How To Apply for FIG Foundation PhD Scholarship 2021 (Funding Available)

The FIG Foundation will be providing scholarships of up to 4,000 euros plus possible funding for conference travel to PhD students.

The FIG Foundation raises funds to secure a sustainable future for surveyors. Donations finance educational and capacity building projects and scholarships, especially in developing countries and countries in transition, and encourage research into all disciplines of surveying and help disseminate the results of that research.

Scholarship

• Successful applicant will receive up to 4,000 Euros;
• They will qualify for a further grant of up to 3,000 Euros to attend and present a peer reviewed paper at a FIG conference.

Eligibility

Applicants shall

• be studying for a PhD degree and registered solely in a surveying/geomatics academic programme that teaches surveying in a country listed by the World Bank as a low-income, lower-middle or upper-middle income economy;
• have had a paper accepted by a peer reviewed international journal based on their doctoral research project; applicants should be the lead author, and the paper should be co-authored with their supervisor;
• should not have submitted their final thesis at the application deadline.

Judging Criteria

Applications will be judged on the quality of the application and need. In the event that two excellent applications are judged to be of equal quality, applications from low-income and lower-middle income countries will be preferred.

How To Apply

Applicants should submit the following set of documents in English as a single file in PDF format on A4 size paper using 25 mm (1” margins). Each item should begin on a new page. Ensure that you adhere to the requirements above to avoid disqualification, and also make sure that all the following required documents are correctly filled in and included in your application.

• A completed check list. You should use this to check that all documents are included in your application and also include the checklist in your submission. Note that if one item on the checklist is missing or disqualifies the candidate, the application is unlikely to be considered.
• A cover sheet showing the candidate’s personal details and those of his/her institution.
• A brief description and argument as to how the applicant’s academic programme addresses the “teaches surveying and graduates surveyors” component of Qualification Criterion 1 above. Provide web links to programme descriptions, course outlines and details of courses.
• A 200 word abstract. This should be written in terms understandable to the lay person; similar to a press release and which the FIG Foundation could actually use as a press release in the event of a successful application.
• A one page research proposal as per the template below on A4 size paper. Note that the one page limit will be strictly enforced; material that extends beyond one page will be deleted.
• For the paper accepted by a peer reviewed international journal based on their doctoral research project, provide a copy of the paper that was re-submitted to the journal after corrections have been completed, or submit the published paper.
• A letter from the editor of the journal indicating that the paper has been accepted and that the necessary corrections have been completed satisfactorily.
• The journal’s referees’ reports for the paper.
• A list of peer reviewed journal publications over the last 6 years using the International Journal of GIS (IJGIS) reference list format. Use the following headings: Peer Reviewed Journal Papers, Peer Reviewed Conference Papers, Non- Peer Reviewed Conference Papers, Non- Peer Reviewed Journal  Papers, Books, Book Chapters and so forth.
• A list of research funding obtained over the past 5 years, indicating which grants are peer reviewed or not.
• A description of research compliance, the research account and activity auditing structures and processes in their institution. For example, if a scientist spends money inappropriately, are there structures in place to refund the granting agency? Provide the names and web addresses of the administration departments and official organisation descriptions dealing with research compliance.
• A description of the structures and processes in their institution that pertain to research ethics, in particular ethics relating to research involving human subjects, if that is relevant to the grant application. Provide the names and web addresses of the administration departments and official organisation descriptions dealing with research compliance.
•  A budget indicating how the funds will be spent and a one page justification of the budget. Note that as a general rule, equipment will not be funded. Travel to FIG Conferences to present results and tuition fees may be included in the budget. Per diems for field work will not be funded, but reasonable actual costs of field work are refundable.
• A brief letter from the applicant’s PhD supervisor indicating that they have read this document, that they confirm that the applicant has viewed the videos on How to Write Grant Proposals to the FIG Foundation, and that they have read the applicant’s proposal and recommend (or not) that the FIG Foundation Board of Directors consider the proposal.
• For transparency purposes, successful proposals, grantees’ final reports and progress reports on their activities and use funds will be published on the Foundation web page, and perhaps elsewhere, where appropriate. Please indicate your consent or otherwise for your proposal(s) and reports to be published. Grantees should provide compelling reasons for these documents not to be published.
• In a separate PDF document, provide a comprehensive academic CV. Seek advice on what constitutes an academic CV.

Applications are to be sent to fig.foundation@fig.net with “FIG Foundation PhD Scholarship Application” shown in Subject Line.

For more information, visit FIG Foundation

Application Deadline: June 1, 2021