top of page

Research Grant Conditions

The IAPT provides competitive research grants in plant systematics to applicants worldwide, emphasizing funding for current or recent students and young investigators based in low- or middle-income countries who previously have not received an IAPT-RG. Candidates who obtained their Ph.D. degree more than one year ago at the time of application will not be considered. Applications will be assessed based on the submitted research projects demonstrating scientific merit (35%), community building (25%), and broader impacts (40%). See "Proposal Evaluation" below for more information on the assessment criteria.

​

Proposals must follow the guidelines below:

  1. The call for proposals opens on 1st Dec 2025 and closes on 30th Jan 2026.

  2. Applicants must be IAPT members at the time of the grant submission to be eligible for an IAPT grant.

  3. The award should emphasize systematics and be preferably used for supporting travel to institutions (herbaria and/or home institution of a specialist) or fieldwork. We particularly encourage travel to visit major herbarium collections relevant to the study group, for interactions with specialists to build taxonomic linkages to spur future work, and build taxonomic capacity.

  4. Proposals must include: (i) name of the applicant, (ii) country, (iii) institution, (iv) project title, (v) project proposal, and (vi) proposed budget, noting if other financial support for the project exists, prepared using this excel template.

  5. The project proposal should be written in English and include the following components: introduction, materials & methods, objectives, literature citations, and other relevant information.

  6. Proposals 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.

  7. Applicants should include a short CV not exceeding 3 pages.

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

  9. The project should be submitted via the IAPT website using the online form. If this is not possible, applications may be submitted via email to the IAPT Managing Secretary (office@iapt-taxon.org). Any applications via email must follow the same character and file size limits imposed on the online applications.

  10. All proposals received will be acknowledged by e-mail. Please contact the IAPT Managing Secretary (office@iapt-taxon.org) if you submit a proposal but do not receive a confirmation within 48 hours.

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

  12. The selected projects will be announced on the IAPT web page and through e-mails to all the applicants.

​

Applications open: 1st Dec 2025

Applications close: 30th Jan 2026

​

Proposal evaluation

​

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

 

 1. Scientific Merit (max 35 points)

  • Scientific impact of the study in the proposed taxonomic group or the flora and funga of a geographic region – up to 10 points

  • Contribution to the generation of novel systematic/taxonomic/floristic data – up to 5 points

  • Quality and significance of questions being addressed – up to 10 points

  • Adequacy of methods for testing the research question (data collection/analysis/use of different tools) – up to 10 points

 

2. Community Building (max 25 points)

  • Applicant’s potential for completing goals of the proposal within the time frame, and of professional success (based on CV, considering career stage) – up to 10 points

  • Explicit inclusion of (a) the use and generation of collections, and (b) conferring with taxonomic/nomenclatural experts – up to 10 points

  • Perceived need where more points are given for applicants from low- or middle-income countries – up to 5 points

 

3. Broader Impacts (max 40 points)

  • The proposal will yield durable benefits and be disseminated through publications (e.g., taxonomic revisions, checklists, new data provided for existing databases, websites) – up to 20 points

  • The proposal involves taxonomic training, fieldwork, and herbarium visits  – up to 10 points

  • The proposal involves outreach, mentoring, and mobility exchange  – up to 10 points

​

bottom of page