Summer Student Placement Scholarship
The Summer Student Placement Scholarship offers undergraduate students and recent graduates the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience.
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Who can apply: open to any SfAM member in a position to supervise an undergraduate student
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Maximum award: £2,500. You do not need to apply for the maximum amount
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Deadline: 14 February (northern hemisphere); 14 October (southern hemisphere)
The Summer Student Placement Scholarship offers undergraduate students and recent graduates the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience. They are to fund short (6–8 weeks) remote or in-person lab or desk-based projects in applied microbiology-related research areas.
The Summer Student Placement Scholarships give experience of applied microbiology to undergraduate students and may encourage them to consider a career in scientific research.
The support for the student is worth £250 per week (£275 in London) for up to 8 weeks, to cover a defined research placement, and up to £500 for specified research costs, e.g. consumables used by the student.
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Only one application may be submitted
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The application is to be made by the supervisor NOT the student.
No more than one student from an individual research group will be funded. Free membership will be offered to the student for one year if funding is successful.

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Only applications from staff eligible to supervise PhD students in their Higher Education establishment (e.g. university) or research institute offering PhD training and supervision will be considered for this award. Collaborations with non-academic research institutions are encouraged.
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The applicant must have at least one full year of membership history prior to submitting their application, and must not have lapsed on their membership at the time of application.
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Free membership will be offered to the student for one year if funding is successful. The students must provide a testimonial of at least 200 words within 6 weeks of project completion, highlighting how the project has helped with their career development. This is to be submitted via email to [email protected]. No membership will be given without this documentation.
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The maximum amount available for the grant is £2,500. The grant will normally provide support for the student at a rate of £250 per week for student support (for a maximum of 8 weeks) and up to £500 for specified research costs, e.g. consumables used by the student.
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Any additional funding applied for, or awarded, must be declared to the Society and will be taken into consideration when the final claim for reimbursement is made.
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The deadlines for applications for this grant are 14 February (northern hemisphere) and 14 October (southern hemisphere).
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Applicants can only apply for a Summer Student Placement Scholarship every 2 years. Preference will be given to members applying for the first time.
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Applicants must provide the student’s CV and details of the intended project, stating how the project will benefit the student.
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Any resulting scientific publications produced must be provided to the Society upon publication, and acknowledgment of the Society should be included in the publication.
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Reimbursement of the grant will only be paid to the institution by bank transfer directly into one appropriate bank account, normally in GB pounds sterling, euro or US/Canadian/Australian dollars. Under no circumstances will intermediary banks be used.
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All applications will be assessed by the Grants Awards Panel and their decision is final.
You must be a member to apply for this grant. If you are a member, please log in and return to this page to access the application form.
Some stories of previous recipients
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: crystallised knowledge
In summer 2021, Sara Lawrence got the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a research lab, as well as fieldwork.
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: a chance to hone skills
The chance to find out the difference between undergraduate practical experiments and academic research was one of the most valuable insights from Eoin Barry's Summer Student Placement Scholarship.
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: new experiences
Victoria Wootton's project was starkly different to the experiments carried out during an undergraduate degree, gaining valuable experience thanks to an SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship.
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: from traditional to conventional medicine
Michael Si-Hom Chau made use of an SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship to investigate anti-biofilm properties from medieval Welsh medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: an invaluable opportunity
Işıl Ezman applied with their supervisor for an SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: 3D printing the future
Sean Dynes made use of a Summer Student Placement Scholarship to explore how 3D printing can be used in medicine and microbiology.
SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship: growing confidence
Rachael Burton’s lab internship was at the University of Plymouth’s microbiology department with Dr Philip Warburton, funded by an SfAM Summer Studentship Grant.
SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship: an experience with AMR
Zoe Dunphy's lab internship was in Trinity College Dublin's microbiology department, funded by an SfAM Summer Studentship Grant.
SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship: exploring the world of research
Taylor Wellfare Reed looks back at their time as an SfAM Summer Student at the University of Sheffield.
Summer Student Placement Scholarship: making up for lost time
Shanel Miah from the University of Staffordshire had to miss practical training due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but using SfAM's Summer Student Placement Scholarship was able to recoup this experience.
SfAM Student Placement Scholarship: opening doors
Brittania Moodie reflects on the opportunities that opened up after accepting an SfAM Summer Student Placement Scholarship.
SfAM Student Placement Scholarship: Igniting Interest, Increasing Confidence
Kirsty had no idea how transformative an internship could be, until she returned to the lab to brush up on her environmental microbiology skills.