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BC CLEAR Fund
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Eligibility for BC CLEAR funding
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All applied research projects that have direct relevance to air quality management within British Columbia are eligible for support from the BC CLEAR Fund. First Nations are encouraged to apply as BC CLEAR is offering specific research grants to support applied air quality research by First Nations applicants.
Applied research is defined as “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge to help understand and solve air quality management issues.” In general, this would include furthering understanding on the nature of air quality, the physical processes involved (atmospheric, emissions, transformations), the effects on the environment and humans, and air quality management systems.
Research projects are invited relating to (but not be limited to) the following focus areas:
- air quality science processes such as meteorological and atmospheric chemistry
- weather, air quality and ecosystem/health effects models that would lead to more reliable tools used for air quality management decision-making
- identification, quantification and characterizing the space and time variability of emission sources
- monitoring methods that provide cost-effective and accurate measures of emissions, meteorology, ecosystem and human health effects
- emissions control approaches that include clean fuels, improved processes, newer technology and market-driven programs
- links between air quality and ecosystem and human health impacts
- public communication/behaviour-change approaches to address air quality
- economic valuation of air quality benefits/impacts
- air quality/climate change co-benefits
- air quality management systems.
Researchers from academic institutions, government organizations, First Nations, industry, consulting and non-government organizations are eligible to apply to the BC CLEAR Fund.
The BC CLEAR Fund will not support:
- the maintenance of existing air quality management programs,
- the purchase of equipment only (unless it is clearly related to the research purpose)
- applied research projects already underway, unless there is a clear and defined incremental benefit that can be achieved with BC CLEAR support
- associated research expenses (patent acquisition, property taxes, legal fees, travel, promotion)
- projects related exclusively to climate change, unless there is a clear application to air quality
- multi-year funding requests.
Selection Criteria
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Applicants should highlight how their project will fulfill the BC CLEAR selection criteria. Applications will be reviewed and projects will be selected based on the following criteria:
- The project is transformative, is locally, nationally or internationally significant, and is of strategic importance to the management of air quality in BC
- The project helps further understanding of the nature of air quality or the physical processes involved (atmospheric, emissions, transformations) or their effects on the environment and humans or how air quality can be effectively managed
- The project falls within one of the 10 BC-CLEAR focus areas
- The project has a clear and identifiable incremental benefit that can be achieved
- The project has support by other agencies or partners
- Funds requested from BC-CLEAR do not exceed $25,000 and are for a maximum of one year.
Management
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The BC Clean Air Research Fund is sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment and is jointly managed with two other parties — Metro Vancouver and Environment Canada (EC). A representative from each of these parties makes up the BC CLEAR Steering Committee. The role of the Steering Committee is to:
- review and make decisions on proposals
- request technical advice from experts when additional expertise is required to assess a proposal
- arrange coordination on proposed projects that overlap with existing work underway in BC or proposed work
- if possible, provide funding or in-kind contributions from their respective agencies in addition to the amount requested from the Fund.
The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) provides administrative support to the Steering Committee by acting as the Fund Secretariat. FBC promotes grant opportunities, receives proposals, communicates with applicants and prepares annual reports for the Fund.
Application Process (Application deadline: October 21, 2011 )
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Apply online through the BC CLEAR Project Overview Application form. The upcoming deadline for applications is October 21, 2011.
Step One: Application
Initial Project Overview Application form is submitted to Steering Committee for Review.
Step Two: First Review
Steering Committee reviews Project Overview application. If approved, the applicant moves to Step 3.
Step Three: Detailed Application
Applicant submits a Detailed Application for Steering Committee review.
Step Four: Second Review & Decision
Steering Committee approves or rejects the Detailed Application.
Applicant is notified.
BC CLEAR — Project Overview Application
Application is through the online Project Overview Application form. The next deadline is October 21, 2011.
The Steering Committee will review the project overview applications and notify all applicants on whether or not they have been selected to submit a Detailed Project Proposal for funding.
BC CLEAR — Detailed Project Proposal Guidelines
If the BC CLEAR Fund Steering Committee approves the Project Overview, an applicant will be asked to submit a Detailed Project Proposal for a final decision by the Steering Committee. The following provides applicants with a synopsis of the information that will be requested in a proposal.
Summary — The proposal summary should outline the key elements of the research project proposal in two or three paragraphs.
Project Team and its Leader — An academic or a student submitting a research proposal should identify the research supervisor and the researcher. Non-academic researchers should also identify the lead project researcher. Brief biographies should be provided for lead researchers and other project team members.
Project Partners — If the project involves any initiative of a government agency and any potential or confirmed partners, they should be clearly indicated, and their role and contribution (in-service, financial or both) should be described.
Problem/Issue Statement — An applicant should provide a concise statement of the specific research problem to be solved or an issue to be addressed and its relevance to British Columbia.
Project Objectives — The project objectives should clearly describe the project goals and their relevance to specific air quality management issues in British Columbia. Applicants should identify the anticipated results and benefits to be accrued upon completion of the project.
Project Design, Methodology and Schedule — This section should outline the specific tasks that will be accomplished with the requested funds, how the project progress will be evaluated and the overall objectives that will be achieved. A proper breakdown of tasks and allocation of personnel and their time for each task should be provided. The proposal should include the timelines for the tasks and lay those out as a schedule for the whole project. The proposal should also outline any potential problems that may arise during the course of the project and the suggested methods of resolution.
Estimated Total Costs of the Project — The proposal should outline the budget for the project. The budget should be itemized such as labour fees for personnel, and expenses for travel, communication, supplies and other chargeable items. Charge rate for each team member and the total labour fees for personnel involved in each task should be provided. The nature of any in-kind contributions by the team members and the estimated monetary values of these contributions should also be indicated as an item in the total costs of the project.
Funding Requested — The proposal should list contributions that are committed or under serious consideration by any agencies or other partners towards the total cost of the project, and the amount of the BC CLEAR Fund requested. It should also describe any additional benefit that could be achieved with the funding from the BC CLEAR Fund.
Project Deliverables, Payments and Reporting — A list of interim deliverables, such as progress reports at specified milestone dates and final deliverables at the end of the project, should be itemized in the proposal.
Appendices — Appendices to the proposal should contain the curricula vitae of project personnel, letters of support or endorsement for the project, confirmation or commitment of funding for the project from other agencies or partners, and any other items in support of the proposal.
Submission of Detailed Project Proposal
Applicants who are selected to submit a Detailed Project Proposal should submit it to the Fraser Basin Council, the BC CLEAR Fund Secretariat, at the contact address noted below.
Contact us for more information
Elizabeth Henry, Program Coordinator
Fraser Basin Council,
1st Floor, 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5
Email: ehenry[at]fraserbasin.bc.ca
Tel: (604) 488-5363
Fax: (604) 488-5351