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University Research Grants Rules and Guidance (URGs)

Reviewed and confirmed by SAHR Council - December 2023.

The purpose of the Society for Army Historical Research’s URGs is to further a charitable purpose of the Society by providing encouragement and support to research undertaken by those studying at Universities.

Eligibility

Grants are open to any person world-wide currently studying at a university or similar institution.

Grants

It is the Society’s intention every year to give a Major grant of up to £1,000 and two Minor grants of up to £500 each to successful applicants. The grants are for expenses associated with research such as travel, accommodation, permission to use a digital camera in an archive, photocopying fees, etc. Grants cannot be used to defray normal living expenses during your studies, to allow you to write up material already researched, to cover research trips that have already taken place, or to facilitate attendance at academic conferences, workshops, etc. Applicants must provide a clear, itemised breakdown of expected costs as part of their application. 

Subject Scope

URGs are only granted for research that relates to the British Army or to the Land Forces of the British Empire and the Commonwealth. This includes any aspect of the Army and its activities, including reserve or auxiliary units, (Militia, Yeomanry, Fencibles, Volunteers or Home Guard), or the offices and institutions which supported them. This also includes the armies of the countries of the British Empire or Commonwealth including forces maintained by non-Crown bodies within the Empire, such as the Honourable East India Company, or forces allied to and forming an integral part of the land forces operating on behalf of the Crown (Indigenous peoples in North America, for example).

Application

Applications may be submitted at any time during the year, but the closing dates for both the Major (£1,000) and Minor (£500) Grants is 1 May. Successful applicants will be informed and grants made available by July of the same year. 

Completing the Application

In order to apply for a grant, please download and complete this form and provide a project description (maximum 1,000 words). 

Applications are to be made electronically to grants@sahr.org.uk and receipt will be acknowledged.

For an application to be considered the applicant must provide:

  1. The completed application form.
  2. An attached scanned copy of your current student ID.
  3. A project description (maximum 1,000 words). This must include a description of your project and its significance to the field and an outline of the specific research to be supported by the URG, including what materials are to be consulted. Please ensure you clearly demonstrate how the research to be undertaken will benefit your project overall. 

All matters and queries relating to URGs should be addressed to the SAHR Grants Administrator via grants@sahr.org.uk. No other contact on the subject of URGs will be entertained by Council Members or Officers of the Society.

Applicants will be notified of rejected and/or unsuccessful applications. An unsuccessful application may be re-submitted in improved form in the year following. The award of a URG does not disbar an application for a second grant in the year following the award.

Administration

Awards will be decided upon by the Council of the Society, acting on the advice of the Grants Officer. Awards will be made strictly on merit based on the content of the Application, and on no other criteria. The amount of money and the timing of the awards may be varied by the Society’s Council at its discretion.

Membership of the Society by the applicant will have no bearing on the award of a grant; members and non-members will be treated in exactly the same way and upon the strength of their applications only. Successful applicants who are not Members will be given one year's free student membership of the Society. It is hoped that thereafter they will wish to join the Society at the Student rate of subscription, which will pertain while they remain at university.

Award of the grant is conditional upon the successful applicant submitting a contribution to the Journal arising from the research that has been supported.