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BCRA
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Research Initiative
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Cave Science and Technology Research Initiative
Young Researcher of the Year Award
Documents available...
£25,000 Grant Money over Five Years
The Cave Science and Technology Research Initiative (CSTRI) was
announced by BCRA President Dave Checkley at
Hidden Earth 2005. This is an
exciting new initiative for BCRA and a chance to focus on promoting cave
science and technology. It is also your chance to get involved in furthering
our understanding of caves and developing our caving techniques.
BCRA has £25,000 to support research over 5 years (2006 to 2011). The
objective of this grant aid is to raise interest in caves and to further our
understanding of them and the technology employed to enter and explore them.
Our Cave Science Policy is to focus on four major themes: speleogenesis,
archaeology/palaeontology, biology and technology. However worthwhile projects
in other areas of research will also be considered. Clearly at the core of our
intentions is the publication of the ideas and the findings of the research. If
the caving and science community doesn't get to know of the outcome of the
studies then we have failed in our objectives.
Objectives of the Fund
- To encourage research activity by cavers and cave scientists who may have
no (or limited) support from research establishments - you don't have to be an
expert, but it helps if you discuss your ideas with one. We might be able to
help in providing you with a contact.
- To stimulate new research which could contribute significantly to any
aspect of caving - i.e. beyond the traditional earth sciences and into the
technologies.
- To support research that is unusual, particularly innovative, or likely to
be of great interest or benefit to cavers.
- To assist in the purchase of consumable items or scientific equipment
without which it would be impossible to carry out or complete a research
project.
- To provide a contribution to funds for travel in association with
fieldwork, or to visit laboratories which can provide essential facilities (see
notes below).
- To provide financial support for the preparation of scientific reports and
presentations.
Young Researcher of the Year Award: June
2007: BCRA is also pleased to announce a prestigious £500 annual
award for the most exciting research project completed in the present year, by
a young person. The results of the research must have been written up and an
article on the work must be produced by the winning author, for publication by
the BCRA. For further details please download an information sheet and
application form from the link above.
The Awards Panel: Proposals will be considered by a panel comprising
Nick Williams, David Checkley, Graham Proudlove/Paul Wood, Andrew Chamberlain
and Trevor Faulkner, who may consult outside experts for advice. The panel will
be involved in regular monitoring of projects and will be chasing you for a
full report on completion of the work. Elections to the Awards Panel will be
every four years on a staggered basis.
How to Apply: Applicants should read the guidelines, below, and then provide the following
information, ideally on our official application form (PDF or DOC).
Fast-track procedure: If your application is for less than
£200, we can "fast-track" your application. Simply provide the basic
information from the list below, with a short outline of the project, in a
letter to the Fund Administrator (see Contacting
Us). He will contact you if he needs any further information.
- Name, address, daytime and evening telephone numbers, email
address
- BCRA membership number
- Details of previous BCRA grant aid and any resulting
publications
- An outline of the proposed project in about 1000 words.
Please include a title and any appropriate references to literature
- A list of the individuals involved and their
roles
- A statement of how cavers and cave scientists will benefit
from this project
- The proposed start date and completion date
- Detail of the proposed expenditure
- The publication(s) to which you expect to offer your final
report (We would like to see the results in a BCRA publication, but other
publications might also be appropriate)
- Your intended project supervisor and a referee that we may
contact
Applications will usually be reviewed in April, August and December.
Applicants should bear in mind that the awards panel is unlikely to meet more
frequently than four-monthly intervals.
Five copies of the application should be sent on paper to the
research fund administrator (see Contacting
Us). It would also be useful if an electronic copy could be sent by
email. |
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The President's Bit: David Checkley writes...
This is a time of change for BCRA, a great opportunity and a
considerable challenge. The long awaited start of the new national body has
unburdened BCRA of a sizeable body of administrative effort. The organisation
now has the opportunity to really focus on its core activities and put all its
energy into cave science and technology. These activities are a major enriching
force in the caving world.
Few cavers can fail to wonder at the age, the origin and the
processes involved in the formation of our world of darkness; or to marvel at
the skill of the cave photographer and cool of the cave diver, whose technology
has progressed, each to an area of great specialisation. BCRA has a pivotal
role in all these areas, to educate, to disseminate information and to
encourage fur-her investigation in its widest sense.
This is also a time of challenge. The sport of caving in the
UK is in decline. We are not seen as cool and sexy and we have a bad press.
Cavers seem to be an ever-more-aged crew and young fresh faces are less and
less common. In these circumstances, having lost its national administrative
role, BCRA has to offer something special to maintain its membership. We have
to change to meet this new challenge. I believe we can change and can play an
essential role; not only in the rejuvenation of cave science and technology,
but also in the sport of caving. This is the purpose behind our new BCRA Cave
Science and Technology Initiative.
David Checkley, BCRA President, September
2005
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Rules and Guidelines for Applicants
Before writing your application please read the guidelines
set out below
- Awards will be made at the discretion of the Research
Initiative Administrator and the Research Initiative Panel or their advisers.
The Research Initiative Administrator and Panel reserve the right to refuse an
application and to impose additional conditions.
- The principal investigator(s) must be personal members of
the BCRA at the time of the application, and must remain so during the period
of the award. This means that you must hold Individual Membership of BCA, and
have paid the supplement to join BCRA. Your BCA membership card will state
"includes BCRA" next to the membership number.
- A report describing the results of the project must be
submitted for publication to an appropriate BCRA magazine or journal within one
year of the award terminating.
- A written or verbal progress report may be requested by
the award panel at any time.
- A separate statement detailing expenditure of the award, a
summary of the activities of the project and a summary of the results, must be
emailed to the award administrator as a Microsoft Word document, within one
month of the award terminating. This statement or parts of it may be published
by BCRA.
- BCRA may use interim reports, the terminal summary, the
project description and other information about the Research Initiative award,
for publicity purposes.
- Publications arising from research supported by the
Research Initiative must contain due acknowledgement to the BCRA.
- Commercial exploitation of intellectual property, resulting
from work carried out under a grant award, must make BCRA a
beneficiary.
- The BCRA retains the right to retain equipment purchased
with an award.
- The balance of any award, which remains on termination of
the project, must be returned to the BCRA.
- BCRA reserves the right to terminate an award at any
time.
- Funding will not be available for: a) Salaries,
tuition fees and similar remuneration of the applicants, their teams and
assistants. b) Attendance at conferences, and associated travelling
expenses. c) Travel to or from the applicant's usual/local caving area,
and expedition travelling expenses. However, other travel specifically
associated with the project (e.g. UK fieldwork, visits to laboratories with
essential facilities etc.) is eligible for funding. d) Purchase or
maintenance of personal caving equipment, clothing or vehicles.
- Applicants shall be deemed to have given their permission
for any information supplied by them to be stored on a computer and passed to
other parties.
- It is a condition of acceptance of a Research Initiative
Award that grant holders agree to abide by these rules. Award holders who have
not complied with these rules may be ineligible for further
funding.
- Any other essential information should be included on
extra sheets.
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BRITISH CAVE RESEARCH ASSOCIATION
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