Building Research To Offer More Scholarships

6 January 2005

Building Research To Offer More Scholarships And Awards To Students

A variety of scholarships are being offered to students of academic excellence seeking to enter the building and construction sector, under Building Research’s newly-expanded ‘Scholarships and Awards scheme.’

Chief executive of Building Research, the building and construction sector’s leading research investment organisation, Dr Sunil Vather, says, “We propose to expand our existing scholarships and awards to offer prizes each year to leading students at a wide range of tertiary institutions with courses directly related to building and construction, and also to students pursuing business degrees involving research projects that address building and construction industry issues.

“The ‘Scholarships and Awards scheme’ is an important initiative to encourage students who have a record of excellence. They will learn invaluable skills relating to the building and construction sector, in effect creating better skilled workers for the future in New Zealand.”

Building Research has since 2003 made $100,000 available annually for its Scholarship Awards. With the addition of two more Scholarships and Awards categories, Building Research will almost double the amount available.

Currently students can apply for up to $25,000 per year to undertake a Doctorate; $20,000 to complete a Masters degree; and $15,000 to study towards an Honours, Diploma or Certificate qualification.

Building Research now proposes to offer three scholarships of a maximum of $20,000 each annually to students undertaking building and construction related business degrees, as well as up to 35 grants of $500 or $1,000 to students in their final year of tertiary study in building and construction related disciplines.

Scholarship students are required to maintain contact with Building Research during the course of their research and there is an expectation that the research findings will result in a transfer of knowledge or technology benefit to the wider building and construction sector.

“Preference is given to shorter courses over longer ones, to enable more students to benefit from the available funding. Funding to any individual student is limited to a course of study of no more than three years and a further requirement is that the research undertaken is carried out in a New Zealand tertiary institution, except under exceptional circumstances,” Dr Vather said.

Two further targeted Scholarships and Awards presently offered by Building Research are through the Chancellor’s Awards at University of Auckland which consists of three year packages aimed at Pacific Island and Maori students entering university and pursuing building and construction oriented courses, and the Zonta/Bulding Research ‘Women in Science’ Award which is worth $75,000 over three years and is designed to encourage women to consider science as a career path and provide the winner with the means for further advancement to become a PhD student.

While the majority of scholarships offered have flexible closing dates, applications for the next Zonta/Building Research Award, close on 28 February 2006. More information on Building Research scholarships awards is available on: http://www.buildingresearch.org.nz/mainsite/scholarships.html

ENDS

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