RBZS grant for laboratory and museum internship, and field trip
The first call of 2023 is open!
2023 first call: -Application deadline: 15th of March – date for the stay or field trip: between the 1st February 2023 and the 31st January 2024 – location: worldwide (including Belgium)
The RBZS board has decided on the 21st of June 2018 to attribute annually three grants (500 €) aiming to encourage young zoologists to realize a research internship in a laboratory or research group, or to realize a field trip. In November 2020, the RBZS board has decided to publish two calls per year in January and in June.
Application guidelines:
• To be a member of the Royal Belgian Zoological Society (i.e. membership fees must be paid before application);
• To be a master’s student, a Ph.D. student, or a postdoc (i.e. non-permanent position)
• To propose a research stay in an institution (University, Institute, Museum) or a field campaign (no location limitation), related to a Master’s Thesis; a Ph.D., or a Postdoctoral project. Field trips are restricted to sample or data collection (i.e. no field trip related to a course or a summer school will be funded);
• Conferences are not eligible;
• The scientific activity (research stay or field trip) must be linked to zoological and animal sciences (in its broadest sense, from molecules to biosphere, but excluding veterinary sciences);
• Application documents for stay or field trip include 1. a description of the general project with clear objectives; 2. a description of the stay (including scientific context, host institution and host supervisor address/contact, dates, and a provisional budget (1 + 2: max 1000 words); 3. a letter of acceptance by the PI of the host laboratory or research group; 4. for master’s and Ph.D. students, a letter of acceptance from the supervisor; 5. a short CV (1-page max, including professional and private address, e-mail and a bank account where the grant must be paid);
• Ethical aspects must be addressed (including, if applying, Nagoya protocol or CITES convention or experimental ethic agreement);
• Add a short note on ‘responsible travel’ if funding for travel is requested. It would not be ethical for the Society to fund flight tickets if there is a more sustainable alternative (that is not too long or expensive). Applicants are kindly requested (though not strictly obliged) to follow this decision tree: https://medialibrary.uantwerpen.be/oldcontent/container35122/files/DecisionTree%20for%20responsible%20travel_TN_20180124.pdf
• For the provisional budget, allowed expenses are: travel cost, lodging cost, field cost (including sample sending, or permit), or laboratory consumable cost. Equipment expenses are not allowed;
• Application documents must be sent to the RBZS secretary before the deadline (G.Lepoint@uliege.be). A decision will be taken within three months and communicated by e-mail to the applicant. This is a three steps evaluation procedure: 1. Eligibility checking, 2. Scoring/ranking by a devoted working group of RBZS board, 3. Approval by the RBZS board, based on the propositions made by the grant working group;
• The grant is attributed only one time to an applicant;
• Granted applicants should acknowledge the Society in publication(s) related to their stay. Society logos should be added to posters or communication slides. To contribute to the Society journal, namely the Belgian Journal of Zoology, would be very appreciated (now totally open access with no page charge).
• A one-page report will be asked of the applicant, including a financial report with expenses covered by the grant. The report will be sent to the RBZS secretary (Dr Gilles Lepoint).