Deadline: 8-Jun-23
The Tiny Beam Fund is pleased to announce the Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) Research Planning Grants Program.
Tiny Beam Fund’s flagship Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) was launched as a response to a specific need – the need for a much deeper understanding of the complex problems associated with large-scale, industrial animal agriculture, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and the need to translate the understanding into practical steps to address the problems.
This program supports the planning of research work and the advancement of recently launched projects related to a set of “Burning Questions” they have collected from leaders of NGOs trying to understand and find solutions to industrial food animal production’s negative impacts, particularly concerning developing countries. For example:
- Hire graduate students to assist with preliminary literature surveys
- For teaching buyouts to focus on planning
- Undertake pilot studies (e.g. studies that help produce a ‘proof of concept’) that will lead to full studies
- Pay a coordinator to assemble a multi-disciplinary team for a large research project (e.g. identify and contact possible members for the team)
Burning Questions Categories
- Production & supply (PROD)
- Consumption & demand (CON)
- Governments & policies (GOV)
- Agribusiness & value chains (AGB)
- Economic and financial aspects (ECON)
- Social movements & ngos (SOC)
- Environmental issues (ENV)
- Animal welfare issues (AW)
Purpose of Research Planning Grants
- The purpose of the grants is to support academics who would like to develop projects or who have recently launched projects that are highly relevant to the “burning questions”. The aim is to strengthen and speed up the projects, and to encourage researchers to explore new ideas.
- Recipients can use the grants to test concepts and approaches, figure out plans, lay strong foundations.
- Grants should not be used for projects that are already well on their way to completion.
- Applicants must be prepared to take steps to move their plans forward after the end of the award period if the exploratory work funded by the grants shows promise. (If the work supported by a grant reveals that it does not make sense to keep developing the original plan/project, then it is fine to abandon it.)
Funding Information
- Each applicant can request a grant amount from US$5,000 (minimum) to $15,000 (maximum).
- Award period is six months. Grantees should choose a start date August 15 – November 15, 2023.
- Grants are paid in full at the beginning of award periods.
Why offer the grants?
- While there are certainly academic researchers focused on issues highly relevant to the “burning questions”, they are few in number. They believe that if funds are made available for exploratory work on the issues, there are probably more researchers who will find the issues of interest.
- Furthermore, academic researchers often face the challenge of insufficient time to plan, to seek collaborators, to come up with a proof of concept required by major grantors. Many excellent ideas are not developed and leads not followed up simply because researchers do not have the time to focus on them or do not have the time and funds to carry out some preliminary work.
Eligibility Criteria
- (The “burning questions” are asked by leaders of NGOs and funders who are trying to understand and find solutions to large-scale/industrial food animal production’s negative impacts, particularly concerning low- and middle-income countries.)
- Applicants (or the PI/lead member of a team) must be employed by universities /academic research institutions that can receive the grants. Grants are sent directly to successful applicants’ institutions.
- The institution that receives a grant need not be located in the U.S., but it should be equivalent to a US- based not-for-profit tax-exempt organization. And it must be able to accept grants in U.S. dollars. (Tiny Beam Fund reserves the right to withdraw a grant offer if, upon further inquiry, the institution cannot be determined as an organization that Tiny Beam Fund can provide grants to as per U.S. Internal Revenue Service rules and regulations.)
- An applicant (or the PI/lead member of a team) must hold the PhD degree (or equivalent).
- A team should consist of 2 – 4 members. Apart from the principal applicant whose institution receives the grant, the other team members need not be PhD holders/students or have university connections.
For more information, visit Burning Questions Research Planning Grants Program.
