Grant News

British Ecological Society Announces New Grants Programme for 2024 (UK / International)

The British Ecological Society has announced the launch of a new grants programme in 2024, following a review of its existing grants. The new programme will aim to support areas of ecology where it is currently difficult to gain funding, promote collaboration between disciplines, sectors, and career stages, and broaden support for ecologists in low- and lower-middle-income countries in the Global South.

Currently, the Society provides around £400,000 in support to ecologists worldwide each year through its existing grants, which were set up almost 10 years ago. However, the landscape of ecology and research has changed significantly since then, which is why the Society decided to review its grants portfolio.

The major changes that the Society will be implementing for 2024 include introducing four new grants to bolster innovative research in underfunded areas. It will also combine its existing outreach and science communication funding options into one 'Outreach and Engagement' grant. The Society will retire its 'Large Research' grants to provide a broader range of awards to more individuals through the rest of its grant programme. The 'Small Research' and 'Training and Travel' grants will remain the same.

The Society will continue to support researchers in the Global South by ring-fencing funding across its grant schemes. To this end, it will bring its 'Ecologists in Africa' grant to a close and instead award the same proportion of funding to applicants from across the Global South. The 'Ecologists in Africa' grant will be extended from 2024 to encompass the Global South as a whole.

The new grants programme will also promote collaboration between disciplines, sectors, and career stages. This will enable ecologists from different fields and backgrounds to work together on innovative research projects and drive forward new discoveries and developments in ecology.

22nd February 2023