The FIG Foundation will be providing scholarships of up to 4,000 euros
plus possible funding for conference travel to
PhD students.
Applicants shall:
be studying for a PhD degree and registered solely in a
surveying/geomatics academic programme that teaches surveying[1]
in a country listed by the World Bank as a low-income, lower-middle or
upper-middle income economy[2],
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.
To apply, applicants should submit the documents listed below, as well as
complete the submission checklist. Successful applicants will qualify for a
further grant of up to 3,000 euros to attend and present a peer reviewed
paper at a FIG conference.
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. Potential applicants should view both videos on How to Apply
for FIG Grants on the FIG Foundation web page under Grants & Fellowships at:
http://www.fig.net/figfoundation/index.asp
Applications are to be sent to
fig.foundation@fig.net with “FIG Foundation PhD Scholarship Application”
shown in Subject Line. Applicants are not to contact Foundation
directors individually. Decisions are final. No correspondence will be
entered into during or after the competition.
Deadline 1 February 2020.
DOCUMENTATION
Applicants should submit the following set of documents in English as a
single file in PDF format using. A4 size paper using 25 mm (1” margins).
Each item should begin on a new page. Ensure that you
adhere to the requirements to avoid disqualification.
A completed check list – see the end of this document. 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.
A copy of the paper that has been re-submitted to the journal after
corrections have been completed.
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 paper’s referees’ reports.
A list of peer reviewed journal publications over the last 6 years
using the International Journal of GIS 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. See Notes
for Authors on the IJGIS website.
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.
GOVERNANCE
Grant holders are expected to file a report, co-signed by their
supervisor and department head, within a year of receiving their grant
indicating how the money was spent. Supervisors of successful applicants
will be contacted to confirm that they are prepared to do this before any
money is handed over. Supervisors should also indicate that they are aware
of point 9 above.
FIG Foundation grants do not pay University overhead or administration
assistant costs. Successful applicants will have to seek exemption if their
institution requires a portion of research grants for overhead.
PROPOSAL TEMPLATE
Section 1 below, should be a maximum of one A4 page, typed in single
spaced Times New Roman 12 point font using the stipulated headings. Any
additional pages will be deleted from the proposal. Use layman’s language;
evaluators are unlikely to be familiar with jargon.
RESEARCH PROJECT TITLE – new page - (maximum one line
Times New Roman 12 point capitals)
Research Objective: State in a sentence or two the
central objective of the research.
Significance of the Research / Problem:
Why is this research worth doing? What problem or situation does it address?
What are the practical applications of the research? What does it contribute
to knowledge?
Current State of Knowledge / Room for Improvement/Gaps:
What is the existing theory in the particular field? What aspects of
existing theory are open to challenge or further development?
Research Methodology and Methods:
Describe the theoretical foundation of your work, the primary strategy of
inquiry, and the methods of data collection and analysis.
Key Contribution: Describe the key contribution(s) of
this research project, both practical (i.e. to society at large) and
theoretical.
References – new page - in IJGIS format.
Suggested Reading – Sources of Useful Information for Writing a
Proper Grant Proposal:
There are a number of articles and videos on the internet on how
to write successful grant proposals and “grantsmanship”. Firstly view the
FIG Foundation videos on how to write an application to the FIG Foundation
which can be found on the FIG Foundation website. Do an internet search on
how to write successful Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
applications.
