The Palarq Foundation , a private, non-profit entity that supports the archeology and human paleontology missions of Spanish researchers outside Europe, closes 2020 by expanding its activity and maintaining the National Award for Archeology and Paleontology that bears his name and will be developed in 2021.
The entity has just made public the 20 projects that will compete for what will be the second edition of the award, endowed with 80,000 euros. All applicants submitted their proposals within the period established for this call, which ended on May 29. The projects will be submitted to the evaluation of an international jury made up of relevant personalities of recognized prestige in the scientific and cultural fields. The National Award for Archeology and Paleontology Palarq Foundation , is biennial and is the first to be awarded from a private initiative, through a foundation.
The applicant projects can be consulted on the website of the II National Prize for Archeology and Paleontology that the Palarq Foundation has enabled to disclose the characteristics of each of the works. The purpose of the Award is to recognize the excellence and originality of Archaeological or Paleontological projects, directed by Spanish research teams, and developed both nationally and internationally, without restrictions of cultures or historical periods. As far as Paleontology projects are concerned, they must be related to human evolution.
Economic support and moral support, keys in a critical year for culture
The complexity of this 2020 has required an additional effort that, beyond the growth in the number of projects subsidized through calls for aid –15 new projects in the 2021 campaign– , has focused on ensuring continued moral support for the research teams with which the Foundation collaborates. The pandemic has opened up a scenario of uncertainty before which the entity has given a clear message:"let no one forget archeology and human paleontology, even though restrictions prevent us from digging," explains the director of the Palarq Foundation , Carolina Bähr.
Economic support and moral support make up the double front of action of the Palarq Foundation to maintain research activity and this has been reflected in the results of this 2020, during which 30 of the 48 projects subsidized in the 2019 call for aid have been carried out. For the remaining 18 that have been affected by the restrictions derived from the global pandemic, the Foundation continues to support the teams so that, when the time comes, they can resume their activity:«We all know, and the researchers too, that the pandemic has an end and that we will be able to resume activity. While that moment has not come, at the Palarq Foundation we remain committed to all of them and work to continue valuing the excellence and prestige of the work of the Spanish teams", indicates the director of the entity.
More than 200 grants in four years
Since its creation, in 2016, the Palarq Foundation has been expanding the number of subsidized missions. In the first call, 22 projects were favored, while in 2017 33 works benefited and in 2018, 44. The 2019 call provided aid to 48 projects, to which were added the 54 that received an extraordinary grant for the analysis of the elements found in the deposits of our country. In the resolution of the 2020 call, 59 projects will receive the support of the Palarq Foundation.
