Mazuri® Exotic Animal Nutrition Research Grant - Application Instructions and Advice

Applications for annual research grants due May 31, 2024 by following this link.

Research Grant Application Requirements

  • PDF Format, containing only the required elements listed below (no investigator names or affiliations)
  • Page limit: 5, not including literature cited
  • Required elements:
    • Title
      • We use an anonymized review process; thus, please refrain from mentioning geographic identifiers in the proposal title. (See below for details and examples, for this and other proposal elements)
    • General Abstract:
      • Overview of the project, its relevance, and future applications written to a lay audience.
    • Objectives & Background information: Detailed overview of research objectives and necessary background information to justify the research need.
    • Impact Statement: Describe the relevance of this work to the field of non-domestic animal nutrition and health, and its potential impact.
    • Materials and Methods:
      • Hypothesis
      • Experimental design
        • Including study population and treatments
      • Samples to be collected
      • Analytical methods and power analysis, if applicable
      • Expected results
      • Potential pitfalls
    • Timeline of Activities
    • Dissemination: Methods and timeline for dissemination of results.
    • Budget and Justification: Provide rationale for each budgetary item.
      • Ensure that any monetary amounts listed are converted to USD
      • Provide information regarding additional support if the proposal is also supported by other funding sources.
    • Literature Cited

 

Proposals will be scored based on:
  • Quality of the proposed research (40%)
  • Importance of the research (20%)
  • Likelihood that the research will be accomplished and disseminated (15%)
  • Required elements above (25%)

Anonymization Advice:

Grant proposals are presented anonymously to the review panel to reduce the effect of unconscious bias. Writing an anonymous proposal requires some care and special considerations from the authors.
Here are some suggestions for anonymizing your proposal:

  • Do not include applicant names or affiliations in the scientific rationale, including tables, figures, captions, etc.
  • Your credentials will not be apparent to the reviewers through your name or affiliation so be sure that the elements that will make the project successful are clearly, but anonymously, explained in the remainder of your proposal.
  • Do not state references to past work.
    • E.g., "my previous work…" or "Our prior analysis demonstrates that…"
    • When citing references, use third person neutral wording especially when self‑referencing.
      • Replace phrases like "as we have shown in our previous work (Doe et al. 2021), …" with "as previously shown (Doe et al. 2021), …"
    • Remove institutional identifiers and geographical location from the title and body of the proposal.
      • In place of stating geographical locations where the project will occur, describe the features of the environment or habitat that are important to your study.
        • This not only helps with anonymity but also for reviewers who may be from different subspecialties or countries than your own, and therefore may not all be familiar with the environment of the stated location. 
      • Lab analysis
        • Avoid naming labs directly but be explicit about methodology.
          • Not all reviewers will be familiar with every lab and the methods they use.
        • If working with multiple laboratories, it may be helpful to assign them a letter or number when describing the methodologies for future use throughout the document:
          • Plasma will be separated and shipped to a Laboratory A for clinical biochemistry, Complete Blood Count (CBC), and macromineral profiles (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P), Laboratory B for Selenium analysis, and Laboratory C for Vitamin A, D, and E analysis.
  • Omit references to specific product manufacturers.
    • E.g., Exposure to UV-B irradiation will be obtained from primary basking locations by use of a handheld Digital UV Index radiometer.

Anonymization Examples, before and after:

  • Title
    • Comparative analysis of the microbiome of desert tortoises in the United States: comparison of samples from in situand ex situ
    • Comparative analysis of the microbiome of desert tortoises: Comparison of samples from in situand ex situ
  • Objectives and Background Information
    • Results will contribute to the continued evaluation of current feeding management protocols that underlie captive breeding and head-starting programs for Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, providing the basis for scientifically supported feeding recommendations in AZA-managed bird species.
    • Results will contribute to the continued evaluation of current feeding management protocols that underlie captive breeding and head-starting programs for Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, providing the basis for scientifically supported feeding recommendations in zoo-managed bird species.
  • Methods
    • Samples will be collected within the Mojave Desert in California.
    • Samples will be collected within the species’ native range, in a desert habitat dominated by creosote and yucca species.
    • A total of 200 samples would be collected; these would include food and drinking water of the animals and sent to the microbiology laboratory of Stanford Universityfor analysis.
    • A total of 200 samples would be collected; these would include food and drinking water of the animals and sent to a local university microbiology laboratory for 16s PCR analysis.
    • The investigators will analyze serum samples for vitamins A, E and D in samples obtained from 44 animals housed at the Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Center in India.
    • The investigators will analyze serum samples for vitamins A, E and D in samples obtained from 44 animals housed at an in-situ rehabilitation center.
    • The diet at institution A consists of 50% Mazuri Wild Herbivore; 40% Bermuda grass hay, 5% vegetables, and 5% fruit.
    • The diet at institution A consists of 50% commercial herbivore diet; 40% Bermuda grass hay, 5% vegetables, and 5% fruit.
      • *If nutritional quality of feed products is important to the methodology of your study, you can include a summary of key nutrients (ex. guaranteed analysis, as-formulated or analyzed nutrient values)
    • Dissemination: You may mention international societies and journals without sacrificing anonymity, but avoid directly naming those which are region- or country-specific
      • Data will be presented at the June 2025 meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, the July 2025 seminar of the Comparative Nutrition Society, and the May 2026 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine.
      • Data will be presented at the June 2025 meeting of a national mammalogical society, the July 2025 seminar of the Comparative Nutrition Society, and the May 2026 meeting of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine.
      • We will submit at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal (e.g., Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Journal of Wildlife Management)
      • We will submit at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal (e.g., Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, the journal of our national wildlife management society)
    • Budget and Justification
      • This work is supported by additional funds as follows: $1000 from Oklahoma State University’s graduate student research fund; $2000 from the American Society of Mammalogists; $5000 from the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine
      • This work is supported by additional funds as follows: $1000 from the graduate student research fund at the principal investigator’s university; $2000 from a national mammalogical society; $5000 from the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at Grants@Mazuri.com with any questions that arise during proposal preparation!