08/07/2009: Insect Pollinators Initiative Call for expressions of interest

Insects contribute substantially to the pollination of a wide variety of cultivated and wild plants, and play important roles in both crop production and the maintenance of natural ecosystems. However, there is evidence that populations of managed and wild insect pollinators are currently declining in the UK and elsewhere, in the face of threats from rapid changes in the environment such as emerging pests and diseases, habitat loss, intensive agriculture and climate change.

Closing date: 16:00 on 23 September 2009

An evidence base is needed to inform the conservation of wild insect pollinators and to improve the husbandry of managed species, in order to avoid the potentially catastrophic loss of the ecosystem services they provide.

The purpose of this initiative is to promote innovative research aimed at understanding and mitigating the biological and environmental factors that adversely affect insect pollinators. The causes of pollinator declines are likely to be multifactorial, involving complex interactions between pollinators, their pests and pathogens, and the environment. Multidisciplinary and systems-based approaches will be important in elucidating them. In particular, the funders are keen to bring to bear on these issues - alongside the expertise of the existing pollinator research community - relevant new skills such as state-of-the-art and high-throughput "post-genomic" technologies, and the latest techniques in epidemiological and ecological modelling.

The administration of the initiative is being led by BBSRC on behalf of all of the funding partners. Enquiries should be addressed to:

Debbie Harding
BBSRC
Tel: 01793 414653

Please see the below document for full details of the call.