE A4 page in length. If your application overlaps with other research you are undertaking, please explain how the total project for which you are seeking funding can be achieved within the sum requested. This must be formatted as a single PDF file that can be uploaded during the application process. Maximum 2 MB file size. The document must be single-spaced with a minimum font size of 11 points, and a minimum margin size of 1.5cm.
Name, address, and email address of TWO referees. One to review the scientific merits of the proposal, and one personal letter of support for the applicant.
- For current research students ONLY: give details of your current research project, including the title. If your current research project significantly overlaps with this application, provide an explanation of why funding is required above that available for the normal degree programme, together with details of all relevant work that has been or will be undertaken prior to the commencement of the work for which funding is being sought.
In addition:
The two references from the named referees chosen by the applicant (see point 4 in Required Supporting Information) must be e-mailed to the Executive Officer (executive@palass.org) and must arrive before the closing date for applications detailed below.