Did you know that we are inviting agricultural students to apply for funding to support their studies?
The Farmer Scientist Network at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is using funds secured from The Lionel Du Pre Trust, a legacy fund administered by the NFU, to specifically support students with:
- Accessing specialist equipment, resources and apps
- Travel to demonstrate applied research on-farm
- To improve access and quality of agricultural research scientifically backed data.
Funding of up to £200 per student is available, subject to a successful application.
For eligibility details and an application form, please scroll down this page and follow the links.
Case Study
Name: Lucy Edwards (pictured, above) at Newcastle University
Project: The Influence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizae on Plant Decision Making
Costs: £350 (including grant contribution of £175)
My project investigated the effects of mycorrhizal fungi on tomato plant growth in controlled conditions.
I established three treatment groups: a control group with no mycorrhizae, a “twisted” group where mycorrhizae were present but prevented from forming networks between plants, and a networked group where mycorrhizae were allowed to form inter-plant connections.
Each group was grown under two different light intensities to evaluate how both mycorrhizal associations and light availability influence plant development.
This research aims to explore whether mycorrhizae can support plant growth in agricultural settings beyond their known benefits to soil health in the field.
The grant funding made a big difference to this project by covering the main material costs, mainly the compost and grit needed to run the experiment.
This support was essential in getting the project up and running!
Eligibility
Grants are available to any Undergraduate, Masters or PhD student undertaking outreach or research activity linked to agriculture as part of their degree (e.g. for their dissertation), regardless of the overall degree programme itself.
Students who can actively evidence how they are working with farming and agricultural businesses will be prioritised, and applications to support projects in any area of agriculture are welcome (e.g. crops, livestock, agri-business and countryside management).
If you are unsure if your application would be eligible, please get in touch.
Application process
A limited number of grants are available.
The Farmer Scientist Network will assess applications on a rolling basis and will make decisions on applications within 10 working days.
We will acknowledge your application by email once it is received.
If you wish to apply for a grant, please click on the buttons below to read the Grant Guidelines and to complete the Application Form.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or to discuss your application, please telephone Holly Jones, Network Coordinator of the Farmer Scientist Network on 01423 546 251 or email HollyJ@yas.co.uk
The aim of the Farmer Scientist Network at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society is to work with the crop and livestock sectors to find new ways in which science and technology can find solutions and underpin innovation in agriculture. Find out more.
The Lionel Du Pre Trust is administered by the National Farmers Union and was established for the advancement and education in respect of the art and science of farming.
