The OSF grants committee received and evaluated twenty-two proposals by applicants from fifteen countries (Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Cyprus, Germany, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Portugal, Singapore, The Netherlands, and United States of America). Twelve proposals for the sum of U$s 47,000 listed below were funded. These have been selected based on the amount of data (images, specimen records, and sounds) expected to be added to the Orthoptera Species File. Also considered was the candidates’ expertise on the studied group, the quality of the proposal and its relation to a taxonomic research project, it was taken also in consideration if the project is related to a region of the world where Orthoptera are understudied, as well as it has an adequate budget. As an exception one project related to the Cockroach Species File has been included.

Projects funded for 2023

1. Aqilah, Amira Muhammad (Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur).
   Title: igitalilzation of Orthoptera Types from museum collections in Malaysia.
2. Cadena, Oscar (Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia).
   Title: tudy of Melanoplinae (Acrididae), Mecopodinae and Hexacentrinae (Tettigoniidae) of high Andean forests and paramos of the eastern mountain range of Colombia - Extension of the project to areas not covered, mainly in the south of the eastern range, and the central range of the Colombian Andes.
3. Denadai de Campos, Lucas (Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil).
   Title: Photographic database of Gryllinae and Oecanthinae crickets (Ensifera, Grylloidea) type specimens deposited in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP).
4. Hopkins, Heidi (Ithaca College, New York, USA).
   Title: hotographing primary Blattodea types held in Australian museums, and searching for an elusive Australian desert cockroach.
5. Ivković, Slobodan (Universitätsring 15 Trier, Germany) & Hovart, L. (Austria).
   Title: Taxonomy, bioacoustics and distribution of Orthoptera in the Western Balkans (North Macedonia II).
6. Jaiswara Ranjana (Panjab Universtity, India).
   Title: Photography of male and female genitalia of Gryllinae (Orthoptera,Grylloidea) type specimens at NHM, London.
7. Mariño Pérez, Ricardo (Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, USA).
   Title: Caelifera type collection of Bernice P. Bishop Museum (BPBM) in Orthoptera Species File.
8. Oumarou-Ngoute, Charly (Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, Cameroon).
   Title: The grasshopper (Orthoptera, Caelifera) diversity of Mount Bamboutos in the Cameroon Volcanic Line.
9. Subedi, Madan (Agriculture and Forestry University, Ghyalchok, Gorkha, Nepal).
   Title: Photographic records of the groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) of the unexplored wetlands of Ramaroshan, Accham, Nepal.
10. Szinwelski, Neucir (State University of Western Paraná, Brazil).
    Title: The Orthoptera from Paraná: Reducing Orthoptera biodiversity gaps in a threatened Atlantic Forest hotspot, and adding in OSF data from one of the most diverse state in Brazil.
11. Tan, Ming Kai (National University of Singapore).
    Title: Bridging the Sampling Gaps for Orthopterans in Southeast Asia: From Malay Peninsula to Borneo.
12. Zahid, Sundus (Mansehra. KPK. Pakistan).
    Title: Digitization of (Pakistani and Sri Lankan) type Specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum (NHM), London.

Grant application guidelines:

The Orthopterists' Society in cooperation with the Illinois Natural History Survey provides funding for work in support of the Orthoptera Species File.  Members of the Orthopterists' Society are invited to apply.  Applications should be sent to María Marta Cigliano (cigliano@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar).

Grants are available for a project as defined by the applicant. The project must involve benefit to the Orthoptera Species File. The usual benefit is the addition of images (photographs of the habitus and diagnostic details of type specimens, other reliably identified museum specimens, living individuals in natural habitats), sound recordings, and/or geo-referenced specimen records. Any proposal that solely focuses on fieldwork or other systematic research without direct benefits to OSF will not be considered. Projects may be proposed for periods of one to three years.

Funding for 2024 will be announced in September. All requested information must be submitted by October 30, 2023 to receive full consideration.

The proposals should include:

1. Project description (not more than five pages):
   • Title
   • Significance (highlighting the new data that will be added to OSF, preferably to taxa currently lacking images, sound recordings, distribution records, etc.)
   • Objectives, methods and activities
   • Timetable
2. If applicable, provide summary of the research project related to the proposal
3. Curriculum vitae
4. Budget (including justification of trips to museums, fieldwork, equipment, etc.)
5. If applicable, provide letter of agreement/acknowledgement to work with the collection from the corresponding institution/curator including permission to add the images to OSF.

Proposals from graduate students should include a simple recommendation from their professor or advisor.

Preference will be given in relation to the amount of data added into OSF, i.e. the expected contribution to the considered taxa (dependent on already existing data). A detailed list of the species that are poorly illustrated in OSF and the data that is expected to be added as a result of the grant is highly recommended to be included in the proposal. Proposals involving images and sound recordings taken in the field will be funded depending on the “biogeographical value”, i.e. surveys in under-collected areas will be preferred over similar activities in well-worked terrain. Preference will be also given to applicants who demonstrate knowledge of the taxa involved. The methods, e.g., techniques for capturing images, will be likewise considered in the evaluation. Also, priority will be given to applicants planning to document and photograph the types of Orthoptera species not yet documented by images in OSF, or who are planning to document the types from museums or other collections not easily accessible to researchers. Applications of curators for support of a qualified student to do this under his supervision will also be considered.

Important: A short financial and tasks report will be required from each grantee once the funding period is finished. The tasks report will be in a format suitable for publishing in Metaleptea.

If the candidate has received an OSF grant in a previous year, the tasks from the previous grant have to be finished and the report approved by the OSF Committee before applying for a new grant.