Ella Garrison, Ex Libris
Research scientists and universities are always on the lookout for funding opportunities. In this blog series, we’ll look at what these institutions need the funding for and where they might be able to find it.
To do that, we’ll be taking a deep dive into data collected over a period of 15 months – all of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019 – on user searches in Pivot, our comprehensive tool for finding global funding opportunities. Earlier this year we reported on the top subject areas where researchers most often look for funding. In this post and the next ones in the series, we’ll dive deeper into some of the areas that attract researchers’ attention.
Unsurprisingly, given the seriousness and public awareness of the threat to the honeybee, bee-related searches were one of the top 20 topics in Pivot in 2018 and 2019.
The Buzz About Bees
Let’s start with the word “bee.”
For some, merely mentioning “bee” results in frantic ducking and weaving, and there are those who are allergic to their sting. However, honeybees are an import part of our ecosystem and their survival has become an issue of worldwide concern. There are many people, from urban beekeepers to scientists, working on ways to save the bee population.
Specifically, the concern over dwindling bee populations has grown over the past decade, due to greater awareness of the effects of pollution, pesticides, insect invasions, and migration. The general media has picked up on it, as well, including warnings of the impact of bee extinction on humanity.
Private citizens are also stepping up, specifically with the increase in beekeeping as a hobby around the world. They are highlighting the importance of these insects and the health benefits of honey. In fact, Hendersonville, North Carolina, known as “Bee City”, hosts an annual series of events starting on National Honey Bee Day (August 17) to raise awareness of the role of honey bees and other pollinators.
Funding is Like Honey – You’ve Got to Know Where to Look
Unsurprisingly, given the seriousness and public awareness of the threat to the honeybee, bee-related searches were one of the top 20 topics in Pivot in 2018 and 2019.
What is being searched and what have researchers found?
In 2018 and the beginning of 2019, keyword searches for bee-related terms and phrases included:
- Bee
- bee_cause
- bee_fitness
- bee_health
- bee_keeping
- bee_or_honey_bee
- bee_or_pollinator_or_butterfly
- Honey
- honey_bee
- honey_bee_gut
- Honeybee
As you can see, some of the searches are broad and self-explanatory, while others are clearly very narrow areas of interest. (Does “bee fitness” refer to using bees to stay fit or how to keep your bees in shape?) The search algorithm in Pivot allows researchers this kind of flexibility and precision, so they can quickly find possible sources of funding.
In the case of bee-related searches, Pivot users successfully discovered distinct funding opportunities around the world. In addition, researchers looking for opportunities for collaboration or for further information that could enrich their own research found over 160 dissertations that have been written about bees in the last 12 months, according to ProQuest’s global collection of dissertations.
There is Funding to Be Found
Do you have a research passion? You can see if there is funding available for it and find others to collaborate with. You may discover that what you are researching isn’t really that obscure and that investors are ready to help you take that exciting intellectual journey.
And here’s a bonus fun fact that we think is the bee’s knees: A team of researchers has taught honeybees basic mathematics.
December 3, 2019
