BOU Small Research Grants

The BOU Small Research Grants support scientific studies aimed at enhancing the understanding of birds and their conservation. These grants, capped at £2000, prioritize high-quality research with clear objectives and methodologies. Open to BOU members, the program encourages innovative projects that may struggle to secure funding through traditional channels. Individuals from developing countries can apply without membership, fostering global participation in ornithological research.

BOU Mission Statement
The British Ornithologists' Union will promote understanding and conservation of the world's birds, advance ornithology within the scientific community and promote scientific ornithology to the wider birdwatching public.
The BOU’s mission will be achieved by the following objectives:

• Publishing IBIS as a leading international journal of ornithological science.
• Organising a programme of meetings and conferences.
• Awarding grants and bursaries for ornithological research.
• Encouraging liaison between those actively engaged in ornithological research.
• Providing a representative body of the scientific community, able to provide ornithological information and advice to government and other policy makers.
• Maintaining and publishing the official list of birds recorded in Britain – The British List.
• BOU Small Research Grants

We will fund scientific studies with clear aims and objectives (ideally with clearly stated hypotheses) where the methods are clearly explained, robust and appropriate to answering the questions asked within the application. Research can be undertaken on any bird species.
The BOU has limited funds at its disposal and grants are normally awarded to a maximum of £2000.

Eligibility

What we fund: All applications are expected to fulfill the following requirements:You must be a BOU memberException – those from, and still residing/working/studying in, a developing country can apply without being a BOU memberNote, those from a developing country studying or working at an institute based in a developed country must be a BOU member Applications are from individuals only, not from organisationsThe applicant must be the principal investigator for the studyThe research must be of high scientific qualityThe research must be interesting, innovative or a potentially high impact piece of workThe project is feasible in terms of resources and time allocatedThe applicant must be competent to undertake the researchThe project has a clearly justified budgetThe project is a stand-alone research project, where the amount being sought is a substantial percentage of the total project budgetWho can apply?We welcome applications from both amateurs and professionals. You must be a BOU memberException – those from, and still residing/working/studying in, a developing country can apply without being a BOU memberNote, those from a developing country studying or working at an institute based in a developed country must be a BOU member Applications are solely from individuals who are principally responsible for undertaking the work outlined in the application.Undergraduate and graduate research will be considered, but only if the research meets the following criteria:where the applicant is a PhD candidate the project must be a stand-alone element and not the wider research programme (i.e. forming one chapter or paper, rather than contributing to the entire thesis);the research costs applied for are not fully supported by bench fees or fieldwork elements within a studentship or research council award.The BOU may also consider applications for funding exceptional requirement(s)/opportunities which were unforeseen at the planning/start of a project, but which arise during the work.
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. You must be a BOU member. Exception: those from, and still residing/working/studying in, a developing country can apply without being a BOU member (Note, those from a developing country studying or working at an institute based in a developed country must be a BOU member)

Ineligibility

Funding will not be provided to cover course fees.We do not fund:Applications from non-BOU members (see above)Applications from from organisationsSpecies inventories, i.e. site based surveys for the purpose of documenting species' occurrenceStudies of the abundance of a species at a particular site where there is no wider scientific aimDistribution surveys which do not address wider ecological questionsDescriptive studiesBaseline studies or the setting up of long-term monitoring schemesConservation implementation, education, outreach or awareness raisingThe salary or course fees of the applicant Attendance at conferences or meetingsPublicationsProjects already commenced by 31 March following the application deadline.