Our evaluation process

Eligibility shortlisting

Eligibility criteria

• All relevant sections of the application form must be completed, and the research proposal must be fully developed (to include research question, objectives, method, outputs, timeline and financial breakdown).
• The funding request must be between £20,000 and £60,000, inclusive of VAT (grant-funding). All costs need to be justified within the application to be considered for support.
• Research projects must start before May 2023 and last no longer than 24 months.
• At least one of the investigators must be located at an established research institution (academic or otherwise).
• Only one application may be submitted by a primary investigator per grant call.

Scientific review

Applications will be scored on how well they meet the scientific review criteria.

Scientific review criteria

The scientific review criteria is based on research excellence. It will be assessed and scored by the scientific review panel.

• Research directly enables the Woodland Trust to achieve its strategic aims and clearly addresses one or more of the three research themes aligned with the Trust's strategy to protect, create and restore UK woods and trees and aligns with the Woodland Trust Conservation Principles.
• The research is original and fills a clearly-defined evidence gap. The knowledge gap is demonstrated by ‘Conservation Evidence’ (see www.conservationevidence.com). The research will make a scientific contribution potentially worthy of publication.
• The research question, objectives and methodology are clearly articulated and well-defined.
• The research clearly addresses issues with landscape-scale significance OR it is clearly articulated how the outputs of the research can be extrapolated to different scales.
• The primary investigator clearly demonstrates ability to present and produce scientifically credible evidence, through past academic or practitioner experience, transferable skills, and/or contribution to publications or non-academic literature. If the primary investigator does not have past experience, they clearly state how leading this project using their transferable skills will provide them with the relevant experience. Past and potential experience will be considered equally.
• The research team clearly demonstrates suitability to support and deliver the project through past experience, knowledge, transferable skills and/or development of experience through undertaking the project.
• The potential impacts of who or what the research will benefit are identified and the plan for how the impacts will be realised is well-defined.
• Expected outputs of the research are well described. How the research outputs and impacts throughout and beyond the project will be communicated to different audiences is defined.

Funding recommendations

The conservation evidence team will make funding recommendations primarily based on the scientific review scores. The suitability and feasibility of the research project, and Woodland Trust applied impact and engagement will also be taken into account during this stage.

Suitability and feasibility of the research project

• The project is discrete project, or a discrete part of a larger project.
• The project is feasible within the given financial and time constraints.
• The funding requested is reasonably justified as to how it will contribute to project success.
• Risks to the project are identified and robust mitigation and contingency plans are described.
• The feasibility of using any required access to Woodland Trust sites or data has been granted.
• There are no barriers to project completion (or barriers have been suitably addressed under risk and mitigation plans) if funding from the Woodland Trust is awarded.

Woodland Trust applied research impact and engagement

• The expected outputs will assist in Woodland Trust conservation practice, outcomes and approach. The outputs can be applied to deliver our restoration, creation and protection goals.
• The non-scientific audience summary of the project is well articulated, free of technical jargon and understandable to a non-scientific audience. It is clear from the non-scientific audience summary why the Woodland Trust would support the research.

The number of recommended applications that will receive grant funding will be determined by the amount of grant funding available. However, we will only fund a maximum of six projects.

Primary investigators will be notified of their grant application outcome on or before 31 January 2023.