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Bourses "Burning Questions Initiative"
Burning Questions Initiative scholarships for university researchers

The Tiny Beam Fund has launched applications for the Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) grants.

Important dates : 

Deadline: 08-Jun-2023

Name of donor : Tiny Beam Fund

Amount of the grant : 10,000 $ to 100,000 $

Category: Exchange

Reference URL : https://tinybeamfund.org/Fellowship-

The scholarships are offered by the Tiny Beam Fund, a small US-based charitable foundation.

  • The Tiny Beam Fund's flagship Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) was launched in response to a specific need - the need for a much deeper understanding of the complex problems associated with large-scale industrial livestock production, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It is also a response to the need to translate that understanding into practical steps to solve the problems.
  • This need is particularly urgent for civil society groups working with various stakeholders to improve the situation and advocate for change. Tiny Beam Fund asks relevant staff of the groups as well as their funders to share their 'burning issues'. Funding is then offered to academic researchers to shed light on the issues and provide practical advice.
  • Why academic researchers? Their training and skills are well-suited to investigating difficult issues. Academics are also increasingly interested in studying the impacts of factory farming in developing countries for their own academic purposes.

Price categories

  • Two award categories:
    • Category 1: (for an individual PhD holder or a team of up to four people with a PhD holder as leader/PI)
    • Category 2: (for an individual PhD student near the end of his/her PhD or a team of up to four people with a PhD student as leader/PI).
  • Phase 1 (5 months): Research
    • The research should address and deepen the understanding of the issues raised in the 'burning questions', have practical applications and include guidance for those wishing to take action. It is possible for beneficiaries to do further research that provides material for their own academic work.
    • Main deliverable: A Guidance Memo. This is an 8,000-10,000 word report written in plain language.
    • Examples: One, Two, Three.
  • Stage 2 (4 months): Dissemination
    • Communicate the policy brief and research findings to a non-academic audience. It is particularly important to reach out to those individuals, organisations and stakeholders most affected by the issues addressed and/or interested in using the results in their efforts to address large-scale/industrial animal agriculture in PRITI.
    • Deliverable: At least three separate dissemination activities. For example: a webinar for NGOs and follow-ups to help participants learn more. A conference open to the public facilitated by a university's environment centre. A stakeholder meeting to discuss collaborative work on the research results.

Categories of burning issues

  • Production & Supply (PROD)
  • Consumption and demand (CON)
  • Government and Policy (GOV)
  • Agri-food & Value Chains (AGB)
  • Economic and financial aspects (ECON)
  • Social movements & ngos (SOC)
  • Environmental issues (ENV)
  • Animal welfare issues (AW)
Information on financing
  • Two categories of awards are available:
    • Category 1: USD 60,000 - for a single individual PhD holder or a team of up to four people with a PhD holder as leader/PI.
    • Category 2: USD 45,000 - for an individual PhD student nearing completion of his/her PhD or a team of up to four people with a PhD student as leader/PI.
  • The allocation period is nine months. Recipients must select a start date of 15 August to 15 November 2023.
Eligibility criteria
  • Research grants are awarded to individuals. They may be affiliated with academic institutions or independent researchers. Early career and senior academics are also welcome.
  • Applicants must hold or be about to complete a PhD (or equivalent degree).
  • There are generally no restrictions on the residence or nationality of applicants. But they cannot provide funds to those prohibited by US government sanctions and other rules.
  • The allocation period is nine months. Recipients must select a start date between 15 August and 15 November 2023.
  • There are two price categories.
    • Category 1: USD 60,000 (for an individual PhD holder or a team of up to four people with a PhD holder as leader/PI). Note: For teams, the full amount of the award funds is provided only to the leader/PI. There are no eligibility requirements for the rest of the team.
    • Category 2: USD 45,000 (for an individual PhD student nearing completion of a PhD or a team of up to four people with a PhD student as leader/PI). Note: For teams, the full amount of the award funds is provided only to the leader/PI. There are no eligibility requirements for the rest of the team.
  • According to the U.S. government, a scholarship is defined as an amount of money that is paid or authorized to an individual to assist in the pursuit of personal research or study, and other conditions may be imposed on the scholarship recipients by the scholarship provider. Recipients of the Tiny Beam Fund
  • Burning Questions Initiative (BQI) grants are allowed to use the grant funds for:
    • travel costs
    • accessing information (e.g. databases); purchasing supplies and equipment
    • obtain research assistance
    • modest living and essential personal expenses (e.g. housing, food, taxes, health care, childcare)
    • ensure the buy-out of teaching and release time to focus on fellowship work

Required work and main deliverables :

  • The research should address and deepen the understanding of the issues raised in the 'burning questions', have practical applications and include advice for those wishing to take action. It is possible for beneficiaries to do further research that provides material for their own academic work. The main deliverable is a Guidance Memo. This is an 8,000-10,000 word report written in plain language.
  • Fellows are required to communicate the policy briefs and research results to a non-academic audience. It is particularly important to reach those individuals, organisations and stakeholders most affected by the issues addressed and/or interested in using the results to address factory farming in PRITIs.

For more information, please visit Tiny Beam Fund .

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