The Solent Forum
Working in partnership for the future
One of the aims of the Solent Forum is to further the research knowledge and evidence base of the Solent. To assist this aim, the Forum has a bursary Scheme where funding of up to £300 per project is available to help support dissertations undertaken by both undergraduate and graduate students. The award is named in honour of Professor Mike Clark, the second chairman of the Forum. As part of the award, the winners also have an opportunity to give a short presentation at a Solent Forum meeting and have their research publicised to the Solent's coastal community.
The bursary deadline for applications for 2025/6 will be May 2025.
Please contact the Forum Office if you wish to discuss a potential submission. We also publicise the award application via the Forum's twitter account: @solent_forum.
All students, irrespective of institution attended, may apply for a bursary as long as they meet the application form criteria. The geographical area covered by the dissertation must coincide, either totally or partially, with the Solent Forum study boundary, including the Isle of Wight. The project must also be on a coastal topic or theme that furthers the knowledge base in the Solent.
The fund will help meet essential travel and research expenses, such as laboratory costs, that have been incurred by the applicant. The award is not intended to pay for printing or binding costs, nor for hardware such as laptops. There will be a limit of £300 per project, payable on receipt of the final dissertation. Evidence will need to be provided before payment including scanned receipts, and mileage for any travel expenses.
A group of academics and Solent Forum members meet in May to discuss the submissions and decide which ones should be granted funding. We look favourably on those where the Solent's coastal community have identified a research needs.
For those who are successful in their application, a condition of the funding will be that the Solent Forum is to receive copy of the finished dissertation; it will be uploaded or linked to the Solent Forum's website. Upon receipt of the finished dissertation and notification of expenses the Award will be paid. Award recipients will be invited to present their findings at a Solent Forum members' meeting and we will publicise the research to the Solent's coastal community.
The call for submissions takes place in March to the Solent's academic institutions. The deadline for student submissions will be 17 May 2024. A decision will be made shortly after that with regards to which projects have been successful and students will be informed in June before their summer break. There is an expectation that we will receive the dissertation by spring of the following year that the award was made.
Solent Forum+44 (0) 370 779 5206
solentforum@hants.gov.uk
© Solent Forum 2024
