This award was only available in 2020.
This award is made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Anne Innis Dagg. Dr. Dagg is credited with being one of the first scientists to study animals in the wild, and she is also one of the world’s foremost experts in the biology of giraffes. Dr. Dagg was made an honorary member of the Canadian Society of Zoologists in 2019 in recognition of her extraordinary contributions.
The goal of this award was to support high-quality research by graduate students with direct relevance to the ecology, evolution, and conservation of wild animals.
Who can apply?
This award is available to women and underrepresented minorities at the graduate student level. The grant is open to existing or new members of CSZ.
Terms of Reference
Objectives
The goal of this award is to support high-quality research with direct relevance to the ecology, evolution, and conservation of wild animals. Successful research proposals should demonstrate a direct link between research objectives and conservation of animals in the wild. The successful research project will advance knowledge of wild animal populations in their native environments, with a preference for projects that use non-invasive or minimally-invasive procedures.
Award
The funding for each project will be up to a maximum of $20,000 CAD. The funds can be used to cover any aspect relevant to the success of the research project, with an emphasis on field work but could include laboratory costs, field assistants, and dissemination of results in an open-access journal and to local communities affected by the research. The purchase of small items of equipment required for the research is eligible but should not typically exceed $1000 per item and not exceed 20% of the total award. This award is not meant to provide salary support for the award holder.
Source of Funding
This award is made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Anne Innis Dagg.
Frequency of Award
Funding is for one year. More than one award may be given out each year depending on the number of suitable applications and the availability of funds. Unfortunately this grant is not currently accepting any further applications.
Application Deadline
This grant is currently not accepting any further applicants.
Application Procedures
Proposals are evaluated based on scientific merit, and should contain the following elements:
Cover page addressed to the “Dagg Research Grant Committee” should not repeat information in the application but include your name, email address, affiliation to CSZ (i.e., new or current member), full address of your institution, and a title for the application.
Personal statement describing eligibility for the award, and the feasibility of the proposed study, including previous experience and qualifications. State how this funding would expand/ augment any current thesis project. Outline the significance of the proposed work to conservation, through advancement of knowledge and/or environmental regulation (1 page).
Research proposal describing background, research objectives, methods (including level of invasiveness/ethics statement), significance to the field, and a tentative work schedule/timeline (2 single-spaced pages, including figures and tables but not including references which can be listed on 1 separate page).
Budget describing the main project expenses (1 page).
Current Curriculum Vitae.
Letter of support from supervisor/ mentor, including any existing funding for the project and how this research may contribute to a larger research program.
Applications must be submitted via email as a single file in .pdf format (name the file Lastname_Firstname_Dagg2020.pdf) with 2.54cm margins, Calibri font, and 11 font size. The letter of support should be sent separately by your supervisor/mentor.
Adjudication
The applications will be evaluated by a committee consisting of the CSZ President, the Integrative Ecology and Evolution section chair and vice chair, plus 1-2 additional CSZ members. The committee may also choose to send applications to external reviewers if an expert opinion is required.
Applications will be evaluated based on the research excellence of the applicant, the scientific merit and feasibility of the proposal, and the applicability to conservation. The committee will also assess the appropriateness of the project budget. Funding decisions should be released by December 2019.
Dr. Dagg will be informed of the successful application(s) and will provide informal mentorship as the research progresses.
The preferred start date for the grant is Feb. 1, 2020
Other Conditions
Funding may be held beyond graduation from a degree program for up to 1 year and successful applicants will be expected to present the supported research at a CSZ annual conference, normally within 1-2 years of receiving the award.