These guidance notes are intended to assist applicants in preparing and submitting proposals for academic grants provided by the AIA Educational & Benevolent Trust ("the Trust"). They set out the purpose of the grants, eligibility requirements, application process, and assessment criteria, and should be read carefully before making an application.
The guidance is designed to promote clarity, consistency and fairness, and to help applicants understand how their proposals will be evaluated and what is expected at each stage of the process.
Please read the scheme notes carefully as incorrectly submitted applications will not be considered.
The maximum grant is £2,500. Applications will not be considered for less than £500.
Applications for collaborative or individual research projects are equally welcome. Applications from international groups of scholars are welcome, provided there is a UK-based scholar (and AIA Academic Fellow Member) as lead applicant for the duration of the award period.
Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development, to support the direct costs of research, and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or visits by or to partner scholars. Applicants may seek support for any combination of eligible activity and cost up to the overall limit of £2,500. The Trust will assess applications equally on their merits.
Grants are not intended to support interchange between UK and overseas scholars where there is no planned programme of activity to meet a clearly specified research objective (dissemination of results of research conducted under the aegis of the project for which funding is sought is a permitted purpose, but applications will only be considered if this dissemination occurs through workshops bringing together a closed group of participants to advance a specifically identified research idea, rather than open call conferences), nor are grants intended solely to support attendance at open conferences organised by a third party or international organisation.
All applications should demonstrate that funds are sought for a clearly defined, discrete piece of research, which will have an identifiable outcome on completion of the component of the project funded by the Trust.
The Trust welcomes proposals for high-quality research in relevant areas to accounting and finance including:
While all proposals should be situated in an appropriate field of study, they may vary considerably in their approach to conceptualisation, methodology and/or outputs. In all proposals a clear scholarly rationale is required for the choice of research methods, processes and outputs.
Applicants should not apply for expenditure that will take place over more than 24 months.
If an application includes an element for dissemination of results of research at conferences, the timing of such a conference must be within the 24-month limit and the end date of the award calculated accordingly to include this element.
There is no bar to reapplying for further funding, providing the conditions of award relating to the preceding grant have been satisfactorily fulfilled.
There is no guarantee that a re-application will be successful, so applicants with longer-term projects in mind should ensure that their research is so designed that a single phase will have an appropriate and worthwhile outcome, even if further phases do not receive funding.
Deadlines for applications and timelines for individual grant schemes are provided alongside announcements of availability of grants and may differ for specific schemes.
Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
Whilst co-applicants must fulfil all the other eligibility criteria, they are able to be based anywhere in the world.
UK research organisations based overseas may apply to be recognised by demonstrating that they satisfy both the following conditions:
Awards will not be made retrospectively. The work for which support is requested must not have commenced before the award is announced.
Funds may be sought to cover the direct expenses incurred in planning, conducting, and developing the research, including:
The cost of reproduction rights for text or images may be considered provided there is a contract for publication in place.
The following items are not currently eligible for funding (applicants registering with special needs may consult the Trust about possible exceptions):
The Trust will accept one resubmission of a previously unsuccessful application.
If the original application did not meet the quality threshold, a fresh proposal must be prepared. Applicants should clearly demonstrate if and how the proposal has been modified.
The Trust will assess applications for funding against specific criteria: the quality and interest of the research proposal; the ability of the applicant (and any co-applicants) to undertake a successful project based on their past track record; the feasibility of the methodology; the feasibility of the timescale, and the appropriateness of costs requested.
The primary assessment of quality will be based on the specific research objective of the proposal, and whether the methodology and research programme outlined are likely to lead to successful achievement of the objective. The details of how the objective will be achieved - whether through research visits, use of research assistance, workshops, or any combination of eligible activities/costs - will be assessed only in relation to each individual application.
No preference will be shown between individual or collaborative modes of research.
There are no quotas for different types of application, and no comparisons will be made across applications on the grounds of their operational and financial specifications.
For projects involving partners from other countries, the Trust may take into account the availability of partner funding. In cases where partner funding is likely to be scarce, the Trust may give priority to those projects which are likely to contribute to capacity building and lead to benefits for the wider scholarly community. In addition, the Trust may consider evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.
The Trust has a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. The Code of Practice also covers Data Protection, ethics and an appeals procedure.
The Code of Practice may be viewed here.
Should you have any queries, please contact trust.fund@aiaworldwide.com.
