Grants

INQUA financial support is provided to stimulate the development of research networks, and is divided into three categories:

  1. INQUA Funding for multi-year or single-year projects
  2. INQUA Funding to support a stand-alone conference or meeting
  3. INQUA Funding for skills enhancement

Categories


Multi-year / Single-year Project INQUA Grant

A multi-year project is a non-permanent collaboration designed to address scientific topics of wide international significance and to answer specific scientific questions. Yearly support for multi-year projects is 5000 Euro. In exceptional cases, where a convincing case is made, funding may be extended to a maximum of 8000 Euro per year.

The funding application should lay out a plan for up to four years (in the first instance) and involve ECRs and DCRs in the planning and formulation of the project. Multi-year Projects will normally be approved in principle for the whole of the current inter-congress period. However, funds will be allocated on a yearly basis, subject to evaluation of Project activities. Progress will be reported each year and continuing funding will be contingent on the success of the project, to be ratified by the executive council based on the report received.

A multi-year project duration is normally the 4 years of the inter-congress period, but may, if started later in the cycle, also cross the inter-congress period boundary and will be able to continue in the following inter-congress period. This will however require approval of the new Executive Committee at the time of handover between Commission officers.  The maximum number of years of funding available for a multi-year project is 8 years.

A single-year project can be on a smaller scale than a multi-year project, both in terms of scientific questions being asked or level of international participation. It is designed to allow international networking between researchers on any relevant Quaternary research topic. Yearly support for single-year projects is also 5000 Euro. In exceptional cases, where a convincing case is made, again funding may be extended to a maximum of 8000 Euro per year. Single-year projects may apply for repeat funding to enable them to become multi-year projects if their activities continue and grow over time.

Applications for multi or single-year project funding (application form available here) must demonstrate that the project:

1)    will address a significant Quaternary research question;

2)    make significant progress towards answering this question through collaboration and within a reasonable timeframe (within a year for the single-year project category);

3)    has an explicit plan for activities throughout the proposed duration of the project, and have a high-level of buy-in from the international INQUA community, as shown by e.g. active participation;

4)    has a framework that is responsive to community needs and open to community participation, including involving early-career and developing-country researchers in significant roles;

5) has identified concrete outcomes or products explicitly.


Conference / Meeting Grant

Funding is available for stand-alone INQUA conferences or INQUA meetings outside of the umbrella of the single- or multi-year INQUA Project funding. INQUA supports in particular the participation of Early Career Researchers (ECRs - definition here) and Developing Country Researchers (DCRs - definition here) at international meetings that cover Quaternary research topics. The maximum level of support for a stand-alone conference or meeting is 5000 Euro. In exceptional cases, where a convincing case is made, funding may be extended to a maximum of 8000 Euro to support a single meeting.

Applications for INQUA Funding to support a stand-alone conference or meeting must demonstrate:

1)      All funds are to support attendance of ECRs or DCRs at meetings that cover Quaternary research topics.

2)      Supported ECRs or DCRs must be lead authors of Quaternary presentations at the meetings for which they have received INQUA support.

3)      Supported presentations must acknowledge INQUA support.



Skills Enhancement Activity Grant

The goal of this funding category is to widen the skill base within the INQUA community, specifically through assisting scientists who lack well-developed infrastructures or networks (including but not limited to early career and developing country scientists), through encouraging networking, exchanges of information and techniques, training, and bringing people together e.g. to develop new single- or multi-year projects.

Skills Enhancement funding can be used for the development and running of INQUA training courses or summer schools, INQUA workshops focusing on networking within a specific region or for a specific technique/interest area, and/or the production of teaching and training resources to assist new practitioners in specific techniques.

Applications for Skills Enhancement funding must demonstrate:

1)    the need for skills enhancement in a particular region/field;

2)    how the proposed activities will foster skills enhancement;

3)    who will benefit directly from the funding;

4)    how the skills enhancement activity will benefit the INQUA community in the longer term.

Applications to this type of grant are independent and distinct from the other categories of funding. A proposal under the Skills Enhancement scheme would typically be for funding of between 4000 and 8000 Euros.


Financial Considerations

Funding through any of the categories of INQUA grants may be used for:

  1. Participation (travel, accommodation, and subsistence) of researchers in INQUA meetings organized through the Project or Conference. At least 75% of the participation amount of the grant should support the participation of ECRs and/or DCRs in project events (definitions of ECR and DCR found here).
  2. Rental of rooms for conferences/meetings.
  3. Rental of vehicles for meeting-related field trips.
  4. Costs associated with video-conferencing (Zoom, etc)
  5. The development of webcasts and podcasts

 

Funding through the Skills Enhancement grant may additionally be used for:

  1. Development of teaching/training resources relating to the skill enhancement activity being planned

 

Funding requests that INQUA will NOT support:

  1. Salaries or stipends of any type.
  2. Travel and registration costs for meetings such as EGU, AGU, etc. However, INQUA can support project meetings held in association with larger meetings e.g. either before or after but not during the third party meeting.
  3. Server costs for websites, databases etc.
  4. Journal or book publication costs.
  5. Purchase of equipment or analyses.
  6. Institutional overheads.


Additional considerations of funding

INQUA grants may be held in institutional or non-institutional accounts. Because INQUA requires that its limited funding is used to assist Developing Country and Early Career Researchers to participate in international projects it does not allow overheads to be taken off its grants. In the case of institutional accounts, INQUA anticipates that the institution will be happy to join INQUA in promoting science by waiving any overheads normally charged. In case of non-institutional accounts, it is the Project Leader’s responsibility to make sure that his/her institution allows this, and that all formalities and legalities are observed. Grants are normally transferred to the Project Leader. However, at the Project Leader's request they can be transferred to a co-leader or local organizer.

The Project Leader(s) of an awarded grant, are obliged to complete a reporting form and submit all invoices / receipts of funds spent.


Application Procedures

The online grant portal is available here

https://inqua.org/portal

Please do not hesitate to contact INQUA ([email protected]) or one of the Commission Presidents if you any questions or if you would like to have support or feedback.


Deadlines

30 September 2023 is the submission deadline for finalized INQUA 2023 Funding proposals submitted to the INQUA Secretary-General ([email protected]). Final decisions regarding the allocation of funding are made by the INQUA Executive Committee. The Commission Presidents have an advisory role in this process.  Applicants will be notified whether their application has been successful, and any conditions attached to the funding by the INQUA Secretary-General by 1 December 2023.

Funding is provided on an annual basis. If you are applying for continuation of your activity (e.g. a multi-year project), you must complete and submit the application form again each year to guarantee continued funding from INQUA.

31st January: Deadline for project reports for ongoing projects (for reporting on activities from the previous year).


Carry-over of funds

It should be noted if funds allocated in a given year have not been spent before the end of this year, a carry-over can be requested (see INQUA reporting form). Carry-overs are not automatic and will be examined on a case-by-case basis. The carry-over of funds requires that a new application be provided for the year in which the funds are to be used.

© INQUA 2023