Monica Cole Research Grant in Geography to Individuals, Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students for Overseas Fieldwork

Monica Cole Research Grant

Course(s) Offered: Geography
Course Level: Undergraduate, Postgraduate
Provider: RGS with IGB
Country to Study in: UK

Scholarship Description
The Monica Cole Research Grant offers £1,000 each year to a physical geographer undertaking original fieldwork overseas. The award is open to individual, undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Grant is given in memory of Professor Monica Cole, an eminent physical geography researcher.

Born in 1922, Monica Cole was a leader in the field of geo-botany. Her career spanned continents and decades. She held the position of Chair of Geography at Bedford College for many years. Shortly after her retirement in 1975, she received the RGS-IBG Murchison Medal for major contributions to the geography of South Africa and to the understanding of savannas.

Eligibility
Eligibility criteria include:

• Applicants must be students registered with a UK Higher Education Institution.
• Applicants must be physical geographers undertaking original fieldwork overseas.
• Both undergraduate and post-graduate students are eligible to apply.
• Projects that involve joining an existing commercial organisation on a pre-paid tour will not be considered.

Selection process:

• Applications will be assessed by an external panel of experts.
• There are no interviews for this award.

Eligible groups
Citizens of ANY country (BUT must be registered with a UK Institution)

Participating Institutions
All approved UK Higher Education Institution(s)

Fields of study
Physical geography

Number of awards
Not specified by provider

Sponsorship duration

Scholarship benefits
£1,000 for a physical geographer to undertake fieldwork overseas

Method of Application
Applications must contain the following information:

• Name and full contact details (please include an email address)
• The year of commencement of the University course and the intended completion date. Please indicate if this is an undergraduate or postgraduate programme
• Title and short abstract, giving context to the research (max 100 words)
• Aim of the project and objectives with a description of how the fieldwork/ data collection will contribute to the overall undergraduate/postgraduate project (max 250 words)
• Location of research area including the latitude and longitude (These are used by the RGS-IBG to geocode information about our grants programme)
• A full description of the proposed research, including field site, methodologies and a timeline (max 500 words)
• Duration of fieldwork/research with start and intended end date
• Details of links with host country, including permissions and collaborations (max 250 words)
• A risk assessment and safety management plan, and details of appropriate ethical approvals (see conditions of award, max 300 words)
• A fully itemised budget. This should include travel, accommodation and per diem costs, as well as details of the source of funds for budgeted costs that exceed the value of the award. All details of other funding gained or applied for should be included.
• Please do not send supporting documents such as previous reports, these will not be used when screening the applications.

Please indicate how you heard about the Monica Cole Research Grant

Referee statements:

• Two referee statements are required. One must be from your undergraduate/ postgraduate supervisor. One should be independent of the research activities and institution.
• Please send each of your referees a copy of the Referee Guidelines below and ask them to send the references directly to the Grants Officer by email by 18 January. Applications will be jeopardised if referee statements are not received on time. References form a critical part of the judging process.
• Receipt of all materials will be acknowledged.

DEADLINES:
The application deadline is 18th of January every year. Applications should be submitted by email to the Society’s Grants Officer (grants@rgs.org) by 18 January. This deadline will be strictly enforced.

PLEASE NOTE:
Contact/ Applications:
Grants Officer;
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
1 Kensington Gore
London
SW7 2AR
T: (0) 20 7591 3073
F: (0) 20 7591 3031
E: grants@rgs.org
W: www.rgs.org/grants

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) offers many other grants for different areas of geographical research at different career stages. Full details of all grants can be found at www.rgs.org/grants.

Applicants may only have one Society grant application pending at any one time. For more information, please read our Frequently Asked Questions, www.rgs.org/grantfaqs.

Application Deadline: 18 January 2014
Open to International students: Yes

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