Sources for research funding

Each fortnight this section will list funds available for academic researchers. Details should be submitted to research@thesis.co.uk

The Arts and Humanities Research Board www.ahrb.ac.uk

Research Grants For advanced research projects in the arts and humanities. Funding from Pounds 5,000 to Pounds 100,000 a year for up to five years. Open to academic staff at HEI's directly funded by HEFCE, DENI, SHEFC or HEFCW. The applicant should be of postdoctoral standing and should be the person who will direct and be actively engaged in carrying the research through.

Deadline: May 31.

Details, contact: Anna Greenwood. Tel: 0117 931 7453. Email: a.greenwood@ ahrb.ac.uk Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

www.pparc.ac.uk The PPARC Opportunity A one-off call for proposals for innovative and novel projects within PPARC's area of science. Open to the full PPARC research community. The aim is to stimulate proposals for groundbreaking projects that will demonstrate the potential for new science within the period of funding which may be for up to three years. This call is designed to attract research proposals that may not be mainstream to a currently supported programme of work, but which are original, exceptional and offer the possibility of new insights and new understandings. Proposals may be for a stand-alone project, for a project that involves collaboration with another researcher or institution, or for a project that relates to an international programme. Open to researchers in UK universities and in institutions recognised as academic analogues by the PPARC. The normal eligibility rule that grant applicants must hold an appropriate academic post in a British university does not apply to this particular scheme. Applications are welcome from less experienced researchers, postdoctoral research assistants and other researchers who may be funded on short-term projects. Applications should be submitted on PPARC's grant application form RG2. The form and guidance notes can be found on at: www. pparc.ac.uk/work/ grants/grant.html. Eight copies of the application must be submitted to "The PPARC Opportunity", Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1SZ.

Deadline: June 30.

Queries by email to Gina_Miller@pparc. ac.uk.

Royal College of Physicians

www. rcplondon.ac.uk Samuel Leonard Simpson Fellowships in Endocrinology Applications are invited each year. Purpose is to enable endocrinologists to learn new techniques and acquire experience, ideas and stimulation by travel and exchange of views. Applications are considered from suitably qualified people in the UK wishing to make visits abroad or from those abroad wishing to visit the UK. Approximately Pounds 20,000 is available each year which may be awarded to one or more candidates.

Deadline: end of June each year.

Further information is available from: The Academic Registrar, The Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE. Tel: 0171 935 1174 ext. 252/300/436. Fax: 0171 487 5218. Email: conferences@ rcplondon.ac.uk British Ecological Society www. demon.co.uk/ bes/grants.htm Small Ecological Project Grants

SEPGs are given to promote all aspects of ecological research and ecological survey. The grant has been extended to enable ecologists to travel from the United Kingdom or Eire to a third country, or vice versa, for the purposes of research where alternative sources of funding are inadequate. They are given to people and not to organisations.

Although threatened habitats provided the impetus for the scheme, it has been widened to include any ecological project. The public affairs committee is keen to support small pilot projects, in which cases the grants are viewed as pump priming, hopefully being instrumental in obtaining larger grants from other organisations. Occasionally, grants will be given for the dissemination of the results of ecological work, particularly work supported by the society in its initial stages, and for the preparation of identification keys where these are seen to be essential for further ecological work. Grants are given towards the cost of travel, employment of casual and short-term assistance, and purchase of small items of equipment (which will usually remain the property of the BES). Value of the award: up to Pounds 1,000 for travel and up to Pounds 1,000 for other costs.

Deadline: January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.

Details and forms are available on the website. Application form plus seven copies must be submitted. Contact details: British Ecological Society, 26, Blades Court, Deodar Roa , Putney, London SW15 2NU. Tel: 0181 871 9797. Fax: 0181 871 9779. Email: general@ecology. demon.co.uk A-T Children's Project, USA http://www.med.jhu. edu/ataxia/

The project provides competitive grant awards for basic and translational research grants related to Ataxia-Telangiectasia. One- and two-year projects are funded up to a total cost of $75,000 (Pounds 46,875) per year. Proposals from junior investigators, scientists in related disciplines, and individuals with innovative ideas for A-T research are encouraged, as are laboratories and teams from industry as well as teaching universities. Grants reviewed/awarded quarterly.

Deadlines: January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.

Guidelines on the website. Applicants must submit ten copies of the proposal to: Brad Margus, President, A-T Children's Project, 1 West Camino Real, Suite 212, Boca Raton, Florida 33432-5966 USA. Tel: 00 1 (561) 395-2621. Fax: 00 1 (561) 395-2640 The British Council, Portugal Science and Education Department The British Council/ICCTI Protocol

Administered jointly by the British Council in Portugal and the Instituto de Cooperacao Cientifica e Tecnologica Internacional. Supports short individual visits between British and Portuguese institutions. The awards are to be considered as a contribution towards travel and subsistence expenses. Three types of programmes:

* Preliminary visits: modest funding to enable Portuguese and British researchers to visit each other to explore prospects for joint research;

* The area workshop: a prioritised programme under which groups of researchers and industry discuss and develop networking prospects with the aim of leading submissions to EU programmes;

* The Network programme: support for visits to prepare joint applications to international programmes.

Applications can be submitted at any time, but must be submitted by Portuguese institutions. Application forms and information are available from the British Council in Lisbon: The British Council, Science and Education Section, Rua de S. Marcal, 174 1249-062 Lisboa, Portugal. Tel:+351 1 321 45 06/07 Fax:+351 1 347 61 52 email: fatima.dias@ britcounpt.org amelia.mendonca@ britcounpt.org The Times HigherJMAY 28J1999 RESEARCH 39 Funding listings are compiled by Sarah Knowles 0171 782 3225Email: sarah. knowles@ newsint.co.uk.