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Research Grant Conditions

The IAPT announces the 2023 round of our competitive research grants program in plant systematics, with emphasis on funding students and young investigators in developing countries, but open to applicants world-wide. For guidance, candidates who obtained their Ph.D. degree more than 3 years ago will not be considered. Applications will be assessed on the basis of submitted research projects demonstrating scientific merit (30%), IAPT community building (30%) and broader impacts (40%). See "Evaluation of Proposals" below for more information on the assessment criteria.

The following guidelines must be adhered to:

  1. The grant application period is open from 1 December 2022 until 28 February 2023.

  2. The award should be preferably used for supporting travel to institutions, laboratory investigations, or fieldwork. We particularly encourage travel to visit major herbarium collections, and interactions with specialists in a particular group to build taxonomic linkages and spur future work.

  3. General information (name of applicant, country, institution, project title, etc.), as well as a prospective budget, are to be provided along with a project proposal.

  4. The project proposal should be succinctly written in English and should include an introduction, materials & methods, objectives, literature citations and other relevant information, especially noting if any other financial support for the project exists.

  5. The length of the proposal should not exceed three pages (single-spaced, 12 type font). There will be no exceptions and proposals exceeding three pages will be rejected without review.

  6. Two recommendation letters written in English should be included, preferably by experts from the field and/or by members of the host institution, if it is the case, and/or by supervisors in case of Ph.D. or other students. The letter writers need to be closely familiar or have familiarized themselves with the proposed project and the proposal text, and help ensure it meets the review criteria of scientific merit, IAPT community building, and broader impacts.

  7. Applications should also include a short CV of the candidate written in English in free format no longer than 3 pages (single-spaced, 12 type font).

  8. All supporting documents must be submitted in Portable Document Format (PDF).

  9. Applications should preferably be submitted via the IAPT website using an online form. If this is not possible, applications may be submitted via email to Dipl.-Ing. Eva Kráľovičová, Managing Secretary IAPT (office@iapt-taxon.org). Any applications via email must abide by the character and file size limits imposed on online applications.

  10. Applicants will be informed by e-mail of receipt of their proposals.

  11. The maximum individual award is US$2,000.

  12. The awarded projects will be listed on the IAPT web page and notification sent by e-mail to all applicants.

  13. Award recipients are required to submit a final report on the results of the grant-funded activities. The report should include photographs and details that can be used to write a social media post on the grant.

Applications opened: 1 December 2022

Applications closed: 28 February 2023

Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

 

I. Scientific merit (total 30 points)

a. Scientific impact of the study in a particular taxonomic group or geographical region

b. Contribution to the generation of novel systematic/taxonomic data

c. Quality and significance of questions being addressed

d. Adequacy of methods for testing hypotheses (data collection/analysis/use of different tools)

 

II. IAPT community building (total 30 points)

a. Student’s potential for professional success (based on the recommendation letters, and CV)

b. Importance of collections and conferring with taxonomic/nomenclatural experts

c. Perceived need; extent to which the project will benefit from IAPT funding

 

III. Broader Impacts (total 40 points)

a. The proposed research will yield durable benefits and be disseminated (revisions, databases, websites)

b. The proposal contains elements of key taxonomy training, field work for obtaining specimens, and herbarium visits for type studies

c. The proposed research involves outreach/mentoring/mobility exchange

d. The proposal involves taxonomic capacity building

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