Current sources for research funding

This section lists funds available for researchers. Items for inclusion should be submitted to research@thes.co.uk ASSOCIATION OF COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITIES

www.acu.ac.uk

Development Fellowships

The association offers the fellowships in an annual competition to members of staff at its member universities throughout the Commonwealth, and to those working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country. The awards are designed to support a programme of work in a range of priority subject areas, such as biotechnology, information technology, university development and management, social and cultural development. They may be held for up to a maximum of six months and have a maximum value of Pounds 5,000 intended to cover travel and subsistence expenses. Candidates must be between 28 and 50 at the time of application. Deadline: May 31. Further information is available from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, 36 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PF.

British Academy/ACU Grants

These support international joint research projects between British and Commonwealth partners, at postdoctoral or equivalent level or beyond, in the fields of the arts, humanities and social sciences. Tenable for one year in the first instance with support for a second and final year available where appropriate; they will be for up to Pounds 5,000 a year to cover travel, subsistence and approved research expenditure but excluding institutional overheads or permanent staff costs. All applications must be supported by two referees and submitted, by the British partner, on the official application form. Deadline: May 31. Details available from the web or from the Association.

INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERS

www.iee.org.uk/Awards/robinsonr.htm

Robinson Research Fellowship

This fellowship is available to an exceptional engineering graduate pursuing original work relevant to electrical, electronic science or engineering through advanced study or research leading to the award of a postgraduate or post-doctoral qualification. The fellowship is normally tenable for two years at Pounds 4,000 per annum, plus the normal postgraduate fee for a United Kingdom student. It is hoped the award will encourage co-operation between industry and the higher education sector and that an industrial organisation will be associated with the fellowship.

The candidate must be in the first year of the research. The candidate must be resident in the UK and with qualifications that have been accepted by the Institution as fulfilling the educational requirements for corporate membership of the institution before the application is submitted. Applications must be made on the prescribed form. Next deadline: April 28. For an application form, contact: Scholarships and Prizes, lEE, Savoy Place, London WC2R OBL; tel: 020 7240 1871 ext. 2211/2235; fax: 020 7497 3609; email: scholarships@jee.org.uk.

BRITISH SOCIETY FOR

IMMUNOLOGY

http://immunology.org/index.htm

Travel awards

Grants, currently up to Pounds 400, are available to assist members to attend scientific meetings or to visit laboratories for specific short-term activities such as collaborative research or to learn techniques. Support under this scheme is available to society members who were elected to the society at least 12 months before the closing date for applications and who are in good standing with their annual subscriptions. Awards under this scheme are not intended to cover the full cost of the proposed activity. In making awards, the panel will consider the scientific value of the applications received and will look favourably on younger scientists. Members may not apply for an award if they have received an award within the last two years. Next deadline: May 1 for travel in July, August and September.

Forms can be obtained by emailing jan@immunology.org or can be downloaded from the website.

BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY

www.biochemsoc.org.uk/

admin/travfund.htm

General Travel Fund

The society has a fund from which grants are made available to assist eligible members in meeting the cost of attending scientific meetings or for short visits to other laboratories. Grants will usually be for a proportion (25-40 per cent) of the projected costs and will not normally exceed Pounds 500. Meetings for which grants are sought must have a substantial biochemical content and the applicant must give evidence of active participation in the meeting. The society has decided to dedicate a substantial part of its annual travel grants to the 18th International Congress of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, to be held in Birmingham in July. The deadline for receipt of these applications will be July 1. Members will be eligible to apply for a grant to attend this meeting after one year's membership and provided that they have not been awarded a travel grant within the past two years. The society is concerned to help young scientists become established, particularly in the international community. Priority is therefore given to applicants in their post-doctoral years and in the early years of their careers. The travel grants committee meets six times a year. Next deadline: May 1. Applications should be for meetings or visits that take place at least one month after the closing date.

BRITISH DIABETIC ASSOCIATION

www.diabetes.org.uk/bda.htm

Project Grants

Grants are usually given for one, two or three years, for a well-defined research proposal which may be reasonably expected to lead to a significant advance. They may be awarded for research in universities, hospitals, medical schools or other research institutions or places of medical practice. All proposals will be externally refereed, scored anonymously by the committee and feedback will be given to all applicants. Application forms available from Dr Jayne East, Research Administrator, British Diabetic Association, 10 Queen Anne Street, London W1M 0BD. Deadline: May 1.

BBSRC/EPSRC

Bioinformatics Initiative

www.bbsrc.ac.uk/opennet/structur/

stg/cpinfo.html

This initiative supports the development of generic software and novel technologies for addressing challenges associated with data provision and making data available in electronic formats. Applications should demonstrate either novel technology or novelty in the way the technology is applied to biological problems. Priority areas: 1. Sequence to function: interpreting sequence data; 2. Analysis of genome data; 3. Understanding, integrating and modelling cellular processes; 4. Novel Computer Science and IT techniques that can be applied to important areas of biology; 5. Methods of extracting information from unstructured and uncomputerised data; 6. New approaches to the integrity and maintenance of biological databases. Deadline: May 31. Details on the web or contact: Debbie Harding, Science and Technology Group, BBSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1UH; tel: 01793 413341; fax: 01793 413234; email: debbie.harding@bbsrc.ac.uk. Compiled by Sarah Knowles.

A more comprehensive version of

this service is available to subscribers on our Research microsite at

www.thesis.co.uk