How to apply for funding

Types of support

Support is usually given in the form of contracts, not grants. Contracts ensure that projects supported will focus on an agreed topic and that the results will be made available to the scientific and regulatory communities and the public on an agreed schedule. Our policies require most authors to submit their results for publication to peer-reviewed journals to ensure maximum programme transparency. Grants can be let under certain conditions, such as when the specific goals of a project cannot be predicted, and when the results are not time-sensitive.

Application procedure

The most successful submissions will be those that respond to a Request for Proposals announced on this website. The JIP considers but seldom funds unsolicited proposals. Only unsolicited proposals that offer new, novel, and breakthrough approaches to subjects that are on the Research Topics of Interest list will be considered. Research that addresses global issues in marine sound will be favoured over research that addresses local or regional issues. Submissions should be sent electronically to info@soundandmarinelife.org.

Format for proposals responding to RFP

All proposals are to be submitted as a single document in PDF format. Proposals should include five sections: text, budget, literature cited, biographies of co-investigators, and permits & policies. The details of each section are given below. Reports, publications or images needed to understand the text section must be submitted as a separate document. Documents intended to show general professional competence will not be used.

1. Text. This section must be limited to fewer than 20 text pages. It should include:
   1. Title page with the project’s title, name of all authors, and email address for the contact person
   2. Table of contents
   3. An introductory section, including:
   • Proposal abstract of 750 words or less
   • Statement of objectives or questions to be addressed (one paragraph)
   • Hypotheses to be tested (maximum one page)
   • Summary of Methods and Approach (one paragraph)
   • Statement of the scientific significance of the project (one paragraph)
   4. The body of the proposal (10 pages maximum) including:
   • The project concept or idea
   • Background to the problem
   • The technical approach, including any constraints
   • Work plan including time table and milestones (submit bar chart for complex studies)
   • Availability of unique facilities
   • Deliverables. List all papers, reports, talks, posters, databases, software, etc. that will be produced (see Policy on Review, Publication, and Intellectual Properties). Indicate the timetable to delivery relative to the end date of the contract.
2. Budget
   1. Budget information for the project including:
   • Salaries
   • Supplies and Material
   • Capital Equipment
   • Travel, including an annual JIP review meeting
   • Indirect Costs, overhead, or fringe benefits
   • Totals (annual and cumulative)
   • A statement of costs related to the time table of deliverables in the text
   • Proposed Schedule of Invoices
   • Other current or pending support
3. Biographies of all co-investigators (not more than one page each)
4. Permits and Policies
   1. List any permits that are required to conduct the proposed work
   2. Status of application for needed permits
   3. The findings of any Animal Care and Use Committee to which this proposal is subject. If the proposal is not subject to a local IACUC then present evidence that the work follows the guidelines of the Society for Marine Mammalogy.
   4. The Health, Safety and Environment Management policy of the submitting institution. See the Policy on Health, Safety, and Environmental Management page to determine whether an HSE plan is required for the proposed activity. If it does, carefully follow the instructions there, especially Appendix A.

Format for unsolicited proposals

Proposals that do not respond to any Request for Proposals must be limited to three pages of text or less and include:

1. Principal Investigator’s name, e-mail address, telephone number, home institution’s mailing address, and the names of all co-investigators
2. The project’s title
3. An introductory paragraph summarising the project
4. A paragraph stating the project’s objectives
5. Description of the methods to be used, highlighting new or novel approaches
6. A schedule for when work will be performed
7. The scientific significance of the work to be performed
8. An estimated budget for all years of the project (not to exceed three years)
9. A brief CV for all co-investigators (one paragraph each)
10. Supporting material may be appended if required to understand the proposal but not to show general professional competence
11. Any possible impediments to the research, such as cost, access to animals, or permitting
12. The Programme Manager will consult with appropriate members of the TMC and decide whether to request a full proposal which, if submitted, should follow the preceding format.

Special Note on budgets

The JIP does not announce budget targets or pre-establish the number of proposals that will be funded under a given RFP. The JIP assumes that applicants will propose a budget that is just adequate to the scope of the problem as they see it, with no excess. The JIP then selects quality projects whose scope matches the JIPs programme needs and that is affordable given all other programme expenditures. Past contracts have ranged from $2.2 M to $15 K. Projects with large budgets usually have a lower chance of success.

<< back