Nerc Facility for Scientific Diving

Nerc Facility for Scientific Diving

NERC FACILITY FOR SCIENTIFIC DIVING

Application for Diving Support

Note: Please discuss your project with staff of the

Facility before completing the application form

(see Note 1)

SECTION 1 – GENERAL INFORMATION

SECTION 2 – PERSONNEL


SECTION 2 - PROJECT TEAMAND PREVIOUS FACILITY USE

Please all investigators involved in the project

Give their position in the project team, e.g. co-principal, postdoctoral fellow, research student etc.

Under capacity, name each persons role in the team and state whether they are diving or non-diving (see Note 5).

Name / Position / Institution / Capacity in project

SECTION 3 – THE PROJECT


SECTION 4 – PROPOSED SUPPORT PROGRAM

Answer only ONE of sections a-c (see Note 9)

(a) Training
Training Course(s) Required * / Number of places / Date required by
If training is required by a certain date, please state why.
Where relevant, all training course attendees will be required to satisfy minimum entry requirements prior to acceptance
* The list of current training courses is regularly updated on the Facility website
(b) Equipment Loan
Equipment Required * / Number of units / Dates and duration of loan
Note which items of equipment will require technical assistance and detail what manpower requirements will be needed and for what duration (see Note 10)
If training is required for the equipment loaned, please detail for what items training is required, where the training will be required and on what dates:
NB. Proof of competency may be required before a loan is made
If the equipment is required by a certain date, please state why.
* The list of current equipment items available for loan is regularly updated on the Facility website
(c) Project Support(see note 11)
Give a detailed project plan that clearly indicates the duration of support requested, an estimate of the number of days/dives required, the project location(s), the type of tasks that require to be undertaken and the proposed diving team (ie. would NFSD divers be augmenting an existing team or be the total team). The project plan should also clearly indicate any additional equipment requirements. This section should be completed jointly by the proposer and the NFSD.
List the estimated costs being sought from the NFSD in addition to the basic diving support
If the project support is required by a certain date, please state why.

SECTION 5 – PhD STUDENT STATEMENT

SECTION 6 ─AUTHORISATION

I have to the best of my knowledge completed this form as fully as possible and have read the NOTES TO APPLICANTS and agree to the conditions stated therein.

I hereby confirm that the above Principal Investigator is eligible to hold an NERC research grant


NOTES TO APPLICANTS

  1. It is important that the feasibility of the request is discussed with a member of NFSD staff before formal submission. Draft proposals may also be sent to Facility staff for comment before formal submission. The final decision of funding will be made by the NFSD Steering Group. Only the pages of this form will be forwarded to the Steering Group for peer review; any important appended numerical and/or graphical data and/or text will be held for reference by the Facility.
  2. Give start and finish dates for the support requested. The start date should be no earlier than 6 months after the deadline for submission. The finish date can be up to 3 years after the proposed start date. Where start and finish dates are only approximate or not essential then give to the nearest month or season.
  3. Where the support is part-funded from another source, this must be clearly indicated in Section 3. Details must clearly state the value of part-funding, its certainty (funded or pending), and its duration.
  4. Both sections (a and b) must be answered. ‘New’ is defined as being a first-time request or a new project or can be a project that is in submission; ‘resubmission’ is defined as resubmitting a previous application; ‘existing’ is defined as an ongoing project requiring support. In (b) the applicant should indicate the principal area of support requested.
  5. Indicate here the members of the team who will be diving as part of the project. There is no requirement to have any divers on the project team where the NFSD support will provide the diving input. Any diver on the team that will be expecting to dive as part of the project will require to append a brief diving CV along with copies of all relevant training qualifications and medicals to the final submission.
  6. The project overview should summarise the TOTAL project for which the sought diving support will be a part and NOT just the part that requires diving. If the project was graded prior to funding, then the grade should be included in this section.
  7. Detail exactly where, within the overall project, the NFSD support will be employed, the type of support required and how that support contributes to the overall aims and objectives of the total project. In applications for training or equipment loans only then proposers should state how the training or equipment will aid the work.
  8. This application is reviewed by the current NFSD Steering Committee. Members of that committee may not be expert in your particular scientific discipline and so it is essential to explain your application in a clear, concise and informative style that permits the Committee to understand the importance and relevance of the proposal. Each proposal is rated using the current NERC rating scales and it is unlikely that proposals rated below alpha 4 will gain support. At times of high demand, the Steering Committee may have to prioritise successful proposals of equal rating. Where student work is to be directly or indirectly supported through the proposal, then this needs to be indicated clearly and at what proportion of the overall outcome.

The sections covered by guidance note 8 must provide the scientific context to which the proposal is contributing in sufficient detail with appropriate references in order for the Steering Committee to evaluate the scientific quality of the proposal in addition to assessing the feasibility of the study. A concise introduction should construct the scientific background to the project, what areas of scientific output it will be contributing to, what hypothesis/hypotheses is/are to be tested and how, and where there will be significant gains in knowledge. The project description needs to outline in full the objectives that are dependent on diving support, either in the form of physical support, training or equipment loans. Where possible, the hypotheses to be tested should be listed. In all of this, it must be remembered that the Steering Committee may not contain any experts in your particular field.

The proposal needs to establish the credibility of the proposers and so a brief track record should be given stating clearly the previous outputs and current expertise that are relevant to the proposal. The Steering Committee may also require to be convinced that there is funding in place to ensure that the deliverables coming from the diving support can be converted to scientific outputs in good time.

  1. Applicants should only answer the section most relevant to the request for support. It is acknowledged that, for example, project support may also require equipment and training inputs. These should be highlighted in the proposal but not bid for separately.
  2. In order for equipment loans to be made without technical support, then the applicant will be required to satisfy a level of competence. Where this is not the case then applicants must state the levels of technical support required and for how long.
  3. The project support section should outline clearly the total level of project support being requested. The application should give clear estimates of the amount of time being requested, over what timescales and indicate where consideration is being made for weather and/or tidal conditions. The application also needs to state clearly what additional costs are being sought from the NFSD: for example, travel and subsistence, equipment hire, charter vessel costs etc.
  4. Principal Investigators are required to provide the Facility with: (i) the completed request form before commencing the work and (ii) the Committee with a brief final report (submitted through the Facility) within six months after completion of the diving programme, completion of the training or completion of the equipment loan period. The request form should provide all information that may be required by the Facility so that the support programme can be conducted in an efficient and appropriate manner. The final report should summarise specific results arising from the diving support and provide a brief interpretation within the context of the original goals of the project.
  5. The Facility should be acknowledged (and informed) in all reports and publications that include data obtained with the support the Facility (including training). Copies of all publications should be sent to the Facility for collation.

The application may be examined and commented on with respect to issues relating to health and safety. If granted, support from the NERC Facility does not constitute any form of health and safety approval from NERC or the HSE.
ANNEX 1

List of codes needed for completion of the application form:

USER PROFILE

AcademicA

Centre/SurveyC/S

NERC FellowNF

PhDP

OtherO

FUNDING MODE (only funding via NERC needs to be identified)

The funding mode, where applicable, should be identified using the following codes:

NERC ThematicT - Insert ref in column G

NERC Non-ThematicNT - Only for NT projects primarily funded by grants and studentships

NERC Core StrategicCS

NERC Commercial/Repayment CR

NERC InfrastructureINF

FUNDING TYPE

The funding type should be identified using the following codes:

StudentshipS - Insert NERC reference*

Research GrantR - Insert NERC reference*

OtherO

* you may be asked to provide a copy of any relevant grant proposals

SCIENCE AREAS

ATMOSPHERICAS

EARTH OBSERVATIONEO

EARTHES

SCIENCE BASED ARCHAEOLOGYSBA

MARINEMS

POLARPolar

TERRESTRIAL & FRESHWATERTFS

END OF APPLICATION FORM

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