Terms and Conditions for Student Scholarships

Use of funds

1. Projects and procedures funded by Science for Animal Welfare grants may not be altered from those specified on the application form and in the grant authorisation from Science for Animal Welfare without prior written permission of Science for Animal Welfare, and no additional funds will be provided unless Science for Animal Welfare so decides in its absolute discretion.
2. Scholarships provide funds to meet the student or trainee’s project costs and subsistence costs. The scholarships will provide a stipend of £350 (GBP) subsistence allowance per week and £100 to cover project costs for up to 8 weeks (up to a total of £3600). The subsistence allowance (up to £2800) is payable directly to the student, whereas the project cost allowance (up to £800) is paid to the department of the Supervisor.
3. All grants are made on the condition that Science for Animal Welfare is in no way responsible for claims under any statute or at common law and it does not indemnify the host institution against any claim for compensation or against any other claims for which the host institution may be liable as an employer, owner-occupier or user of premises or as the provider of services or facilities or in relation to the work carried out under the grant.
4. Any equipment purchased from a Science for Animal Welfare grant should be used during the period of the grant only for the activities approved.

Legal and Ethical

5. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to be aware of all laws and codes under which the work is to be carried out and to abide by these and to obtain all necessary permissions and licences, including ethical approval (see below).

Use of Animals

6. If the proposed work involves the use of animals or humans, an ethical evaluation of the project is necessary, even if the procedures involved are deemed to be sub-threshold. In addition, it is the responsibility of the Supervisor to check with the appropriate national or regional authority regarding the need for licences or other specific authorisation required in the country concerned and to obtain these where necessary. It is also the responsibility of the Supervisor to obtain the necessary approvals from the institution’s ethics committee where there is one. If working with animals in a country that has no legislation to protect the welfare of animals during scientific experiments, the principles of either the UK’s Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (and any amendments) or the EU Directive (2010/63/EU) on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes should be followed as good practice.

7. Science for Animal Welfare requires rigorous implementation of the 3Rs. Where animals are used in research, they must be afforded high standards of welfare compatible with the aims of the research. At all times conditions for husbandry and experimentation should be of high standard conducive to good welfare and to minimising stress. Enclosures should meet the physiological and behavioural needs of the animals and appropriate enrichment should be provided. The health of the animals should be maintained and monitored, and any deterioration attended to immediately. All staff involved in animal research, both at a scientific and research support level, and those involved in the breeding, handling and care of animals, must be appropriately trained and possess relevant qualifications.

8. In order that Science for Animal Welfare can be satisfied fully that projects involving the use of animals take the fullest possible account of their welfare, applications should include details of the following (as appropriate) in the description of the methods

1. animals – species, strain, weight, sex, age, source, transport, health status, conservation status, fate at end of project;
2. housing/feeding/measures to improve welfare – age/enclosure type, size, floor, furnishings, bedding, cleaning, thermal environment, number of animals per age, diet, feeding regime;
3. experimental design – experimental design, details of how numbers in test and control groups have been determined (e.g. by power analysis prior to the experiment), statistical methods to be used in analysis of the results;
4. experimental procedures – experimental procedures, any risks to animal welfare (nature and duration), measures to improve the animals’ welfare, analgesia, methods of euthanasia.

Applicants may wish to consult the UK’s NC3Rs websites on experimental design for help with designing an appropriately powered study before submitting their application. The ILAR (Institute for Laboratory Animal Research) Journal also contains valuable information on experimental design and analysis. Data should be collected in a way that ensures that on publication the ARRIVE guidelines can be complied with where appropriate.

Applicants (especially those submitting applications for behavioural research) may find useful, and are recommended to familiarise themselves with, the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour’s Guidelines for the treatment of animals in behavioural research and teaching are updated in each January issue of the journal Animal Behaviour and are available on the Journal website https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.09.006.

Financial arrangements

9. Funds are usually paid by cheque, in GBP sterling to applicants residing in the United Kingdom (UK) and by bank transfer to applicants outside of the UK. Please note that any costs associated with receiving funds by bank transfer must be met by the recipients. Funds can only be transferred into an account bearing the applicant’s name or the name of the institution which will administer the award. Payment cannot be issued to third parties.

Limitation of liability

10. Science for Animal Welfare is in no way responsible, financially or otherwise, for the expenditure or liabilities arising out of the work other than those specifically listed and defined in the project proposal or approved in further correspondence.

Termination of grants

11. UFAW has the right to revoke or suspend any grant upon failure to observe any of the conditions listed above or specified by UFAW in the offer of a grant or on consideration of the progress of the work. In such a case, UFAW may require repayment or, depending on the circumstances, may reimburse the host institution for expenses incurred to the date of termination but will not be responsible for, nor will indemnify the host institution against, any claims (see conditions above) arising as a result of the termination.

Reporting Requirements

Full report

12. Student Scholars are required to submit a written report of their projects and will be asked to complete the following reporting template once they have finished their research.

We also ask that Scholars send us a copy of their dissertation (if the research was part of their BSc or MSc course) and any published papers that arise from their research. Please email an electronic copy to scholarships@scienceforanimalwelfare.org.

Photos

13. Scholars are also requested to provide photographs illustrating their project, or the animals involved in it, for inclusion in Science for Animal Welfare publications. Digital photos should be provided in either TIFF or JPG format and in the highest resolution practicable (300 DPI is ideal). Please email photos as separate attachments (not embedded within the email) to: scholarships@scienceforanimalwelfare.org.

Supervisor’s assessment

14. Project supervisors are asked to provide a brief assessment of the success of the Scholar’s project. Please email an electronic copy to: scholarships@scienceforanimalwelfare.org.

Scholar Meeting

15. UFAW holds an annual meeting for Student Scholars at which Scholars (including those awarded Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) Scholarships), will be invited to present their work. Meetings are held online, usually in December, and the audience is likely to comprise other Scholars, their supervisors, and other persons interested in animal welfare, including Science for Animal Welfare and Humane Slaughter Association staff.

It is our expectation that all invited Scholars will present at this meeting and each Scholar must submit a scientific abstract of their work, to be included in the meeting abstract booklet, at least one week before the Scholar meeting. Please email an electronic copy to: scholarships@scienceforanimalwelfare.org.

Deadline

16. The final report, photos, and supervisor assessment of the project (see above) must be submitted to Science for Animal Welfare by 1st November in the year the project is undertaken, unless otherwise agreed in advance with Science for Animal Welfare.

The abstract for the Scholar Meeting must be submitted to UFAW at least one week before the Scholar Meeting (usually December).

Please note that failure to comply with these conditions and to submit reports on schedule may result in the disqualification of the applicant or of their organisation from obtaining grants from UFAW in future.

Copyright and publications

17. In general, the data collected during a project for which Science for Animal Welfare is providing support, and any publications arising from said project, belong to the grant holder. Science for Animal Welfare may, in exceptional cases require the copyright of these data or publications, but in these cases, this will be made a condition of the award.

Science for Animal Welfare reserves the right to publish the scholars report, and any accompanying illustrations, in its publications, either as submitted or after editing at Science for Animal Welfare’s discretion, and without prior discussion with the Scholar or their supervisor.

Where the Scholar, or their supervisor, publish the work, or aspects of it, Science for Animal Welfare’s financial support must be acknowledged. This includes (but is not limited to) all publications, presentations and press releases. A draft copy of any proposed article should be submitted to Science for Animal Welfare prior to submission for publication and copies of publications arising from the work should be forwarded to Science for Animal Welfare on their publication. Reprints of articles arising from work supported or partially supported by UFAW should also be sent to Science for Animal Welfare in due course.

For oral and poster presentations Science for Animal Welfare should be acknowledged and a copy of the Science for Animal Welfare logo displayed. Please also notify Science for Animal Welfare when the work is presented at conferences and meetings etc.

Where the Scholar, their supervisor or their institution are planning a press-release based on the project, please liaise with Science for Animal Welfare prior to issuing the release: media@scienceforanimalwelfare.org.

General

18. As Science for Animal Welfare is a Charity registered in England, this agreement will be governed by English law and subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Retention of Data

19. Information provided in this application and any supporting documents will be kept by the charity for an indefinite period for the purposes of recording charitable activity and to allow review of funding decisions. Copies of unsuccessful grants will be kept for seven years (Limitation Act 1980). For the processing and retention of personal data, Science for Animal Welfare adhere to the Data Protection Act (2018). Read our full privacy statement.