The organizers of the «Baikal Initiative» grant competition have taken into consideration challenges that young scientists face due to the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to extend the acceptance of applications until July 14, 2020. The extension of the deadlines for accepting applications will not lead to a change in the overall deadlines for the competition, and the evaluation of applications by the expert council of the competition will take place by September 1, 2020, as was planned previously. Competition conditions and selection criteria also remain unchanged, more detail is given on the competition webpage. We remind you that this year the applications are accepted in three nominations:
- basic and applied research in the field of water resources conservation;
- applied scientific research and scientific and technical activities in specially protected natural territories;
- development of citizen science.
Citizen science is an instrument for popularizing scientific knowledge and involving society in the research process. The public can make a qualitative contribution to the research projects of scientists providing necessary data. For example, by sharing observations on the presence and number of owls in the city parks or on fallen animals on the roads by sending photos/videos with geographical coordinates to scientists that will then create maps with bird nests in the city or with the most dangerous sections of the road for animals and develop best solutions of a problem. Such interaction not only allows scientists to solve project tasks more efficiently, but also helps the population to learn more about their environment and develop a caring attitude towards it. We are sure that the Baikal region with its rich flora and fauna has enormous potential for the development of citizen science!
We are looking forward to your applications and wish you success!