Guidance Notes

The David Miller Travel Bursary Award aims to give a young plant scientists or horticulturists the opportunity of overseas travel in connection with their horticultural careers. The Award was set up in honour of David Miller MBE.

Applicants should be in the second or final year of a higher education qualification (BSc, HND, Kew Diploma etc) or studying for an MSc or PhD. Applicants must be students registered for courses in the UK or the Republic of Ireland.

Applications can relate to any area of horticulture or plant science relevant to horticulture.

Applications consist of a maximum 500-word statement on the purpose to which the award will be put. (The award is intended to supplement, rather than wholly finance, a journey).

The deadline is 10 am on 16 April 2025. Award winners will be notified in May 2025.

The effect of COVID-19 on the David Miller Travel Bursary Awards is uncertain at the present time as the situation continues to evolve. We understand that many, if not all of the intended plans will be altered in some way, whether postponed, cancelled or held “virtually”. We aim to be as flexible and pragmatic as possible in supporting the chosen award winners.

The deadline for application remains the same, but the previous constraints to timing of travel are removed. We will work with the award winners on a case by case basis, recognising the excellence of their project and application in the most appropriate way for the individual proposal, however their intended plans evolve in the coming months.

The deadline for travel is usually May – December however given the current circumstances, this has been removed.

In the meantime please do contact awards@soci.org with any queries you have

Within six weeks of the completion of their Travel Plan, recipients must submit a report describing the work carried out with the aid of the award. Each recipient will receive a £500 travel grant, a year's Student Membership of SCI, a year's Eden Project Membership, and will be admitted to the Society of Chemical Industry College of Scholars. Award winners will be invited to present to the committee and alumni at a David Miller Award event in the Autumn following completion of their travel and be presented with their certificates.

By submitting an application for the David Miller Award you agree to your details being shared with the horticulture group committee for the purposes of administering and processing the travel bursary.

Click here for the David Miller Award Judging Criteria.

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