When submitting your application, please have the following documents ready to upload:

1. Resume/CV. We require a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) for the applicant and any other person(s) involved in project design, data collection, or analysis.
2. Letter(s) of support. The letter(s) should indicate institutional support for the project (i.e., your department chair or direct supervisor) and support for implementing changes at the institution based on results (if applicable).
3. Quotes/invoices for costs in budget request (where applicable).
4. A file containing figures (if applicable). Please make sure that each figure has an appropriate description.
   
   

Please note: If your proposal requires IACUC or ACC approval (in the United States or Canada, respectively), you will need to provide the title and protocol number soon after notification of selection of your proposal. Only selected proposals will need to submit proof of IACUC or ACC approval.

If you have any questions about this award program or the application, please email researchaward@awionline.org.

Thank you for providing your contact information to AWI.

For all remaining questions, please do your best to omit any identifying information (e.g., institution, program, or researcher name). You may refer to an institution/program/researcher in general terms.

Your proposal will be scored by third-party, independent reviewers. To ensure an unbiased review, all identifying information will be removed from your application before sending it for review. By omitting identifying information throughout the rest of the application, you help us protect your anonymity during the review process.

(Identifying information can remain in uploaded CVs/resumes, letters of support, and invoices/quotes. The CVs/resumes are used for AWI's purposes and are not sent to reviewers. Identifying information will be removed from letters of support and invoices/quotes by AWI before sending on to the reviewers.)

Your abstract should concisely state the goal of your proposal, how you intend to achieve that goal, and how that goal will improve the lives of animals used in research.

Describe your research proposal in detail, including personnel involved, all methods of data collection and analysis, and animal involvement. Please make sure to include the following information:

• State the problem: Start by describing the problem or knowledge gap that your research proposal is seeking to address.
• Specific aims: Clearly describe each of your research objectives.
• Animals: Please describe the number of animals and their species; please use common species names wherever possible.
• Methods: Clearly and concisely state the methods you will use to accomplish each objective. Describe the independent and dependent variables, how confounds will be addressed (if applicable), if randomization or blinding will be performed, and any other relevant methodological elements. Remember, your proposal may be reviewed by people unfamiliar with your research, so it is important to write clearly.
• Analysis: Please describe your outcome measures and how you will determine success of the refinement. If you have a data analysis plan in place, please describe it here. 
• Rehoming: AWI encourages rehoming animals. If efforts will be made to rehome at the end of the study, please describe that process here.

If your proposal requires figures, please attach them at the end of this application.

For the purposes of this proposal, the term “invasive research” is used to describe anything done to the animal beyond observing or holding them. Your proposal will not be disqualified if it involves an invasive procedure or risk of harm; however, it will receive additional scrutiny. If you have questions about the invasiveness of your procedures with respect to this proposal, please contact researchaward@awionline.org.

 

For the purposes of this proposal:

• an applied/direct project is one which addresses a specific, known welfare concern and proposes to test or develop a potential solution. (Example: studying whether handling zebrafish using water-filled beakers results in lower stress than handling zebrafish using nets.) 

• a basic/theoretical project is one that aims to increase scientific understanding of a phenomenon (including potential welfare-related implications), but that is not inherently solutions-oriented in nature. (Example: studying whether rabbits show sleep pattern differences in the lab versus in the wild).

Both types of projects are eligible for funding through the Refinement Research Award; however, applied/direct projects will be prioritized over basic/theoretical projects.

 

We kindly ask that you request the minimum amount required to successfully conduct your work, so that AWI can fund as many projects as possible.

AWI offers awards of up to US$15,000.

Salaries or stipends are eligible for funding.

As a policy, AWI will not fund the following:

• Projects that inflict avoidable stress
• Projects that require killing animals as part of the methodology or outcome measures
• The purchase of animals
• Indirect/overhead costs
• Costs to disseminate results (e.g., conference expenses, publication fees)

AWI also reserves the right not to fund expenses it deems unneccessary or superfluous.

If funds other than those requested here are being used, please describe their source and the additional amount.