Cambridge University Reporter


Lightfoot Scholarships and Grants: Notice

Statutes and Ordinances, 2008, pp. 716 and 817

Under the regulations governing the Dr Lightfoot's Scholarship and Prize Fund, its Managers are empowered to:

(i) provide one or more scholarships, the holder(s) of which shall devote himself or herself to the study of ecclesiastical history;
(ii) provide grants in aid of research for the purpose of furthering the study of history and, more especially, of ecclesiastical history.

The Managers give notice that they wish to invite applications for the above awards.

Eligibility

Scholarship candidate must be (or be about to become) a Ph.D. student pursuing a course of study in ecclesiastical history within the University. Grants, on the other hand, may be awarded to members of the University to support research in any aspect or period of history. Applications from undergraduates and M.Phil. students are not normally considered.

Applications procedures

Scholarship and grant application forms can be downloaded from the Faculty's website: http://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/pgadmissions/funding/trustfunds.html, or requested from the Accounts Office, Faculty of History, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9EF. Late applications will not be considered.

Scholarships

Scholarships are awarded to assist applicants with the costs of maintenance and fees. The Fund's Managers will determine the value of each scholarship, but the maximum sum awarded will not exceed the current level of a standard AHRC postgraduate maintenance award. Scholarships are tenable for one academical year in the first instance, and may be renewed annually, subject to a maximum of three years. It is the responsibility of the award holders to reapply each year, by the deadline.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 13 January 2009. The application should state the proposed subject of a dissertation for submission for the competition, chosen by the candidate. It should also include an outline of the applicant's current and proposed programme of doctoral research on a single page of A4 paper. Applicants must submit the names and contact details of two referees, and should invite their referees to forward their letters of support to the Faculty by the same date.

If the Managers of the Fund consider that applicants have met the eligibility conditions, and if they approve the title, applicants will be required to submit the dissertation of between 7,000-15,000 words in length (including footnotes), on a subject in ecclesiastical history. Scholarship dissertations must be submitted to the secretary of the Managers by 23 April 2009.

Applicants should be aware that the Managers will appoint two adjudicators to report on the dissertation. Adjudicators are asked to say whether they deem the dissertation sufficiently outstanding to fall within the top 25% of University of Cambridge Ph.D. theses.

Applicants who are not already graduate students of the University of Cambridge should ensure that they submit an application for admission. Please follow the guidelines on the Board of Graduate Studies website at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/gsprospectus/applying/howtoapply.html

Grants

The Fund's Managers will determine the value of all grants that they decide to award. The maximum sum awarded to an individual applicant will not, in general, exceed £2,000.

Grants for research trips are given to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, and specific research expenses.

Applications for grants should include full details of why the candidate wishes to apply for funding, and should make reference to any other simultaneous pending applications that he or she has made to other sources of assistance. Applicants must also include the names and contact details of two referees. Completed applications should be forwarded to the secretary to the Fund's Managers by 13 January 2009 or 23 April 2009. Referees should be requested to send their letters of support to the Faculty by the same dates.