About us

• Travel
• Local travel costs
• Specimen shipping costs
• Laboratory expenses (please provide justification for the rates)
• Costs of training programmes may be permitted if the research grant panel feel it is essential to the candidate being able to carry out the proposed project
• Subsistence: In regards fund requests for food, please note food is not an eligible cost except for in situations in which, (1) no salary/stipend to cover such costs is available to the applicant, and/or (2) food costs will be particularly high during the field period of the project. If you wish to request food costs, please ensure that your case is clear

• Attendance at committee meetings of IUGS and similar international bodies
• Conference attendance
• Tuition fees
• Stipend for masters and PhD students
• Costs associated with open access publishing
• Undergraduate field mapping projects

• Applications should have a clear scientific focus. It is not the practice of the Society to fund general proposals such as student expeditions.
• Applicants are required to provide one supporting statement from a supervisor or other suitable person familiar with their work and with whom they must discuss their project prior to application. A supporting statement from someone suitably qualified and familiar with the details of the candidate’s topic of study is strongly recommended. The supporting statement will be used for confirmation of ability of the applicant to carry out the proposed research (i.e. it will be used as a letter of reference) and for verification of the need for research grant funding. The Supporting Statement Form can be emailed directly to [email protected] or it can accompany the application form.
• Applicants in receipt of NERC (or other UKRI) funding will need to make a strong case for funding although new, innovative opportunities will be considered.
• The Society will not consider applications for grants to compensate for insufficient funding of studentships.
• The Society will not provide funding where there has been a failure by the research supervisor to seek the full cost of associated field or laboratory work. The applicant’s supervisor must explain clearly in their supporting form the reasons for the funding deficit where there has been a failure by the research supervisor to seek the full cost of associated field or laboratory work.
• Applications which the Committee considers to be premature, e.g. too early in the applicant’s course, will be ruled out.
• All applications are judged on the scientific excellence of the project. In deciding between those of equal merit, preference will be given to those who make the strongest case for financial support.
• All applicants will receive a brief statement of feedback. This statement is intended to be constructive and to aid the applicant with future funding applications they write. No further feedback will be provided, however feedback can be clarified if any comments are unclear to the applicant.

• All applications must be submitted on the downloadable form.
• Please note that applications will be reviewed anonymously, so avoid providing any personal details with the exception of the grants cover page.
• Please complete all sections. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• The project must have a clear title and in the case of a PhD project please include the title of that project and the names of the supervisors.
• The project description may not exceed word limits specified and must be in a font size of 11 or larger. Applications exceeding word limits will not be considered. Please note that in-text citations do not count towards the word limits. Up to two visuals/diagrams can be included.
• Describe clearly the work to be done and its timeliness.
• The role of the applicant is to be stated if the application is part of a broader project. What is your role within the team? Set out what it is that you will do.
• State that all necessary permissions have been obtained, the ownership of any specimens collected in the course of the work, and indicate what will happen to any specimens collected at the end of the project (e.g. lodged with a museum, disposed of).
• As appropriate, confirm that an institutional risk assessment has been, or will be, carried out and the fieldwork will only proceed once it has been approved by the institution. This is particularly when an application is for funding to work in a remote area.
• Bibliography/list of references - Please do not exceed 10 references to support the project abstract and methods and materials sections. You may include up to two additional references to your own work. You may use your preferred reference style in this section.

• All applicants are required to be Fellows at the time of receipt of the grant money. If you are not yet a Fellow, you must complete an application in order to receive your grant.
• The grant may be used only for the purposes described in your application as approved by the Society’s Research Grants Committee. If you are unable to use the grant for the specific purpose for which it was intended, please contact the Society before spending any portion of the grant.
• If any significant changes are likely to be made to the project’s scope or scale, before or during implementation, or if the project’s timetable is delayed, it is important to inform us immediately and to obtain approval for any variations. If changes are made without our agreement, we may consider reclaiming any funds not used for the intended purpose.
• Successful applicants must produce a report on the work supported by the funding at 12 months from receipt of grant. There is no specific format but we would suggest writing the report in the style of a piece of geoscience journalism rather than a learned paper. Please provide a 2-3 page report clearly identifying the purpose of the research and the results. We can provide some past reports on request if you would like some examples.
• Please head the report clearly with your name, the project’s title/subject, the fund allocated, and the amount received. The report must state whether the recipient has had articles published or about to be published. We would also ask that you acknowledge the assistance of the Society in any other articles or published papers that may arise from this project work related to this grant.
• Failure to produce a report will make future applications ineligible.
• Please provide separately to your report an account of how the money was spent and receipts where possible for all significant items e.g. flights, laboratory costs, accommodation, equipment, fuel etc.
• Recipients must ensure acknowledgement of funding from the Society in all publications relating to the funded project.
• Successful applicants may be asked to write a piece for the Society’s magazine, Geoscientist, and blog.
• Reports may be published on the Society’s website.
• Payments will generally be made by BACS. If your application is successful, we will require BACS details to make payment.

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