Davis Expedition Fund
The Davis Fund is to finance purposeful biological fieldwork and expeditions only outside the British Isles.
About the Davis Expedition Fund
The Davis Expedition Fund seeks to create opportunities for students and early career researchers to carry out biological fieldwork outside the British Isles, in temperate or tropical regions.
- Applicants must be individuals or groups of any nationality who are studying the biological sciences at Edinburgh University and who are undergraduates in their second, third or fourth academic years, or who are current or past Edinburgh University postgraduate students.
- Applications from alumni or students currently based in a temperate or tropical country in which the fieldwork would take place will be considered.
- Applicants must state how their work will be carried out within any existing Covid-19 regulations.
Risk Assessments and Travel plan
Application Deadline
Applications for an award from the Davis Expedition fund are now invited.
NEXT DEADLINE: Wednesday 22 January 2025 (12:00) **PLEASE NOTE THE APPLICATION PORTAL WILL REOPEN LATER IN THE YEAR **
Applications must precede the date of travel. Late or retrospective applications will not be considered.
The Davis Fund is to finance purposeful biological fieldwork and expeditions only outside the British Isles, in Temperate or Tropical Regions, by individuals or groups of any nationality who are studying the biological sciences at Edinburgh University and who are undergraduates in their second, third or fourth academic years, or who are current or past Edinburgh University postgraduate students
Applicants must propose substantial biological fieldwork in the largely botanical and zoological spirit of Davis (e.g. not human physiology). Fieldwork in arctic or near-arctic destinations is excluded by the terms of the Trust. Work in non-natural systems (e.g. zoos) is unlikely to be supported. Where funds allow, Davis will consider support for post-expedition curation of herbarium specimens.
Whilst it is clearly recognised that the widening of experience and of cultural horizons is a valuable result of expeditions, the emphasis here is intended to be on biological fieldwork and not simply on adventure and endurance. Preference will be given to the study of natural ecosystems and to proposals that arise independently. The Trust will not support undergraduate course work.
Applicants must be one of the following
- Current undergraduates in their 2nd, 3rd or 4th academic years at time of application. Direct entry is treated as 2nd year.
- Current postgraduate students.
- Early career postgraduates with a postgraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh.
- Sibbald Trust Fellows based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh; N.B. There is no guarantee that Fellows will automatically be supported; they will be required to compete for available funding with other applicants, and will be expected to submit strong applications of a quality appropriate to their expertise (to allow fair comparison with undergraduate applicants).
Justifications/Proposals to the Committee should provide information on the following areas
- Background and scientific rationale for the project
- Evidence of applicant's contribution to project design
- Methodology
- Equipment to be used, where it can be borrowed from, or if it has to be purchased what is to be done with it (preferably donated to host institution).
- Details of authority granting permission for fieldwork and permits required to export samples.
- Map showing study site / proposed collecting localities
- Sampling programme / itinerary
- Details of local collaborators, preferably named, but at least institutional and discussion of strength of collaboration
- Clear budget
- Publication / dissemination strategy (for postgraduate and early career applicants
- Risk assessment specific to proposed research including contact details for local hospitals and evacuation strategy
Students are encouraged to approach their Personal Tutor for guidance in developing their project justifications/proposals. Additional guidance can be sought from the Davis Committee Chairperson, Dr Colin Pendry (c.pendry@rbge.ac.uk), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Read the conditions and eligibility notes carefully BEFORE applying on-line. These guidelines give details of all the information required to complete your on-line application.
The documents you be required to upload to the on-line system are
- Cover Letter
- Project Justification/Proposal
- Supporting Letter from Supervisor
- Fieldwork Risk Assessment
- Any other relevant documents
- Examples of previously submitted applications that were successful for an award, and (mock) examples of substantially deficient applications, can be found at the links below. Applicants are encouraged to review these documents for guidance on developing a competitive application and justification/proposal.
Application deadline
NEXT DEADLINE: Wednesday 22 January 2025 (12:00)
**PLEASE NOTE THE APPLICATION PORTAL WILL REOPEN LATER IN THE YEAR **
Applications must precede the date of travel. Late or retrospective applications will not be considered.
Applications Considered
The Davis Expedition Fund Committee will meet soon after the application deadline to consider all applications. You will be advised of the outcome of your application as soon as possible after the Committee meeting. This will usually be within one month of the application deadline.
Report Submission
Within three months of your trip you are required to complete a Report Form which should provide the Davis Committee with information on the work you have undertaken. Completed reports should be submitted electronically to sbstravelfunds@ed.ac.uk
Photography Consent
Please note that whenever individuals can be identified by their image, General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) apply. In these situations, the rights of the individuals in the collection and use of their photograph(s) must be respected – they must be informed when an identifiable image of them will be or has been captured, before the image is used in any way. Please therefore ensure that when using any photographs within your report which contain identifiable individuals that you obtain their consent. A copy of the consent form can be found below for this purpose. Please ensure that all completed consent forms are returned along with your report.
You can read about the many trips undertaken with support from the Davis Expedition Fund below.
Further information is available from the Secretary to the Davis Expedition Fund, Peter Wilson Building, Room G123, The King's Buildings
Email: sbstravelfunds@ed.ac.uk
Good Examples
| Example 1 (undergraduate application) | |
| Example 2 (postgraduate application) |
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| Example 3 (early career researcher application) |
Poor Examples
| Example 1 | |
| Example 2 |
Information about you: how we use it and with whom we share it
The information you provide will be used by the University and School of Biological Sciences to administer your application for funding, make payment arrangements, maintain our IT system, monitor equal opportunities, and to monitor report submission following your expedition/fieldwork/project. Your final report will be uploaded to the James Rennie Bequest wiki page.
We will hold the personal data you provide to us for 7 years, in line with the University’s Finance Retention Schedule. The University remains responsible for the information and will ensure it is kept securely. Your personal information is not shared outwith the University. We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes.