MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

ABOUT THE ANIMAL WELFARE RESEARCH NETWORK

The vision of the AWRN is to foster enhanced collaboration and cohesion within the animal welfare research community, with a view to increasing successful grant-funded research and promoting the impact of outputs from research. As such we aim to ensure that our meetings and workshops are interactive and stimulate discussion between members and provide the opportunity for interacting with relevant industry, and other stakeholders, to identify research gaps and potential future research areas.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

The benefits of membership include:

• Monthly newsletter summarising information and opportunities in the field of animal welfare.
• Options to attend AWRN events including Annual Meetings, AWRN-funded workshops and online ECR Monthly Meet Ups.
• Possibility to join our mentoring scheme.
• Access to the members only section of the AWRN website which includes a membership directory and recordings of talks from previous AWRN Meetings / ECR Monthly Meet Ups.
• Ability to apply for our upcoming Kick-Start Funding and Lab Exchange Schemes.

COSTS OF MEMBERSHIP

Membership is currently free and you can apply simply by completing the online form (see link below) but we ask that you please check the conditions of eligibility before doing so.

ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP

All Applicants

Applications for membership will not be accepted from individuals with a history of promoting or committing illegal acts of animal activism (as identified during a security screening process) or those representing an organisation that has promoted or engaged in criminal activity.

To ensure the network provides an open and secure forum for discussion of research activities, all applicants will undergo a security screening by Horus Security Consultancy Ltd. Screening will not be required if two or more CG members are willing to vouch for an applicant having a proven track record and working in the Animal Welfare field for more than 5 years. In addition, if the Network Manager has concerns that any organisations may have engaged in or promoted criminal activity, they will consult with Understanding Animal Research who will support them in reaching a decision as to whether this is the case. 

Please only proceed with your application if you are willing to undergo these processes.

UK Applicants

Individual membership is open to all active academic UK researchers who have published papers in the field of animal welfare or a related discipline. In addition, those studying for a PhD or Masters by research are eligible to apply, unfortunately we are not currently able to accept applications from undergraduate or taught Masters students.

Membership is also open to stakeholder, including representatives from industry, charity, policy and governmental organisations. It is not a requirement for these individuals to have published papers, however it is required that they can demonstrate their enthusiasm for engaging with animal welfare research.

International Applicants

Researchers based outside the UK are welcome to apply for membership, however we are only currently able to accept one representative for each non-UK institution. For this reason, we ask that international applicants are in a position to distribute relevant information to others within their institution and ideally to a wider network, something we will ask you to describe in the application form. Before applying, please consider whether another individual at your organisation may be better placed to take on this role and if need be, discuss with colleagues who would be the best representative for your organisation.

What if your International Organisation is already represented?

We appreciate that there are individuals who would like to join but are unable to do so because their international organisation is already represented. The representative should be sharing any relevant information from the AWRN with you (please get in touch if this is not the case). If there is an event which you wish to attend and is highly relevant for your work then we are able to arrange for you to attend provided the AWRN member is willing to vouch for you.

If you are an International Early Career Researcher then you can join sign up to our International ECR list. You will need a member from your institution to vouch for you but once you are approved you will be able to join the mailing list and attend AWRN events: Link for International ECRs 

APPLY FOR MEMBERSHIP

If you have read through the “Eligibility for membership” section and believe that you meet the criteria for membership, then please apply for membership by completing the form below. Please note this form does not work with Firefox, please use an alternative browser such as Google Chrome or Internet Explorer:

Link to Membership Application Form

If you are unsure whether you qualify for membership, then please get in touch with the Network Manager (Poppy) and she will be happy to answer your questions. To contact the AWRN Network Manager please use the Contact Us form: Link to Contact Us Form.