Posted on 23rd Jan
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has launched its 2020 Centenary Award for postgraduate agricultural students (Masters and PhD).
Now open for applications, the award provides bursaries to pay up to 75% of course fees for selected students who are undertaking a postgraduate course in agriculture (Masters or PhD) within the UK.
The Centenary Award was created by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2010 to celebrate NFU Mutual’s 100th birthday, with the objective of creating a legacy for the future. To date, 40 agricultural students have received bursaries to help further their studies.
The award is open to individuals who have gained, or are expected to gain, a 2:1 or above in agriculture or a related degree, and have been accepted or provisionally accepted on a Masters or PhD course in agriculture in the UK, in autumn 2020.
The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has identified three topics of interest for eligible students. At least one of these areas must form part of the applicant’s postgraduate course: sustainable agriculture and climate change; international agricultural development; the application of science and innovative technology to the agricultural industry.
To select the students, the judging panel will be looking for applicants who are not only excellent academic performers, but also have a real passion for agriculture and demonstrate potential to become a future industry leader.
Talking about the scheme, Jim McLaren, NFU Mutual Chairman, said: “Our Centenary Award aims to give outstanding agricultural students the opportunity to continue their studies. It is about supporting young people who want to make a difference not only to themselves, but also to farming and our rural communities.”
Chloe Dunne, from Leicestershire, was one of four postgraduate agricultural students to receive the Centenary Award bursary in 2019, helping fund her PhD in Agricultural Systems and Management at the University of Nottingham.
Chloe explained how the award will help her to achieve her ambitions: “It is a real honour to have NFU Mutual supporting my postgraduate studies. My PhD thesis will focus on the role of women in UK agriculture, exploring the factors affecting the take-up of agricultural leadership roles for females and strategies to encourage greater leadership diversity.”
Prospective postgraduate students who think they may be eligible to apply for the Centenary Award in 2020 should contact centenary_award@nfumutual.co.uk to request further details and an application form.
The closing date for the 2020 award is 30th April. Information about the scheme can be found on the NFU Mutual website: www.nfumutual.co.uk
