Grants & Scholarships

BrAVO offers a Research Travel Grant – the guidelines for this award are found below, and have been revised in Spring 2018.

BrAVO members are also eligible for the ISVO Acrivet scholarship, and further details can be found at http://isvo.info/scholarship/. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 the scholarship program is currently on hold until further notice.

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BrAVO Research / Travel Grant

Application Forms

[ BrAVO Research Grant Application Form ] [ BrAVO Travel Grant Application Form ]

Purpose

To give financial assistance to BrAVO members wishing to undertake a research project OR to attend an international CPD meeting at which they will give an oral presentation on an ophthalmology-based topic.Research projects can be
based in veterinary academic or research institutions within the UK or overseas, or conducted in a private practice setting. They must obey RCVS ethical guidelines. Ethical committee approval may be requested. If an external ethical committee is required then the RCVS or the AHT will consider external projects.The award may cover the costs of travel, accommodation and related expenses. In the case of research scholarships, costs may cover
reasonable outlay for disposables and sundry expenses. Any non-disposable equipment purchased will remain the property of BrAVO and must be returned to BrAVO within 1 month of completion of the project.

Value and Tenure

The value of the BrAVO Scholarship is up to £4,000 however usually smaller grants are awarded. It will normally have tenure for twelve months, with a nominal start date to be agreed between the BrAVO committee and the recipient. Applications for grants over £1000 will only be considered for complete research projects with the aim of publication, and not for travel. Up to four scholarships per year may be awarded. Only one application per person per annum will be considered.

Eligibility

BrAVO scholarships are open to all BrAVO members.

Administration

The BrAVO Scholarship scheme is administered by the BrAVO committee.

Application procedure

Applications should be submitted by 31st January of the year in which the applicant wishes to receive the award. Applicants should submit a written proposal to the Scholarship sub-committee  (via email to rgrundon@hotmail.co.uk) detailing:

1. The amount requested
2. The purpose of the application (research project or oral presentation at an
   international meeting)
3. The planned location of the research project or presentation
4. The proposed research project (300 word summary) or oral presentation (100 to 300 word abstract)
5. A detailed breakdown of budget for the application to indicate how funds will be spent

Three BrAVO committee members (comprising the BrAVO research/ travel scholarship subcommittee) will assess the applications, and will notify the applicants of their decision by 1st April. Subcommittee members must declare any conflict of interest with any applications, and in such an instance shall withdraw from the decision-making
for that year. In the event of the committee unable to agree on the successful application, the BrAVO chairperson will make the final decision.

Requirements of scholarship-holders

1. Scholarship-holders must provide to the BrAVO sub-committee details of the Scholarship start date and expected date of completion. Any variation over one month from these dates must be notified to the sub-committee.
2. The
   Scholarship to be funded by BrAVO must be as described in the original application. Any significant variation must be reported to the sub-committee when the project begins, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Finances

1. Payment of the BrAVO Scholarship will be made in 2 parts; 50% at the award of the grants and 50% at the termination of the project when a written report is submitted to, and accepted by the committee.  Payment will not be made without proof of purchase (presentation of original receipts).
2. Payment will be made to the scholarship-holder, or to another payee nominated by the scholarship-holder on the Confirmation form. In this case, the full name and address of the nominated payee must be provided.

Project Report

A report (minimum 1,000 words) must be submitted to the BrAVO sub-committee within 3 months after the expected end date. This report will be published in the BrAVO Meeting Proceedings. A visual presentation will also be required at the next BrAVO meeting after the scholarship has been completed.

1. The Scholarship-holder must advise the sub-committee, with supporting explanation, if a delay should occur in the submission of the report and agree a revised reporting date with the committee.
2. Failure to submit a report within three months of the expected end date will mean that the scholarship-holder will be required to reimburse the full value of the award to BrAVO. In such cases, future applications for funding will not be considered.

Withdrawal of BrAVO Scholarships

BrAVO reserves the right at any time and without notice to withdraw a scholarship, either in full or in part, if the scholarship-holder fails materially to comply with these Regulations.

Modification or Variation of Regulations

1. BrAVO reserves the right to modify, add to, or vary these regulations, as it sees fit and undertakes to give prior notice to the scholarship-holder of any change.
2. BrAVO will seek to ensure that the scholarship-holder is not disadvantaged by such changes.

Acceptance

The signature of the applicant on the application signifies acceptance of these Regulations.

updated 19/11/19