Research Grants
SMALL GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS FOR RESEARCH
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, through its Grants and Education Sub-Committee,
offers modest grants (up to c.a. £10,000 for up to three years) to support research relevant to agriculture,
horticulture or the rural environment. Grants are intended to assist research
projects by supplementing existing or other possible sources of funding by providing
such items as livestock and their maintenance, plant growth materials, chemicals,
glassware, use of equipment, rent of land, travel related to the immediate needs
of the project, small items of equipment, postage and telephone charges. Salaries and labour costs cannot normally be included in these grants. Applications should concern projects that are timely, are of high scientific
merit, open up clear opportunities for application – possibly in the longer term
and are relevant to Yorkshire and/or the North East of England. We are particularly, but not exclusively, interested in supporting “pump-priming”
work aimed at establishing an information base which can lead to attracting further
major grants from other funding agencies.
ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS AND APPLICATIONS
Applications are invited from research workers employed by universities and other
institutions of higher education located in Yorkshire and the North East of England.
Applications should have the approval of the institution. They should include
letters of authority from the Head of the Department in which the research will
be based and from the appropriate Administrative Officer of the institution.
Applications will be welcomed from established research scholars with proven ability
in research (enclose a one page curriculum vitae of the principal investigator). Applicants will be expected to provide information
on the nature and amount of funding from the employing institution or from other
sources, such as a research studentship, in support of the project
DURATION AND SIZE OF GRANTS
Grants will be awarded for periods up to three years and will normally not exceed
£10,000.
HOW TO APPLY FOR GRANTS
Grants can only be made to eligible institutions. Applications must be submitted
to The Chief Executive, The Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Great Yorkshire showground, Harrogate,
North Yorkshire HG2 8PW.
Closing Dates: The Grants & Education Sub-Committee of the Society will consider applications
at its meetings in March/April and October each year. Applications for these meetings
must be submitted by the 28th February or 30th September for consideration at the appropriate meeting of the Sub-Committee.
Applications are first examined by a Research Grants Panel which sends its recommendations
to the Sub-Committee. Applications received after a closing date may be delayed until the next meeting.
Documents Required: There are no application forms. Six sets of each application are required, including the original. They must be
of high quality print and suitable for copying. If colour is used in the applications
then all six sets must contain the coloured items and they must be suitable for
black and white reproduction. Each set must contain the following documents: Applications
(one copy) by e-mail (grants@yas.co.uk) can be accepted in lieu of postal applications.
- An official letter on behalf of the institution.
- An official letter from the head of department in which the project will be based.
- Cover sheet. This should include: the name and address of the institution and the department, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers of the applicant.
- Description of research project. It should not exceed three sides of A4 paper (excluding figures and references which should be kept to a minimum). This should be presented on A4 paper in single-spaced typescript (minimum point 12) with the following sub-headings: Abstract (description of the project in not more than 200 words). Background to the proposal. Specific aims and objectives. Programme or plan of research with “milestones”. Justification of resources sought.
- Budget statement. This should include details of the resources required (at current prices) for each year together with a grand total. It is important to include information on the nature and amount of other funding.
- Staff involvement. Who will direct the project? List the people who will be involved in the project, their qualifications and the percentage of their time each will spend on the project.
- Curriculum vitae. A short (not more than one page) curriculum vitae should be supplied for each principal investigator, including up to four relevant publications.
ELIGIBLE FIELDS
Projects which are directed to the development of agricultural or horticultural
production, improvement or protection of the rural environment, farm animal welfare,
forestry, novel crops, novel products from agricultural or horticultural sources,
in the UK. The Society aims to support small discrete projects or projects which,
if successful, will enable the applicants to apply to other funding agencies to
continue the research at a higher level of funding.
Applications should · be timely
and applied in nature
·
should show originality
·
be of high scientific merit
·
be relevant to Yorkshire and/or N.E. England
Awards will NOT be made to support · salaries & labour costs
· expeditions
· attendance
at conferences
· overheads
· purchase
or maintenance of equipment (other than minor items)
PROGRESS REPORTS
A brief progress report (approximately 1000 words) plus a statement of expenditure must be sent annually, except in the final year, no later than one month prior to the end of the grant year to the Chief Executive of the Society. The statement of expenditure should show the amount spent in the grant for each item in the budget. When this has been approved then any further instalments of the grant will be paid. Delay in submitting the report and the statement of expenditure may mean the withholding of the next instalment of the grant.
FINAL REPORT
A final statement of expenditure and a final report (no more than 3 pages) should be sent to the Chief Executive of the Society no later than 2 months after the grant comes to an end. The report should include:
(a) A brief description of the work done.
(b) The significance of the results.
(c) A list of publications arising from the project, including any submitted
for publication
(d) One copy of each publication.
(e) A final statement of expenditure.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
An agreement must be reached with the Society, before the project commences, on a fair arrangement regarding intellectual property rights, including agreement on allocation of royalties or other income that may arise from the project. Any patent arising from the project should include the Society (or an organisation nominated by the Society) and must be discussed with the Society (or its representative) at an early stage in the proceedings.
PUBLICATION OF RESULTS
The Society wishes to encourage the publication of results arising from the project, subject to safeguarding of intellectual property rights and any patentable material. The Society expects its support to be acknowledged in any publication.
SOME POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
What if I miss the deadline? One or two days are usually not a problem but later submissions will probably be held over to the next round of applications. This is because there is a tight schedule between the closing date, the applications going to the Research Grants Panel members for evaluation, and the meeting of the Grants & Education Sub-Committee.
What if I belong to a research organisation that is not attached to, or affiliated
with, a university or college? Some grants have been awarded to such establishments but usually they will do
joint research on the project with a university or college, or they will be supervising
a research student (e.g. The Game Conservancy Trust). Applications from commercial
organisations will not be supported.
Are only organisations based in Yorkshire or the North East of England eligible? Normally yes, but joint applications between a Yorkshire/N.E England eligible
organisation and one outside the region will be considered.
What if a successful applicant moves to another organisation that may be outside
the region once the work has started? So far this has not occurred but movement within the region has been accepted.
For movement outside the region please consult the Chief Executive, but permission
is likely to be granted within reason.
What if a final report is not submitted? The Society takes the reports very seriously and failure to produce a final report
after one or two reminders may result in the Administrative Officer of the organisation
being notified, unless there are extenuating circumstances.
EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL PROJECT TITLES
-
Useful traits from understanding multiple herbicide resistance in grass weeds. Durham University.
- Explore the potential of GM-potatoes to control persistent populations of PCN that occur in Yorkshire. Leeds University.
- Development of plant cystein proteases for the treatment of nematode parasites of livestock. Sheffield University.
- Genetic markers for race discrimination in plant parasitic nematodes. Hull University.
- Farm reedbed project. Askham Bryan College.
- Characterisation of the catalytic mechanism of a pectate lyase for development of mechanism-based inhibitors to control soft rot disease. Northumbria University.
- Investigation of alternative methods of Tobacco rattle virus control in soil. Central Science laboratory.
- Increasing the densities of beneficial insects on farmland. The Game Conservancy Trust.
- Novel approaches to modifying flax fibres “transgenic flax”. York University.
- Development of methods of oestrous synchronisation for low cost and organic sheep production systems. Newcastle University.
ENQUIRIES AND APPLICATIONS
These should be addressed to:
The Chief Executive
Yorkshire Agricultural Society
Great Yorkshire Showground
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG2 8PW
Yorkshire Agricultural Society
Great Yorkshire Showground
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
HG2 8PW
or email your application to grants@yas.co.uk